Lubbock-Cooper's Niomi Wines excels in first Class 5A district meet

WOODROW — It's understandable why Niomi Wines didn't feel much of a challenge in Class 4A.

A year ago at Big Spring, she reached the state track and field meet in two events — as a freshman.

She's got a few stops before replicating the feat, but she's proven that she can do special things in 5A, too.

Wines, now at Lubbock-Cooper, left Thursday's District 4-5A meet with three gold medals, winning two individual events and setting a personal record. The performance contributed to the Lady Pirates' team title — part of a Lubbock-Cooper sweep at Pirate Stadium.

"I feel a huge difference," Wines said. "(Class) 4A wasn't the best competition, but now I'm like having to run for my life, really."

The sophomore said she surprised herself in the 200-meter dash, which she won in a personal-best 24.16 seconds. Wines said she was tired, and that's reasonable. It was her third event of the day, not long after running the first leg of the Lady Pirates' winning 800 relay.

Earlier, she avenged a second-place finish a couple weeks ago in the last regular-season meet. Lubbock High's Alyssa Singletary tied a meet record with a 5-foot-8 clearance at the Lubbock ISD Invitational to top Wines (5-4). Wines said that added a bit of motivation, and she entered Thursday confident. It again came down to Wines and Singletary, with the former winning at a "decent" 5-6.

Wines placed ninth in the 4A high jump and, as the youngest competitor, finished seventh in the 200 at state. She'll try to take another step closer to Austin next Friday at the Districts 3/4-5A area meet at Lowrey Field.

She'll also do so with Raegan Reed, Kennedi Riascos and Campbell Beeler — who clocked a 1:44.87 in the 800 relay.

Wines took pride in topping the team standings, too. The Lady Pirates got a boost from Sofia De Groot's gold in triple jump and silver in long jump. Cooper didn't need to win any other events to run away with the team championship.

The Lady Pirates totaled 164 points, with runner-up Monterey netting 116. Lubbock High, which won five running events, got third with 95 points.

It was only fitting, Wines said, that Lubbock-Cooper won in its home stadium. Even with a change of venue, Wines should have plenty of supporters in the crowd next week.

"My whole family was here earlier," Wines said. "… I love the crowd and I love people supporting me. It makes me run faster, I feel."

Ritz blazes to two school records

Minutes after the district meet, Cal Ritz hadn't completely wrapped his head around what he had done.

It's ironic, since the Lubbock-Cooper junior attributed his success to controlling his mind.

Two school records fell Thursday because of Ritz's blazing efforts. He said his emphasis on running with a relaxed attitude contributed to his win in the 100, and that snowballed into another gold in the 200.

Ritz set new program-bests in each event. His 10.41 in the 100 edged Abilene Cooper's Daniel Bray (10.47), then Ritz ran a 21.33 in the 200.

He had already set the Pirates' record in the 100 with his 10.52 in Wednesday's preliminaries.

"The whole year, I've been really tense while I run," Ritz said, "and I've been working on relaxation. I think after that first 100, I really felt like I could come out and do something great."

Ritz, who said it was an "awesome feeling" to even be mentioned with Lubbock-Cooper's best, found a routine that works. It's led to his best times of the season by far. His previous season-best was 10.69 at the Texas Relays on April 1.

"I've been trying to just run relaxed in practice, maintaining it," Ritz said. "I think once you just kind of get that down in your head, I think you're solid. You just know how to do it."

Ritz was part of a dominant performance by the Pirates, who tallied 180 points to top the boys standings. Abilene High followed with 119, and third-place Monterey notched 116½.

Lubbock-Cooper won six events over the two-day meet and placed second in six as well. That included Michael Dever's and Vincent Sipowicz's 1-2 finish in the high jump Wednesday.

Ritz was on the winning 400 relay with Thaddeus Haney, Jaxon Cook and Coleman Vaughn.

The Pirates got second in the other two relays, just missing Lubbock High in the final event. The Westerners won a thrilling 1,600 relay in 3:25.74 as Harrison Velasco crossed 0.01 second ahead of Lubbock-Cooper's Emmett Jones.

Jones placed second in the 400, another example of the Pirates' success. Ritz said it's easy to keep raising the bar when he's got teammates excelling with him.

"It's a great feeling to know that work that we've put in this year has led to that (district title)," Ritz said. "… I think it for sure boosts our confidence, especially within practice. We all push each other. Every day we're pushing each other, no matter what."

District 4-5A track and field meet

at Pirate Stadium, Woodrow

Thursday's events and team totals

BOYS

Team standings: 1. Lubbock-Cooper 180; 2. Abilene High 119; 3. Monterey 116½; 4. Abilene Cooper 73; 5. Abilene Wylie 67; 6. Lubbock High 46; 7. Coronado 18½.

