ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Both Artesia Bulldogs cross-country teams finished in the top 10 at the 2026 state championships Saturday, and several Bulldogs runners also placed in the top 100. The girls’ team placed eighth, and the boys’ team placed 10th.
“Super proud. All I asked them today was to give their absolute best for themselves and for their teammates. That’s exactly what I saw today,” Artesia head coach Julius Acosta said.
Girls take eighth place
The Artesia girls finished with 223 points, which earned them eighth place. Junior McKenna Drake led the Bulldogs, placing 18th overall with a time of 20:23.58.
“I like to get out pretty fast,” Drake said. “I feel like it always puts me in a better spot than trying to speed up at the end.”
Jema Molina followed in 30th place with a time of 21:09.08, about 46 seconds behind Drake. Adianez Renteria finished 55th in 22:22.80, Chloe Caley placed 59th in 22:30.69 and Aubrey Allison took 61st in 22:39.99. Renteria, Caley and Allison finished within about 17 seconds of one another.
In cross country, a team’s score is the sum of the finishing places of its top five runners, and the lowest total wins. Artesia’s 223 points came from finishes of 18th, 30th, 55th, 59th and 61st.
“I think we all did really good. I am really proud of my team,” Drake said. “We were ready for this.”
Boys finish 10th
The Artesia boys’ team finished with 242 points, earning 10th place.
Hector Arenas Maldonado led the Bulldogs, finishing 26th overall in 17:12.19.
Edwin Villareal finished 34th in 17:24.76, about 13 seconds behind Arenas Maldonado. Aaron Allison followed in 46th with a time of 17:56.18, Aedyn Moralez placed 66th with a time of 18:31.95, and Nathan Perez finished 70th in 18:41.36.
The Bulldogs’ five scoring finishes of 26th, 34th, 46th, 66th and 70th added up to their 242 points. All five scorers placed in the top 70. Arenas Maldonado and Perez, the team’s first and fifth finishers, were separated by about 1 minute, 29 seconds.
Coach proud of effort
“They fought hard all the way until the end. Some of them didn’t have performances that they were expecting, but at the end of the day, I saw them just hammer home,” Acosta said. “Whatever the results are, I am just super proud of them.”
With both teams in the top 10 and runners from both squads placing among the top 100 finishers, the Bulldogs left Albuquerque with strong showings at the 2026 state meet.
