Today's Sports

In 2013, the Los Alamos Hilltopper girls track and field team has a chance to cement its place as one of the elite programs of all time.

Leading up to this season, that move was led by one of the most charismatic athletes the program had ever seen, Chase Ealey. But now, the responsibility of leading the charge toward state-level immortality falls on a much more low-key team captain.

The Hilltoppers’ efforts heading into the final two weeks of the season are being guided by senior Laura Wendelberger. Wendelberger has carved her own niche in Hilltopper history, but unlike her predecessor, has done so with considerably less flair and with good ol’ fashioned sweat.

But even though Wendelberger is set to make her fourth appearance at the state meet for Los Alamos, the pre-championship jitters have already begun to set in.

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking,” she said. “But all I can do is run my best. I won’t let people’s expectations change my mindset.”

With Ealey, the two-time high-point athlete at the state meet now having a standout freshman year for Oklahoma State University, those looking to see if Los Alamos can pull off the 5-peat will have their eyes set squarely on Wendelberger.

History has shown, however, that she should be up to the challenge.

Paul Elkins was the top predictor in the Atomic City Roadrunners’ pace race last week.
The Pace Race was run at the Ponderosa Campground Trail in Bandelier National Monument.
Elkins finished 27 seconds off his predicted finish time Tuesday, 20 seconds better than runner-up Ted Williams. No other participant came closer than 108 seconds to their actual finish time.
The fastest finisher on the 1-mile course was Tom Sandford, who finished in 13:13. Sue Elkins came in at 16:45.
On the 3-mile course, Ted Romero was once again the fastest finisher, posting a time of 18:54.
Also on the long course, Roxanna Candia finished in 28:00.
The next Pace Race, the Roadrunners’ annual staggered start run, will be tonight starting at Piñon Park in White Rock. Race time is 6 p.m.
Interested participants can find more information about the Atomic City Roadrunners by calling 672-1639 or visiting the club’s website, atomicrunners.com. 

ALBUQUERQUE – Bruce Cottrell didn’t even pretend he didn’t know where his program stood historically.
“This is our eighth victory, one more than Academy,” he said immediately after watching his Los Alamos Hilltopper girls win the Class 4A state tennis title Saturday night.
But Cottrell, the longtime head coach of the team, had to sweat out its championship match against the four-time defending champion Farmington Scorpions.
Los Alamos seemed to have the match well in-hand after going 4-2 in the singles competition, but dropped two of the first three doubles contests to Farmington, leaving the No. 2 doubles teams to battle it out for the state title.
But in the late evening – the singles matches were interrupted by a rain delay of about 33 minutes – the team of Susanna Lucido/Colleen Fitzsimmons finished off Farmington’s Allie Linville/Sydney Schumacher in straight sets to upset the Scorpions and claim the Hilltoppers’ first team title since 2008.
Even though Los Alamos won the No. 2 doubles title in straight sets, even the second set win didn’t come easily.

Both the Los Alamos Hilltopper girls and boys golf teams will be represented at the state Class 4A championship tournament.

The 4A state tournament, which will be played at the New Mexico State University championship course in Las Cruces, starts Monday and continues through Tuesday.

Los Alamos’ girls earned four qualifying legs on the season, grabbing the necessary three qualifying legs during the fall.

The Hilltoppers secured one leg during the spring season, that coming April 29 at Santa Fe Country Club.

The Hilltopper girls ended up as one of eight teams to earn their way into the Class 4A tournament and was one of just two teams from the north-central part of the state to get in, with Santa Fe being the other.

Leading all 4A girls teams with qualification legs was Deming with 11 total. Goddard earned 10 legs on the 2012-13 season.

Los Alamos’ boys will have one entry in Las Cruces, Raul Roybal. Roybal qualified as an individual, shooting 79 at the Santa Fe Country Club April 29 to earn his try to state.

Deming will go into the tournament as the defending 4A champs on both the boys and girls sides. The Wildcat girls shot a two-day total of 709 and the Wildcat boys carded a 633 in the 2012 tournament, played at the New Mexico Tech course in Socorro.