Triple jump: 1. Hebrew Hunter, Monterey, 47 feet, 1 inch; 2. Davare Payne, Abilene High, 45-8; 3. Gavin Parrott, Lubbock-Cooper, 44-5½; 4. Jaylen Parker, Abilene Cooper, 42-4; 5. Ethan Nichols, Lubbock-Cooper, 41-9½; 6. Brandon Infante, Monterey, 41-0.

Shot put: 1. Ty Politte, Lubbock-Cooper, 49-9¼; 2. Kendrick Vanderbilt, Wylie, 48-5½; 3. Ethan Hoffmann, Wylie, 46-6½; 4. Chris Carrillo, Lubbock-Cooper, 45-9; 5. Kayden Bryan, Abilene Cooper, 44-1¾; 6. Kimaje Russell, Monterey, 43-3.

Shot put wheelchair: 1. Isaac Montoya, Lubbock High, 10-7½.

Pole vault: 1. Logan Smith, Abilene High, 12-0; 2. Kyler Greer, Lubbock-Cooper, 11-6; 3. Ethan Deleon, Abilene Cooper, 11-6; 4. Hayden Wright, Wylie, 11-0; 5. Evan Stacey, Lubbock-Cooper, 10-6; 6. Jermey Morrison, Lubbock High, 10-6.

400-meter relay: 1. Lubbock-Cooper 41.76 seconds; 2. Abilene High 41.90; 3. Monterey 43.42; 4. Coronado 43.90; 5. Lubbock High 45.16; 6. Abilene Wylie 45.78.

800: 1. David Mora, Monterey, 2:01.32; 2. Andruw Villa, Abilene High, 2:02.05; 3. Robert Stephens, Monterey, 2:04.95; 4. Xavier Sanchez, Monterey, 2:05.55; 5. Kylor Petrowski, Lubbock High, 2:05.90; 6. Rylan Langley, Lubbock-Cooper, 2:06.68.

110 hurdles: 1. Davare Payne, Abilene High, 14.41; 2. Cam Manahan, Coronado, 14.93; 3. Josh Melson, Abilene High, 15.33; 4. Jordan Simmons, Lubbock-Cooper, 15.57; 5. Cole Kotara, Lubbock-Cooper, 16.15; 6. Anthony Craft, Lubbock High, 16.35.

100: 1. Cal Ritz, Lubbock-Cooper, 10.41; 2. Daniel Bray, Abilene Cooper, 10.47; 3. Braden Regala, Wylie, 10.55; 4. Coleman Vaughan, Lubbock-Cooper, 10.76; 5. Jaden Jackson, Abilene High, 10.77; 6. Hebrew Hunter, Monterey, 10.90.

100 wheelchair: 1. Isaac Montoya, Lubbock High, 20.89.

800 relay: 1. Abilene Cooper 1:28.05; 2. Lubbock-Cooper 1:30.64; 3. Abilene High 1:30.76; 4. Lubbock High 1:31.28; 5. Wylie 1:31.63; 6. Monterey 1:31.69.

400: 1. Zion Daniels, Monterey, 50.87; 2. Emmett Jones, Lubbock-Cooper, 51.24; 3. Christian Rico, Abilene Cooper, 51.39; 4. Harrison Heighten, Wylie, 51.62; 5. Andre Washington, Wylie, 51.75; 6. Rylan Langley, Lubbock-Cooper, 51.78.

400 wheelchair: 1. Isaac Montoya, Lubbock High, 1:28.49.

300 hurdles: 1. Cooper Morris, Lubbock-Cooper, 40.72; 2. Gabriel Alcantar, Abilene High, 41.74; 3. Cole Kotara, Lubbock-Cooper, 42.02; 4. Josh Melson, Abilene High, 42.33; 5. Jesse Elizondo II, Monterey, 43.99; 6. Novaj Lewis, Monterey, 46.30.

200: 1. Cal Ritz, Lubbock-Cooper, 21.33; 2. Braden Regala, Wylie, 21.61; 3. Jaylen Parker, Abilene Cooper, 21.83; 4. Jaelnd Pryor, Abilene Cooper, 22.21; 5. Karter Gentry, Lubbock-Cooper, 22.32; 6. Kenneth Johnson, Abilene High, 22.71.

1,600: 1. David Mora, Monterey, 4:30.70; 2. Andruw Villa, Abilene High, 4:33.45; 3. Elias Gonzales, Lubbock High, 4:39.81; 4. Tripp Gray, Monterey, 4:40.22; 5. Lathen Myers, Coronado, 4:42.88; 6. Xavier Sanchez, Monterey, 4:43.32.

1,600 relay: 1. Lubbock High 3:25.74; 2. Lubbock-Cooper 3:25.75; 3. Abilene Cooper 3:29.51; 4. Abilene High 3:29.84; 5. Monterey 3:31.06; 6. Wylie 3:37.70.

