PREP ATHLETICS
Longtime Albuquerque Academy AD to retire at end of school year
Chargers won 140 titles since Taryn Bachis became athletic director
Taryn Bachis arrived on the campus of Albuquerque Academy in 1984.
Forty-two years later, she鈥檚 preparing for her exit.
The private school鈥檚 longtime athletic director, Bachis is set to retire, as soon as this flurry of state tournament activity ends over the next 10 days.
鈥淚鈥檓 just tired,鈥� Bachis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to be 67, and I want to leave while I鈥檓 healthy enough to do other things. I鈥檝e been here since I was 25 years old; 42 years is a long time. 鈥� I love the kids and I love the coaches, but I want to stop when I still have produced some good results here at Academy.鈥�
Bachis, 66, has served as the school鈥檚 AD since 2000, and her quiet presence has been a constant for all of Academy鈥檚 sports programs in what has been a quarter century of unparalleled achievement.
Since she became athletic director, the school has won a nearly unfathomable 140 state championships. With perhaps several more to come between now and May 16.
She began as a physical education teacher, and served as an assistant volleyball, basketball and softball coach in her early days with the school. Bachis later became the PE department chair, and moved into the AD role in 2000.
She twice was the Chargers鈥� head girls basketball coach. The second stint lasted from 2011 until two seasons ago when she stepped down.
鈥淚 gave up my basketball team knowing they were all eighth and ninth graders, because I don鈥檛 have that energy anymore to put out,鈥� Bachis admitted in a candid moment.
Retirement has been on her mind for a couple of years, she said.
Bachis has been responsible for some notable athletic department upgrades during her tenure.
The Richard Harper Memorial track and field meet, for example, was a modestly-sized meet when she started, with about a dozen schools. It featured 27 schools last month and is now regarded as the state鈥檚 premier regular-season meet.
The Joe Armijo Classic basketball tournament for many years was an event that featured only boys teams. Bachis sparked the addition of a girls event which is run simultaneously with the boys.
She has overseen other additions like the Academy cross country Extravaganza, which is a mammoth meet held several weeks before the state meet which Academy reguarly hosts.
Cheer is a sport, Bachis said, that hadn鈥檛 existed at Academy for roughly four decades before it was introduced two years ago.
鈥淭hat was big,鈥� she said.
One of her lasting contributions is ushering in an era of outdoor night games on the sprawling Academy campus where there are no permanent lights at any of its fields or stadiums.
Football was the first, a handful of years ago, to stage a first-ever night game. Just this school year, Academy has hosted a night football game, a night game for both boys and girls soccer, and most recently, a track meet with the running events held under portable lights.
Academy also last September hosted New Mexico鈥檚 first-ever night outdoor volleyball match, on a temporary court laid out over a portion of Richard Harper Memorial Stadium鈥檚 grass surface.
But Bachis, as with all ADs, cherished her time helping to support athletes and facilitate the needs of the Chargers鈥� coaching staff.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 ask for a better place to work,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have wonderful coaches and the kids are awesome. It鈥檚 just a wonderful place to work and I鈥檓 going to miss the kids and coaches a lot.鈥�
She won鈥檛, she added with a laugh, miss the office hours portion of the job. Everything else, yes.
鈥淪ure I鈥檒l miss it,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 time for a different chapter. And I think now is the time.鈥�
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .
