Miyamura track nabs six gold medals

RAMAH, N.M. – Make it 10 in a row for Miyamura distance runner Kylie Montano.

On Saturday, Montano extended her winning streak to double digits as the Miyamura junior captured the 800-, 1600- and 3200-meter races at the Angelo DePaolo Invitational at Ramah High School.

“I’m coming off a good cross-country season, so I feel like this is good start for me,” Montano said of her track season. “But it’s more than what I could have hoped for.”

The Miyamura track team also received a pair of first-place finishes from senior Brody Tah as he won the 100 and 200 races with winning times of 11.38 in the 100 and 23.64 in the 200.

Tah beat out teammate Joseph James for both crowns as James completed both races in 11.44 and 12.65, respectively.

“It’s always us,” Tah said of his teammate. “We’re seeded 1-2 in our district, so we’re always close to each other.”

In the 3200, Luke James won the eight-lap race with a time of 10:44.15 for Miyamura.

Despite having some soreness in his hamstring, Tah cruised to the win in the 100 as he posted a new PR.

“I kind of was running a little tense,” Tah said. “But I got out really good, so my start was strong. I got out front and I heard Joseph right behind me and when I seen him in the corner of my eye, it pushed me to run a little harder.”

In the 200, he came up short of hitting a new personal best.

“My hamstrings were sore, so I eased up a little bit,” he said. “But I still wanted to finish first.”

His time in the 100 is two-tenths shy of meeting the Class 4A qualifying time of 11.2 seconds. The 200 meters, meanwhile, is nearly one second off the 22.66 qualification mark.

Tah acknowledged that he’s looking to make the state field at next month’s District 1-4A meet, which will be hosted by Bloomfield High on May 9.

“For district, I’m either seeded one or two,” Tah said.

The Miyamura senior also earned a bronze medal in the high jump with a 5-6 effort as he finished behind Hózhó Academy’s Kaleb Bowannie and Rehoboth Christian’s Simon Frederiksen as both athletes also finished at 5-6.

“We all missed at 5-8, but it was whoever had the least attempts to clear 5-6,” Tah said of the placement.

In the girls long distance events, Montano posted winning times of 2:34.05 in the 800, 5:41.58 in the 1600 and 11:50.18 in the 3200.

Of the three races, the Miyamura junior reset her personal best by 0.52 seconds in the 800.

Earlier last week, Montano established some new PRs during the Farmington Invitational that wrapped up on Monday after being postponed two days earlier due to inclement weather.

At that meet, she ran a 2:34.57 in the 800, a 5:31.13 in the 1600 and 11:48.97 in the 3200.

“I came back from a meet on Monday, so my legs were a little tired,” Montano said.

As for winning streak, the Miyamura distance runner has yet to have anyone push her past her limits.

“I just haven’t had any competition, especially in our district,” she said. “I really want that competition so that I can get better PRs and push myself harder.”

Looking ahead, she believes she won’t see that competition until next month’s state meet.

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