Photo of Imani Spencer
It is always sad to me when the high school track and field season comes to a close. The State meet is amazing to watch and there are so many stories that bring great interest. This year saw record times in the sprints and in the distance events as well as some fantastic pole vaulting from the small school champions. I will admit I was wrong when I wrote that I did not think a local San Antonio school would bring home a UIL State title because the Randolph girls were able to accomplish that amazing feat for the fifth consecutive season.
The Best Thing I Saw
The aforementioned Ro-Hawks were the story of the meet for San Antonio. After graduating two of the greatest track athletes in State history, Sophia Bendet and Taylor Nunez, Randolph reloaded and won the 3A title with 59 points. They are only the third girls team to ever win five championships in a row joining Lancaster (8x) and Desoto (5x). They also moved into a tie for third place all-time with nine total championships.
Freshman Skye Thompson got the scoring started for Randolph with a third-place finish in the triple jump. In the middle of the meet Rylee Logan, Oreoluwa Adeoye, Thompson and Imani Spencer won the 4x200m in 1:40.95 and then Thompson doubled up by winning the 400m less than half an hour later in 56.86. Spencer picked up the team's second individual title with a blistering 23.98 in the 200m and Caroline Finley nabbed a point in the 1600m. If the 4x400m relay team could score a point then the title would be secured. Logan, Spencer, Pita Wold-Edwards and Thompson did enough to get third place in 3:55.58 and secure the team title.
1A and 2A Recap
Utopia's Jace Bennett took his first jump in the pole vault at the 15-0 mark and with his clearance on the first try he secured his third straight UIL 1A boys State title. He cleared 15-9 and 16-3.25 on his first attempt and 16-9.5 and 17-0.75 on his second attempts before going out at 17-3. His performance broke his own State meet record.
The Falls City girls finished in third place as a team in UIL 2A with 50 points. They were led by Texas A&M-Kingsville signee Keandra Johnson who won the 400m (58.20) and was third in the long jump (17-2). She ran the second leg on the 4x200m team, along with Claire Laskowski, Libby Lee and Kenley Wiatrek, that finished second in 1:42.79 and she anchored the third place 4x400m relay team that included Laskowski, Lee and Wiatrek. Wiatrek also finished fifth in the 200m in 25.19 while Haley Gordon took fourth place in the 100mh (14.95). Braylon Johnson finished in fourth place for the Falls City boys team in the 100m (10.76).
3A Recap
In addition to the Randolph girls, the girls high jump was a high point for local girls. Sidney Ortiz (Poth) and Peyton Keller (Stockdale) each cleared 5-4 with Ortiz earning the bronze medal and Keller was fourth due to misses. Comfort's Molly Gowan made it a third local scoring in the event after clearing 5-2 to tie for sixth place. Cole's Klarrisa Frain capped off her career with a bronze medal in the 300mh after running a brilliant race where she nearly grabbed second after a time of 43.75. Stockdale's Ayden Magill also scored in the event after finishing sixth.
Brooklyn Albert (Poth) scored in a pair of events finishing fifth in the 3200m (11:30.52) in the morning and then she moved up one spot in the evening finishing fourth in the 1600m (5:14.22). Marion's Kaitlyn Rackley cleared 11-0 to take fourth in the pole vault and Alexys Cheney (Cole) was fifth in the 800m (2:19.68).
Carter Pape (Comfort) and Nasir Tapia (Cole) were the only 3A boys medalists. Pape went from second to first on his final long jump, 23-11.25, but Keegan Hicks (Edna) had the final jump and he went 24-4.75 to win. Running out of lane 1, Tapia snuck up on everyone to finish third in the 400m (49.87), just ahead of Lytle's Jewell Hicks who took fourth in 49.90. Jacob Cantu, a teammate of Hicks, finished fourth in the 1600m (4:22.23). A trio of athletes earned fifth place finishes; Pablo Garcia (Cotulla) in the 3200m, Caden Kitson (Cole) in the 800m and Kevin Harris (Randolph) in the 100m.
