The Pahrump Valley High School varsity track and field team got a full preview of postseason competition at the Skyhawk Invitational, held April 17–18 at Silverado High School. Structured to mirror the format of regional and state meets, the two-day event challenged athletes across a wide range of events, with only the throwing competitions absent due to facility limitations.
The meet opened with the 4×800 relay, where the boys team faced an early setback but still delivered one of the top performances of the weekend. During the handoff, Josh Gent was clipped, losing a shoe and forced to run both laps with just one spike. Despite that, the group of Logan Tilley, Gent, Josh Slusher and Joaquin Flores pushed through for a time of 8:48.51, placing seventh overall and first among small schools. The girls followed with a strong effort of their own, as Alexis Clouser, Ava Bowers, Avery Farruggia and Sarah Brown finished in 11:35.09, good for fifth overall and first in small schools.
In the hurdle events that followed, Ulisses Alvarez ran 19.45 in the boys 110m hurdles, while the girls 100m hurdles group saw Diona Nixon finish in 18.25, Ella Odegard hit a personal best 18.46, and Kyndra Cardwell run 20.67. The 100m dash continued the momentum, with Rene Gonzalez Valdez posting a personal best 12.49 in the boys freshman-sophomore race. At the varsity level, Ben De Santiago ran a personal best 11.30 to take first in small schools, while Justin Byers clocked 12.98. For the girls, Anjolina Mercado ran 13.28, Ma’liyah Collins recorded a personal best 13.48, and Cindal Monahan finished in 15.11.
Relay teams added key finishes in the 4×200, where the boys group of Gonzalez Valdez, Alvarez, Byers and Evan Strain ran 1:39.98 to place second in small schools. The girls team of Collins, Mercado, Monahan and Sedona Norton matched that finish with a 1:55.80.
Distance events continued to highlight the Trojans’ strength. In the boys 1600m, Joaquin Flores ran a personal best 4:36.41 to take first in small schools, followed by Logan Tilley at 4:52.03, Josh Gent at 4:55.08, and Azael Machuca with a personal best 5:22.12. In the girls freshman-sophomore race, Ava Bowers ran 6:09.72 and Kimberly Trejo posted a personal best 6:56.00. The girls varsity race saw Jules Ondrisko finish in 5:38.96 for second in small schools, with Addi Nelsen (personal best 5:53.90), Sophie Romero (6:13.98) and Alexis Clouser (6:18.24) following.
The 400m dash wrapped up the track portion of day one, with Ben De Santiago running 49.74 to place second overall and first in small schools. Jace Wulfenstein ran 55.09, and Josh Slusher recorded a personal best 57.18. On the girls side, Aurora Bowers ran 1:06.22 for second in small schools, while McKinsey Nottingham (personal best 1:08.43) and Avery Farruggia (1:10.05) followed.
Field events on the first day produced strong marks as well. Jayden Crisler won the boys triple jump among small schools with a jump of 43 feet, while Daniel Thompson reached 33 feet, 7.25 inches. In the girls long jump, Diona Nixon placed third in small schools at 15 feet, 4 inches, followed by Savannah Thompson at 14 feet, 8 inches and Sedona Norton at 14 feet, 0.5 inches. Crisler also cleared 9 feet in the boys pole vault, while Kimberly Trejo and Aurora Bowers each cleared 4 feet, 6 inches in the high jump, with Bowers marking a personal best.
Day two began with the 3200m run, where Logan Tilley led the boys with a personal best 10:31.18, placing third in small schools. Josh Gent followed with a personal best 10:40.62, Joaquin Flores ran 10:43.76, and Azael Machuca posted a personal best 11:25.82. On the girls side, Jules Ondrisko ran a personal best 12:42 to place second in small schools, while Sophie Romero (personal best 13:01.35), Addi Nelsen (13:33.32) and Alexis Clouser (personal best 14:01.83) rounded out the group.
The 4×100 relays followed, with the boys finishing in 47.52 and the girls team of Cindal Monahan, McKinsey Nottingham, Anjolina Mercado and Ma’liyah Collins running a personal best 54.28. In the 300m hurdles, Jayden Crisler ran 43.55 to take first in small schools, while Ulisses Alvarez added a personal best 46.22. The girls saw Jules Ondrisko continue her strong weekend with a personal best 49.23 to finish first in small schools, followed by Diona Nixon (personal best 51.30), Ella Odegard (personal best 52.64) and Kyndra Cardwell (1:01.80).
In the 800m run, Kris Trejo ran a personal best 2:29.52 in the boys freshman-sophomore race, while Avery Farruggia (personal best 2:53.05) and McKinsey Nottingham (personal best 3:05.81) competed for the girls. In the varsity races, Ben De Santiago ran a personal best 2:01.65 to finish first in small schools, with Logan Tilley (2:13.16), Josh Slusher (2:13.78) and Joaquin Flores (2:19.40) following. Jules Ondrisko led the girls with a season best 2:28.06 to take first in small schools, while Ava Bowers (personal best 2:40.68), Alexis Clouser (season best 2:48.50) and Addi Nelsen (2:53.10) added depth.
Sprint events continued in the 200m dash, where Rene Gonzalez Valdez ran 25.40 in the boys freshman-sophomore race and Aurora Bowers ran 28.72 for the girls. In the varsity races, Ben De Santiago posted a 22.78 for second in small schools, while Jace Wulfenstein (24.63) and Justin Byers (25.01) followed. The girls saw Anjolina Mercado (personal best 27.35), Ma’liyah Collins (personal best 27.67), Diona Nixon (personal best 28.71) and Cindal Monahan (season best 30.03) all turn in strong efforts.
The meet concluded with the 4×400 relays, where the boys team of Wulfenstein, Kris Trejo, Slusher and Evan Strain ran 3:52.85 to place second in small schools. The girls team of Ella Odegard, McKinsey Nottingham, Avery Farruggia and Anjolina Mercado also took second in small schools with a time of 4:47.03.
Day two field events included Kyndra Cardwell clearing 6 feet in the girls pole vault, Jayden Crisler jumping 19 feet, 4.75 inches in the boys long jump alongside Daniel Thompson at 16 feet, 1 inch, and Savannah Thompson placing third in small schools in the girls triple jump with a mark of 31 feet, 7 inches, followed by Sedona Norton at 29 feet, 5.5 inches.
Individually, the Trojans also earned top recognition at the meet, with Ben De Santiago and Jules Ondrisko each being named Athlete of the Meet for the small school division, highlighting their impact across multiple events over the two-day competition.
Head Coach Dan Nagle said, “The Skyhawk meet was our most recent opportunity to gauge where we stand against strong competition. We had a great showing and are looking forward to building on this weekend’s success moving forward.”
With a full two-day schedule now behind them—and plenty of hardware to show for it—the Trojans leave the Skyhawk Invitational with momentum as they prepare for the postseason stretch.
