Throughout a challenging year, Sandia Prep’s sports teams remained steadfast in their dedication to excellence. Student-athletes met the complications of returning to competition with varying rules and regulations with growth and adaptability. They were exemplars of what it means to be a team. Whether or not a team had a winning record, everyone endeavored to play their best. The following are some highlights from a number of teams, players, and coaches who stood out this past year.

Baseball
The Varsity Baseball Team ended the year with a tremendous 11-1 district record garnering first place in the district, and making it to the first round of the State Tournament. There were six seniors on the team—Luziano Casados ’22, Scott Charles ’22, Santiago Cooper ’22, Cam Motola ’22, Isaac Nelson ’22, and Estevan Ortega ’22. Three of them—Scott, Santiago, and Cameron—made All-District along with rising juniors Lucas Lemons ’23, Chris Andrick ’23, and Sam Treme ’23. Scott was awarded Co-District Player of the Year and Coach Scott Brandt made District Coach of the Year. 

Basketball
At the outset of 2022, echoing soccer’s fall accomplishments, both the Girls Varsity and Boys Varsity Basketball Teams won their regular season district titles. The boys’ team’s winning streak ended with a strong, close finish in the state quarterfinals with recent grad Mac Manzanares ’22 putting away thirty points himself. And the powerhouse girls’ team was the only Albuquerque metro-area contender to even make it to the girls’ state playoffs.

Bowling
Also early in 2022, our Sundevils Varsity Bowling Team took second place in the State Bowling Championship. Coach Jerome Romero commented that the team played tremendously well bowling against powerhouse East Mountain High School. Rising senior Adam Friedman ’23 won first place for high game and recent grad Chad Cordova ’22 won first place for high series.

Cross Country
At the beginning of the school year, the Boys and Girls Cross Country teams finished in fifth place in the State for the 3A level. Recent grad Sidney Harenberg ’22 finished third overall in the 3A Championships.

Dance
The Sandia Prep Dance Teams held their own in a busy, challenging season which culminated in the best way possible. After competing at the local UNM Spirit Invitational and the Heart of Gold Competition and taking first place in a number of categories, the varsity dancers traveled to Walt Disney World to compete against the best teams in the country at the United Dance Association (UDA) National Competition. They took several trophies in several categories, led by recent grad Rachel Stell ’22, rising seniors HiiLani Alderete ’23 and Kiarra Rodriguez ’23, and rising junior Delaney Stroud ’24. The icing on the cake, however, was when the Diablas handily took first place in the State Spirit Championship at The Pit for the first time ever. Winning the Class 1A-3A title was a particularly sweet victory as the team had placed second or third in state for the better part of a decade. The prior year, the Diablas nearly won, missing the state title by only two points. After winning this year, the entire team huddled on the court, holding their well-earned trophy aloft while celebrating.

Golf
Rising sophomore Tommy Chalamidas ’25 placed fourth outright at the District Golf Tournament back in May, and rising junior Dylan Holtrop ’24 represented Sandia Prep at the State Tournament with a Top 10 finish in 3A competition; she is only the second Prep girls golfer to ever to place at state.

Mountain Biking
The fall of 2021 was also the first season that Prep’s Mountain Bike Team competed with other local teams from Albuquerque, Los Alamos, and Gallup. Despite being a new varsity sport, Prep’s riders continually placed in the top five of their age brackets. As the newest member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), the New Mexico Interscholastic Cycling League will have its inaugural season this coming fall. Coaches Jay English and Scott Crago look forward to this exciting new chapter in youth mountain biking in the state.

Soccer
In a dominating twin campaign of victories, the Boys Varsity Soccer team earned the school’s twentieth State Championship, and the Girls Varsity Soccer team earned the school’s tenth. Tommy Smith gained his thirteenth title as a coach, and Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Matt Westerlund ’03 captured his third championship in four years. Rising senior Finnegan Saunders ’23 was named to the US Soccer Coaches Association New Mexico All-State squad, which recognized him as one of the six best players in the entire state.

Swim & Dive
By the middle of the school year, the Prep Varsity Swim Team made quite a splash. After competing at the District 5 meet, they immediately dove into the respective girls’ and boys’ New Mexico High School State Swim meets. The Sundevils gave it their all and swam some personal best times. Team captains and recent grads Brianna Addison ’22 and Emma Kelley ’22 both made All-American Academic Athlete, which awards swimmers who maintained a 3.75 GPA or more for over seven high school semesters. Emma was the district champ in two events; and then proceeded to the State Championships, placing 5th in the 200 individual meter and 2nd in the 100 meter backstroke. On the boys’ side, rising sophomore Jayden Kopacz ’25 also qualified for State in two different events. Coach Debbie Brooks-Salcido warmly commented, “We had a young team this last year, but our swimmers worked hard all season. Despite a few challenges, they all have had consistent improvements in their times.” 

Tennis
The Prep Sundevils Tennis Team ended the year in a big way. Dark horses Adam Friedman ’23 and Cole Updegraff ’26 surprised two higher-ranked boys doubles teams to win a berth in the State individual doubles tournament. The Girls Tennis Team earned a #6 seed in the State team tournament after a stellar season with only two losses. And rising senior Tati Dalton-Spilca ’23 won both the District and State Championships in quick succession, upsetting her #2 seed rivals each time.

Track & Field
Coached by Kyle Ellis, the Varsity Track & Field Team competed very well in the State Championships at the Great Friends of UNM Track Stadium. Nahom Zerai ’22 won first place in the 3200-meter race, and the relay team of Kaitlyn Gabaldon ’22, Izzy Fernandez ’25, Cera Eckenroth ’23, and Sidney Harenberg ’22 made state champions in the 4 x 800-meter relay. Coached by Andrea Brue-Kendall ’98, the Middle School Track Team finished second place overall in the Albuquerque Parochial Independent Athletic League (APIAL) Junior Varsity Division and third place overall in the Varsity division. Rising freshmen Ethan Meade ’26 and Rylie Ellison ’26 broke school records, and the entire team brought home 14 gold medals, 15 silver medals, and 11 bronze medals.

Volleyball
The highly-regarded Sundevils Varsity Volleyball team finished 3rd in the state tournament following a well-fought season, with a raft of student-athletes making All-State 1st and 2nd Teams.