4A Recap
The top local 4A team ended up being the Floresville boys who scored 15.5 points. They were led by Kaden Cypert who won a thrilling 1600m in 4:16.23. It was a tactical race through the first 1000m with the pack going through the 800m in 2:11, but Cypert took the lead with 600m remaining and pushed the pace the rest of the way running a final 800m in 2:04.83. Mason Johns earned five points for Floresville by tying for third in the high jump with a clearance of 6-6 and Lucky Juarez picked up the remaining half point by clearing 14-6 in the pole vault to tie for sixth place.
Dane Mignerey (Wimberley) won the pole vault with a clearance of 16-0. He took over the lead when he cleared 15-0 on his first attempt and then he did the same thing at 15-6, 15-9 and 16-0 as he outlasted the competition. Devine's Rowdy Esparza was the final 4A boys medalist when he went from eighth place to third place in the long jump on his final attempt of 22-9.75.
Emersen Cochran of Navarro was the top local 4A girl earning a bronze medal in the 400m with her time of 56.41. Milesia Casas (Bandera) finished one place behind Cochran in the 400m crossing the tape in 56.67. Wimberley's Corina Joyce scored in a pair of events finishing fifth in both the 3200m (11:16.01) and 1600m (5:09.67). Joyce's teammate Ellen Watson cleared 5-6 in the high jump, but so did five others and she ended up in a tie for sixth place.
5A Recap
The Smithson Valley girls and boys were each the top local team at the 5A State meet. The girls finished with 30 points thanks to a trio of individual victories. Lilly Koenig got it started in the 3200m with a patient race where she went through the mile in 5:22.97 and then she drove the pace over the second half of the race closing with a second mile of 5:05.34. She posted a winning time of 10:28.31. Then, Sofia Mitschke won the pole vault. There were four competitors left when the bar hit 12-9 and she cleared on the first attempt and the other three competitors went out at the height. She attempted a personal best of 13-2.25 but could not clear it in her win. Koenig closed out the meet with an impressive victory in the 1600m. She ran in the middle of the pack for most of the race and was still in fifth place with 600m left and then third place with 200m remaining. She made a great final surge and move into the lead in the final 30m and posted a winning time of 4:53.62.
Pieper's Shyla Boydstun won a pair of medals in the two hurdle events. She was fastest out of the blocks in the 100mh and won in 13.63 and then she nearly repeated the performance in the 300mh but had to settle for third place in 43.14. Boydstun's teammate Skylar Carter leaped 40-5 in the triple jump and picked up fifth place in a loaded field. Boerne freshman Presley Merkens did her best to win the 800m setting a fast pace through the first lap, but she was passed at the end and finished as the runner-up in 2:11.99. Savanah Moya (New Braunfels) had a strong meet finishing fourth in both the 800m (2:12.96) and 1600m (4:55.71). Juliana Syroney of Boerne Champion ran both the 100m and 200m and placed sixth in the 200m in 24.17.
The Smithson Valley boys earned 16 points to finish in 13th overall. Gavin Williams picked up a fourth-place finish in the 400m running 47.47. The Rangers' 4x100m team of Schaeden Davis, Hunter Haug, Noah Johnson and Liam Magee finished in fifth place in 41.24 and the 4x400m relay team of Isaiah Regge, Williams, Andreas Miller and Johnson took fourth in 3:16.04.
Jackson Kerth of Kerrville Tivy had an amazing performance in the hot put and discus. He was runner-up in the shot with a throw of 63-9.5 and then he was third in the discus with a mark of 192-8. Michael Ajagbe (Pieper), Channon Davis (Wagner) and Jack Hollimon (Alamo Heights) each earned bronze medals. Ajagbe moved into first place in the triple jump on his final attempt of 49-1.25 but was passed by the final two jumpers. Davis set the pace in the 800m and held on for third place with his time of 1:52.31. Hollimon finished strong in the 300mh to grab the final medal with a time of 37.11.
Pieper's Logan Tennell and Kingston Brown of New Braunfels each narrowly missed earning a medal. Tennell did not miss on his pole vault attempts through 15-6 and went out at 16-0 to finish in fourth place. Brown ran a great 200m dash breaking 21s and finishing fourth in 20.93. Kahdyn Freeman (Pieper) finished fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 48-3.5 and Sam Houston's Tacori Dotson cleared 6-6 in the high jump and finished in sixth place.
6A Recap
This year there was only one gold medal won by local 6A schools and it came from an unlikely source, Canyon freshman Sophia Martinez. Martinez entered the high jump competition at 4-10 and proceeded to clear every height on her first attempt until she got to 5-8. There were still six competitors left at that point and every single one of them could not clear 5-8 so Martinez ended up in a tie with two others for first place. Reagan's Aryiel Sherman was one of the competitors who cleared 5-6, but she finished in a tie for fifth due to misses.
Nellie Mauritz-Barboza of San Marcos was the only other local 6A girl to earn a medal. She was perfect through 12-6 in the pole vault and ended up in a tie for third place. Madison's Cyani Ingram finished in fifth place after throwing 42-0 in the shot put.
Cyelan Whitley of Clemens had the best performance of any local 6A boy. He uncorked a throw of 184-8 on his first attempt of the discus and ended up earning the silver medal. Brennan's Quentin Jones moved from fourth place to third on his final triple jump, a leap of 49-4.25. In the running events, Samuel Ackerman (Reagan) and Maverick James (Steele) each earned bronze medals. Ackerman was fighting out the finish of the 800m with two other competitors and ended up crossing the line in 1:53.67, just 0.004s ahead of fourth place. James got stuck in lane 1 in the 400m and still finished third in a time of 47.07.
Johnson's 4x400m relay closed out the meet fighting it out for the State title. They ended up fourth with a time of 3:13.68, but the quartet of Yashiyah Griffin, Braelyn Allen, Jayden Lea and Adbou Ndiaye ran an exceptional race. Brennan's 4x200m team of Jayshawn Mitchell, Nicholas Oliver, Micai Thompson and Elijah Venegas grabbed sixth place in 1:27.33. Kaleb Ned of Stevens finished in fifth place in the shot put with a big throw of 58-8.
School Records
In this section, I want to highlight the new school records that were set during the week. I need coaches to please let me know when you have a new record set. Either email me at shanemeling@gmail.com or message at me @ShaneMeling on X (Twitter).
Ava Gonzalez, Castle Hills, pole vault, 10-1
Savannah Parker, Castle Hills, 3200m, 11:55.01
Savannah Parker, Castle Hills, 1600m, 5:19.73
Jackson Hulse, Castle Hills, 110mh, 15.14
Jackson Hulse, Castle Hills, 300mh, 40.00
Castle Hills boys, 4x400m, 3:30.28 (Jaxon Green, Thomas Barnes, Shane Woodring, Jackson Hulse)
Corina Joyce, Wimberley, 3200m, 11:02.75
Corina Joyce, Wimberley, 1600m, 5:06.78
Shyla Boydstun, Pieper, 100mh, 13.63
Shyla Boydstun, Pieper, 300mh, 43.14
Gavin Williams, Smithson Valley, 400m, 47.47
Jack Hollimon, Alamo Heights, 300mh, 37.11
Logan Tennell, Pieper, Pole Vault, 15-6
Cyelan Whitley, Clemens, Discus, 184-8
Quentin Jones, Brennan, Triple Jump, 49-4.25
How Were My Predications?
