By: Joshua Griñe (Director of Enrollment, Social Media, & Marketing)
St. Pius X athletics delivered another strong week across the board as the Sartans continue to make noise in postseason competition and district championship events.
HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
The Varsity Girls Tennis team battled through a marathon day of competition, defeating Goddard and Grants to advance to the semifinals of the NMAA State Tennis Championships. The Sartans eventually fell to eventual state champion Albuquerque Academy, but the run marked the deepest postseason finish for St. Pius X girls tennis in nearly a decade.
Junior Madison Sanchez also captured the 4A District 1/5 singles championship, highlighting a strong postseason for the girls program.
On the boys side, Varsity Boys Tennis opened state competition with a first-round victory over Chaparral before falling to Belen in the quarterfinals. Earlier in the week, Mateo Certain earned District runner-up honors in singles, while the doubles team of Jude Benavidez and John Johnson claimed district championships and competed at the individual state tournament.
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
The Sartans turned in an outstanding showing at the District Championships with multiple district champions and state qualifiers.
District Champions included:
- Quinlan Wilson — Triple Jump
- Liam Brown — 3200 Meter Run
- John Paul Rimbert — 800 Meter Run
- Stella Copeland — 800 Meter Run
- Vanessa Cichy — 300 Meter Hurdles
District Runner-Up finishes included:
- Cy Saenz — 200 Meter Dash
- Vincent Cichy — 800 Meter Run
- Silas Brown — 1600 Meter Run
- Vanessa Castro — 1600 Meter Run
- Vanessa Castro — 3200 Meter Run
- Quinlan Wilson — High Jump
- Curtis Flakes III — Long Jump
- Ezra Ocampo — Discus
- Isaiah Carpenter — Javelin
- Xavier Giron — Shot Put
- Elizabeth Coash — 100 Meter Dash
Congratulations to all Sartan athletes and coaches as they prepare for the upcoming state championships.
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
The No. 4 seeded Sartans opened the postseason in dominant fashion, rolling past Deming 11-2 in the opening round of the state playoffs.
St. Pius X pounded out 15 hits and four home runs in the victory. Freshman Jaelyn Olloway delivered a huge performance, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Senior Zoë Mangrum was equally impressive, finishing 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. Junior Jordan Chavez added four hits and scored four runs.
In the circle, eighth grader Lexi Jaramillo tossed a complete game, allowing just one earned run while striking out nine.
The Sartans’ fell in a hard-fought 9-6 loss to Lovington on Saturday. Despite the defeat, St. Pius X once again showed offensive firepower with 13 hits. Jaelyn Olloway, Aubri Hooee, Zoë Mangrum, Isabella Caba, and Diamor Ibarra-Villegas all recorded multi-hit performances.
St. Pius X now sits at 22-6 overall and will continue postseason play Thursday against No. 9 seed Goddard at 12 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
The No. 9 seeded Sartans picked up one of their biggest series wins of the season, sweeping District 5-4A rival Grants in the opening round of the state playoffs.
St. Pius X entered the postseason after dropping two district games to the Pirates earlier this year, but the Sartans flipped the script when it mattered most. They earned an 8-7 victory in Game 1 Friday before closing out the series with a 7-3 win in Game 2 on Saturday, both games in Grants.
The playoff sweep pushes St. Pius X to 15-12 overall and into a quarterfinal showdown with No. 1 seed and defending state champion Artesia on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex - Field 4