St. Pius X Cross Country Delivers Historic State Meet Performances
The St. Pius X Cross Country program turned in one of its strongest collective performances in nearly two decades at the 2025 New Mexico State Championships, highlighted by a third-place finish from the boys team, their first podium appearance since 2007, and an impressive 11th-place result from a young girls squad that finished just three points outside the top ten.
BOYS FINISH 3RD: FIRST STATE PODIUM SINCE 2007
For the boys, the performance marked a major milestone and signaled the arrival of one of the most promising young groups in the state. Sophomore Silas Brown led the charge with an All-State performance, placing eighth overall in 16:21.6 and becoming the first St. Pius X runner to finish inside the top ten since 2008. Behind him, freshman Mateo Sanchez raced to 19th in 17:06.0, followed closely by senior Liam Brown in 21sr at 17:09.0. Freshman John Paul Rimbert continued his late-season surge with a strong 25th-place finish in 17:27.2, and freshman Vincent Cichy rounded out the scoring with 31st place in 17:43.8. The depth extended beyond the scoring five as freshman Levi Lopez placed 37th in 18:03.7 and sophomore Diego Gomez finished 49th in 18:17.3, giving the Sartans all seven runners inside the top 50.
St. Pius X finished with 94 points and a team average of 17:09.6, trailing only Albuquerque Academy and Los Alamos. With four freshmen, a sophomore, and only one senior in the state-meet lineup, the result underscored both the strength of the present and the enormous potential ahead for the boys program.
GIRLS FINISH 11TH: JUST THREE POINTS AWAY FROM TOP 10
The girls team delivered its own impressive effort, placing 11th overall and coming within three points of breaking into the top ten. The Sartans were led by eighth grader Vanessa Castro, who finished 38th in 21:48.4, one of the top times in the meet among middle-school competitors. Freshman Sage Yepa placed 57th in 22:53.1, followed closely by fellow freshman McKenzy Crilley in 62nd at 23:03.9. Freshman Chloe Turek finished 86th in 24:37.5, and eighth grader Tristan Adams completed the team scoring in 90th with a time of 24:49.5. Sophomore Kaylee Gray (97th, 25:59.9) and freshman Olivia Weber (100th, 26:16.8) added reliable depth to a lineup made up almost entirely of underclassmen.
The girls posted a team average of 23:26.5 and finished just behind Belen, showing that a top-ten finish, and even a podium push, is well within reach for the coming years. With three freshmen and two eighth graders among their top runners, the future core of the program is already emerging.
Together, the boys’ historic podium return and the girls’ near-top-ten finish capped a standout season for St. Pius X Cross Country. With youth on both sides and several breakthrough individual performances, the Sartans head into the offseason with momentum, confidence, and a bright path forward for the years ahead.