Last week I wrote that the Randolph girls had the best chance of any local team to win a State title which was a good prediction, but I did not actually take them as my pick unfortunately. Let's look back at the teams I picked and who actually won:
My Picks Actual
1A: Gordon (girls), Gordon (boys) Gordon, Gordon
2A: Refugio (girls), Bosqueville (boys) Refugio, Tioga
3A: Liberty-Eylau (girls), Walls (boys) Randolph, Holliday
4A: Canyon (girls), Canyon (boys) Canyon-Dallas Lincoln, Canyon
5A: Fort Bend Marshall (girls), Timberview (boys) FB Marshall, Timberview
6A: Lancaster (girls), Katy Tompkins (boys) Lancaster, Tompkins
Overall, I think I did pretty well getting nine of the 12 correct. My best pick was getting Tompkins right for the 6A boys because there were about five teams before the meet started who had legitimate shots at winning. My Bosqueville boys and Liberty-Eylau girls picks ended up being far off the top, but you can't win them all.
Senior Signings
I would like to keep a running tally of all the track and field and cross country signings so please contact me if you notice someone is missing.
Kendall Fallon, Davenport, Tulsa
Tate Taylor, Harlan, Texas Tech
Mia Villanueva, Canyon, Texas Lutheran
Lauren Pardo, Canyon, Henderson State
Sadie Larson, Pieper, Tarleton State
Frances Scotello, Lytle, UNLV
Lilly Koenig, Smithson Valley, Texas Tech
Jaelyn Moore, Cornerstone, Dallas Baptist
Juliet Osuna, Cornerstone, Carson-Newman
Elizabeth Leachman, Boerne Champion, Stanford
Maverick James, Steele, UIW
Aaron Garcia, Boerne, Lamar
Sadrac Castillo, Jefferson, Our Lady of the Lake
Klayre Cook, Lytle, Texas Lutheran
Anastacia Garza, Judson, UTSA
Ava Arellano, Wimberley, Texas Lutheran
Amariah Young, Medina Valley, Texas Lutheran
Payton DeFelippis, Medina Valley, Texas A&M-Texarkana
Theone Glosser, Reagan, Trinity
Nela Marcina, Pieper, Salisbury
Kahdyn Freeman, Pieper, Navy
Xylina Xac, Health Careers, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Tanner Davis, Devine, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Adisen Magill, Stockdale, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Keandra Johnson, Falls City, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Lilia Flo, Navarro, CSU-Pueblo
Leila Ramirez, Marshall, Texas Lutheran
Kira Albino, Johnson, UTSA
Keira Reyna, Steele, UIW
Alexis Torres, Judson, Ranger College
Jenesis Cordero, Judson, UIW
Karina Hernandez, John Paul II, UM-Farmington
Gavin Robinson, Sotomayor, Alabama A&M
Christian Weber, Sotomayor, A&M-San Antonio
Noah Alejandro, Buda Johnson, A&M-San Antonio
Prisca Igbo, Boerne, A&M-San Antonio
Jordan Ortega, Stevens, A&M-San Antonio
Aryiel Sherman, Reagan, Abilene Christian
Elliot Weaver, Seguin, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Cordel Leon, Seguin, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Isis Ortiz, Brennan, A&M-San Antonio
Jaelah Simms, Brennan, A&M-San Antonio
Janessa Anderson, Brennan, A&M-San Antonio
Peyton Winninghoff, Brennan, A&M-San Antonio
Arrian Spratt, Marshall, McDaniel
Jayden Echols, Sotomayor, St. Edward's
Shobhana Spielmann, Reagan, Trinity
Next Week
I will be releasing my annual all-San Antonio boys and girls teams next week.Photo of Imani Spencer
It is always sad to me when the high school track and field season comes to a close. The State meet is amazing to watch and there are so many stories that bring great interest. This year saw record times in the sprints and in the distance events as well as some fantastic pole vaulting from the small school champions. I will admit I was wrong when I wrote that I did not think a local San Antonio school would bring home a UIL State title because the Randolph girls were able to accomplish that amazing feat for the fifth consecutive season.
The Best Thing I Saw