GIRLS

Team standings: 1. Lubbock-Cooper 164; 2. Monterey 116; 3. Lubbock High, 95; 4. Abilene Cooper 74; 5. Abilene High 73½; 6. Wylie 57½; 7. Coronado 40.

Triple jump: 1. Sofia De Groot, Lubbock-Cooper, 39-4; 2. Kahlen Whitley, Lubbock-Cooper, 36-7; 3. Jazlyn Hatcher, Abilene Cooper, 36-5; 4. Asharee Davis, Abilene Cooper, 35-11; 5. M'Lia Whitman, Wylie, 35-7½; 6. Ambrosia Cole, Monterey, 35-5.

High jump: 1. Niomi Wines, Lubbock-Cooper, 5-6; 2. Alyssa Singletary, Lubbock High, 5-4; 3. Sara Goltz, Lubbock-Cooper, 5-2; 4. Brentley Preston, Lubbock-Cooper, 5-2; 5. Mysia Lewis, Monterey, 5-0; 6. Karolina Najera, Coronado 5-0.

Discus: 1. Shelby Robinson, Monterey, 130-10; 2. Taylin Silco, Lubbock-Cooper, 124-10; 3. Shyann Huerta, Lubbock-Cooper, 118-10; 4. Jacelyn Gestes, Lubbock-Cooper, 117-9; 5. Gracie Hurst, Wylie, 109-3; 6. Faith Ford, Lubbock High, 104-2.

400 relay: 1. Abilene High 49.02; 2. Lubbock-Cooper 49.18; 3. Monterey 49.34; 4. Abilene Cooper 49.67; 5. Coronado 50.66; 6. Wylie 51.24.

800: 1. Zanashia Harris, Coronado, 2:20.42; 2. Zoe Vann, Abilene High, 2:22.66; 3. Carolina Hernandez-Acosta, Lubbock High, 2:24.50; 4. Bailey Springer, Monterey, 2:26.37; 5. Molly Bessent, Abilene High, 2:31.55; 6. Tayley Bullen, Lubbock-Cooper, 2:33.44.

100 hurdles: 1. Sara Dy, Lubbock High, 15.43; 2. Savannah Wesley, Lubbock-Cooper, 16.83; 3. Jessie Houston, Lubbock-Cooper, 16.89; 4. Tony'A Moses-Lewis, Monterey, 17.11; 5. Avah Dishong, Wylie, 17.19; 6. Adriahna Peeples, Abilene High, 17.28.

100: 1. Anne-Lie Waite, Abilene Cooper, 12.06; 2. Keagan Galmor, Lubbock-Cooper, 12.07; 3. Malia Williams, Abilene High, 12.34; 4. Prexous Means, Monterey, 12.36; 5. Kennedi Riascos, Lubbock-Cooper, 12.52; 6. Ambrosia Cole, Monterey, 12.61.

800 relay: 1. Lubbock-Cooper 1:44.87; 2. Monterey 1:45.69; 3. Coronado 1:46.91; 4. Wylie 1:48.48; 5. Lubbock High 1:48.60; 6. Abilene Cooper 1:52.79.

400: 1. Elizabeth Florez, Lubbock High, 58.74; 2. Ambrosia Cole, Monterey, 59.43; 3. Taylar Riley, Wylie, 1:01.62; 4. Savannah Woods, Lubbock-Cooper, 1:02.67; 5. Charli Garland, Monterey, 1:03.10; 6. Abigail Johnson, Wylie, 1:03.74.

300 hurdles: 1. Samarah Green, Abilene Cooper, 44.75; 2. Sara Dy, Lubbock High, 47.28; 3. Reginae Essix, Monterey, 48.13; 4. Adriahna Peeples, Abilene High, 49.07; 5. Keira Robinson, Wylie, 49.39; 6. Hattie Houy, Monterey, 50.04.

200: 1. Niomi Wines, Lubbock-Cooper, 24.16; 2. Anne-Lie Waite, Abilene Cooper, 24.45; 3. Keagan Galmor, Lubbock-Cooper, 24.81; 4. Germanie Williams, Abilene High, 25.69; 5. Anna Rodgers, Monterey, 25.86; 6. M'Lia Whitman, Wylie, 26.02.

1,600: 1. Reese Pena, Lubbock High, 5:17.41; 2. Zanashia Harris, Coronado, 5:27.43; 3. Bailey Springer, Monterey, 5:32.30; 4. Sydney Smothers, Monterey, 5:41.08; 5. Marin Murray, Abilene High, 5:46.17; 6. Tayley Bullen, Lubbock-Cooper, 5:50.45.

1,600 relay: 1. Lubbock High 4:00.62; 2. Wylie 4:07.89; 3. Monterey 4:09.54; 4. Abilene High 4:10.08; 5. Abilene Cooper 4:12.51; 6. Lubbock-Cooper 4:13.80.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock-Cooper's Niomi Wines excels in first Class 5A district meet