Jesuit-Sheaner Relays EPIC Action Recap!

Jesuit-Sheaner Track Highlights

Boys 3200m - Carter Blunts EPIC Comeback

Track and field distance superstar Carter Blunt made his outdoor track debut this past weekend running in the 3200m.* With a loaded field the Frisco Independencance stud was going to have his work cut out for him, after being injured since winning the 5A state cross country title this past fall. When the gun went off Blunt was nowhere to be seen in the front of the pack. Carter normally heads right for the front of the pack. The first mile in fact was led by Dallas Jesuits Conor O'neil and David Strome. With the wind many athletes opted for more of a tactical race sitting and biding their time. The leaders came through the mile in about 4:45, and that's when the guys from The Woodlands and Nic Butts started to make a move.  All throughout this Blunt was riding off the back of the pack biding his time. Strome and O'neil still kept the pace hot at a mile and a half, at that point Blunt started to make a move as well and set himself up in to the top four spots. At 400m to go Blunt began to turn on the jets to pass by everybody, but Butts wasn't going down without a fight. Along the back stretch, Butts made his own move on Blunt running side by side with him but Blunt proved why he's one of the best in the country pushing away from Butts to claim the victory running 9:09.79. Butts finished in 2nd (9:10.21) with Matthew Henderson from the woodlands taking 3rd (9:11.34). Overall a very thrilling race, one that's going to set up a big duel at Texas Relays, as I'm sure we will see many of the same guys in the state competing there was well. 

(Full 5A 3200m Results --- Full 6A 3200m Results) 

Read Nic Butts Meet Recap Here! 

Boys 400m Showdown!

The boys race was probably one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the meet, with two of the top guys in the country entered in the event. Both Keshun Reed, the indoor national 400m champion and Jostyn Andrews who had just run U.S. #5 46.97, outdoor the weekend before were going to be in the race. Josiah Macinnis (U.S. #33) also made the finals along with several of the areas other top 400m runners. In the finals Andrews and Reed had been talking all week about how the wanted to put on a show, and they definitely did! Andrews got out to the early lead running in the inside lane he made up the stager on Reed within the first 200m. With 150m left to go you could tell it was going to be Andrews and Reed battling it out for the win. With only 50m to go Andrews still had the lead but he knew Reed would be coming for him. Then just in the last 20m Reed turned on the jets and kicked down Andrews crossing the line only seven-hundredths of a second ahead of him. Although the times weren't anything too special due to the wind (Reed 47.30 and Andrews 47.37) the race was a thriller and one of many battles I'm sure were going to see between the two in the 400m this year. It highlights just how stacked the 400m is in Texas and the country this year. 

Keshun Reed After The Meet 

Jostyn Andrews After The Meet 2nd 400m

Girls 400m Showdown! 

This was the first time this year returning state champion Aaliyah Miller raced one of here prime events. She was going to be facing off sophomore phoneme Bailey Lear. Lear had one of the best indoor 400m's in the country with her 55.01 (U.S. #12). Outdoors she was also top ranked with a 55.48. Out of the blocks and through the 200m mark Lear had a bit of a led on the 400m State Champion, but with 100m to go Miller turned on the jets. Miller ended up cruising to victory looking very strong and relaxed as she crossed the line in a new U.S. #7 time of 54.65. Lear bettered her PR and national ranking to U.S. # 12 with her 54.85. It's going to be exciting to see what these two girls will be able to do with less wind and against stronger competition in meets like Texas Relays. 

(Full Girls 400m Results)

Boys 4x400m Madness! 

Boys 4x400m Heat 2 - Bryce Hoppel Kick Part 3

The 4x400m relays are always personally one of my favorite events, and these did not disappoint. It started in one of the earlier heats with Bryce Hoppel and the Midland guys. The guys from Midland started out in first but in between the 2nd and 3rd handoffs they fell back to 4th. When Bryce Hoppel took the baton on the anchor leg he came back putting the team on his shoulders. The Midland senior pulled out a huge kick to close the gap with 100m to go he was right in the mix. Then in the last 50m he really opened up stride to take down the other two teams in the mix and give his team the win! It was the third time of the day Hoppel pulled out his kick to take the win, he did it earlier in the 800m as well as the 1600m. 

Boys 4x400m heat 4 - Keshun Reed Epic Kick

The heats leading up to the last heat were exciting, so we knew we were in for a treat in the last heat. In the race were some of the top teams in the country with, Arlington Bowie, Strake Jesuit, Arlington Martin, Dallas Skyline and several others. After a bit of a delay, a false start and tensions running high, the race finally got underway. In the race the team from Forth Worth Arlington Heights got out to the early lead through the 2nd leg. Just before the 2nd hand off three teams really closed down the gap on them reeling them in for their 3rd legs.  It was Bowie's third leg who made the first move to pass Heights. Coming into the anchor leg it looked like it was going to be all Bowie with a 50m lead, but Keshun Reed proved why he's the best 400m runner in the country dropping a dirty anchor leg for Arlington Martin. He pulled in Bowie slowly throughout the lap and put the  exclamation point on it passing them in the last 40m and giving a look back as he did it! Arlington Martin now holds the 6th fastest 4x400m time in the country at 3:16.23. They are still behind the team from Bowie though as they ran  3:15.09 just one weekend before at their home meet. 

(Full Boys 4x400m Results)

Girls 200m Upset! 

Going into the race there were a few names I had never heard of. One big name we knew to watch was Kira White from DeSoto. White was the runner-up in 100m dash at the state meet last year and had a winded-aided 100m PR of 11.48 and a 200m PR of 23.99. During the race though it was a name we haven't yet heard of stepping up big. We haven't heard of her partly because she's only a sophomore and partly because she only goes to a 3A Leonard. That name is Kelcie Simmons. Simmons like Nic Butts in the 3200m and 1600m she came to prove you can't count out the smaller divisions. Simmons held her own against the 6A runners coming from behind in the last 100m to pull out the win. She will definitely be name we will keep any eye on in the future. 

(Full Girls 200m results here)