Las Vegas, NM --- NMHU coach
Bob DeVries announced today that three more student-athletes have signed on for the fall cross country roster. New Mexico runners Mia Vigil and Michael Marshall join AJ Sweeney of Jamaica as the newest additions to the HU roster for 2020.
Vigil is a two-time state qualifier from Pojoaque Valley High School-- one of New Mexico's top prep cross country programs for more than twenty years. "We have had great success with Pojoaque athletes," noted DeVries, "One of our first-ever blue-chip recruits was Lee Garcia; Roper Sanchez was a national qualifier for us and Randy Martinez, who coached Mia at Pojoaque, ran for me as well. Myrriah Gomez, Katherine Quintana, the list is long from Pojo."Â Vigil will join former teammate
John Hall who had an outstanding freshman season with the Highlands squad in 2019. Another teammate, Michaela Martinez, will play softball for the Cowgirls in the upcoming year.
Marshall is a New Mexico state cross country champion and two-time runner-up from Navajo Pine where he helped led his squad to back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019. Marshall placed fifth at the Nike Southwest Regional and 11th at the National Junior Cross Country Championships during the 2019-20 cross country season. "I've watched Michael race for the past three years and he is as tough as they come. He is one of the best in the state in any class, "said DeVries.
Sweeney will become the first male athlete from Jamaica to put on an HU jersey when he races in the fall. "We have had a lot of ladies in our track program from Jamaica," said the HU coach, " AJ is the first distance guy we have looked at with a really strong background." A 2019 graduate of Edwin Allen High School, Sweeney set records in both the 2000M steeplechase and 5000M run during his high school career.
