San Manuel Miner

The San Manuel track and field team opened its season last week with a number of newcomers on the roster. The Miners are looking to replace 18 seniors who graduated from last season’s team, the most notable being State Champion Wayne Newman.

Newman, who recently won a conference championship for Lipscomb University, won three individual state titles last season – 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles and the long jump.

Veteran Miners’ head coach Maria Lopez doesn’t expect her team to miss a beat despite the departure of a number of talented athletes.

“Our squad has many newcomers this season,” Lopez said. “We are looking forward to the leadership of these athletes to continue the Miner tradition of track and field in the Tri-Community.”

Freshman Eneida Quintero and sophomore Andrea Castaneda ran well for the Miners’ cross country team and Lopez expects them to perform well on the track. Lopez believes the pair can compete at the state meet.

Among the top returnees on the 2014 team are seniors Nathaniel Lopez, Ani Robles, and Nicole Primero-Predgo. Juniors James Duarte, Jared Gonzales, Jessica Lopez, and Colten Stratton. Sophomores Patrick Lopez and Carlos Salas.

The Miners will compete at the University of Arizona March 20-22 in the Willie Williams Classic.

Andy Luberda (1149 Posts)

Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.

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