A pair of Knight track and field athletes with nationwide impact

By Dave Burge

Organ Mountain High School, formerly Oñate High, has a strong heritage in athletics.

This year, the Knights have had another strong season and several athletes are making an impact at the national level.

Senior Jonathan “JT” Torres recently placed second in the boys’ pole vault at the prestigious Meet of Champions in Albuquerque.

As of this writing, Torres’ personal record (PR) is 13 feet, 6 inches, making him the second-ranked pole vaulter in the state and first in the big school 5A Division.

Torres also runs the 400 and 800 meters and two relays.

“The season has been great so far,” said Torres. “I ran good times at every meeting and jumped higher every time. I’m really happy with it.”

Torres said his goal is to break the school record of 14-2 in the pole vault and finish first at the state meeting in 5A at the event.

Torres said he loves the pole vault because it takes a combination of speed and power and gives it an identity that stands out in high school.

Longtime Organ Mountain track and field coach David Nuñez said Torres has a great work ethic and a passion for the sport.

As a sophomore, Shaolin Munir recently took first place in the girls’ meet of champions javelin throw. As of this writing, her PR is 130-11 and her goal is to break the state record of 142 feet.

Munir is a softball player who made his debut on the lane this spring.

“It feels like a competition with myself,” Munir said of taking part in the track. “Every time I go out I want to do PR and get something better than before. It’s like a challenge for me.”

Nuñez said Munir continued the school’s strong tradition of having excellent javelin throwers and took them to the next level by breaking the school record.

“Their attitude impresses me the most because I’m only a sophomore,” Nuñez said.

The 3-5A District Championship Meeting will be held on Friday, May 6th at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces. The 5A State Championships will be held May 13-14 at UNM Track Stadium in Albuquerque.

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