State Meet Highlights

UIL Championship
MileSplit Staff

Saturday Boys Highlights:

  • Keshun Reed of Arlington Martin dropped the nation's fastest time in the 400 as he won a loaded 6A boys race in a time of 45.75. An AAU Junior Olympic Games champion last summer, this weekend's win certainly becomes Reed's biggest achievement to date.
  • Reed earlier in the meet ran a leg on the new US #1 4x100 meter relay as the Arlington Martin boys rolled to a top time of 40.33.
  • Very few races were wind legal on Saturday at the UIL State Meet, but Devin Duvernay was able to get the wind to die down enough and his legs did the rest of the work to clock a US #2 wind legal 10.27 in the 100 meter dash for the 6A boys title.
  • A race that was heavily wind-aided, but saw fast times nonetheless was the 6A boys 110 meter hurdles in which the top 3 all ran faster than Kendall Sheffield's wind-legal US #1 13.42 from the night before. A 3 way photo finish that ultimately went to Pflugerville's Marcus McWilliams for the win in a time of 13.37.
  • Dramatic finish to end the meet in the 6A boys 4x400 with anchor legs diving across the finish line as the Kingwood boys just edged out Manvel in a US #2 time of 3:12.44 for the win. Manvel's runner-up time of 3:12.48 ranks them US #3.
  • Myles Marshall cruised to victory in the 800 meter run saving himself for a 400 and 4x400 to come later in the day with a time of 1:52.48, which still was the fastest time among all 6 classification champions.
  • The 6A boys long jumpers had a nice tailwind behind them which helped 4 competitors leap over 24 feet led by event champion Julius Lewis of Mansfield at 25-0.50 wind-aided.
  • Paulo Benavides set a new meet record in the 6A boys pole vault as the former national indoor record holder from El Paso Franklin cleared a height of 17'6.50" at Myers Stadium.

Thursday & Friday Boys Highlights:

  • Kendall Sheffield clocks US #1 time in the 110 meter hurdles despite a limited season of races with a 13.42 victory in the 5A race from the Fort Bend Marshall senior.
  • Only a sophomore, Shamon Ehiemua of Fort Bend Marshall went 1-2 with teammate Gerald Mills in the 5A boys 200 with a US #3 clocking of 20.89. Ehiemua has plans to make the World Youth team this summer.
  • The fastest in Texas usually means the fastest in the country. Almost for John Lewis III of Willis, who rolled to a US #2 wind-legal time of 10.341 in the 100 meter dash for the 5A title.
  • The Fort Bend Marshall boys made history tallying the most points in UIL state meet history with their total of 90 points, while also saw their 4x200 meter relay run a US #5 all-time performance of 1:24.01.
  • Two of nation's top 300 meter hurdles faced off in 5A division between US leader Norman Grimes of Canyon and Garrett Moore of Mansfield Legacy. Moore gave Grimes a race till the very end, but Grimes despite clipping last hurdle was able to hold on for 36.35 win. Moore moved up to US #5 ranking with his 36.63 runner-up finish.
  • Carter Blunt (Frisco Independence) wins yet another Texas state title in distance races with a 9:02 3200 performance on Thursday night in the 5A race and doubled back on Friday night with a 4:10 win in the 1600.
  • Alex Rogers of New Braunfels Canyon beat Blunt's time for fastest of the meet in the 3200 with his 9:00 victory in the 6A division, but more impressive was two sophomores right behind him in Reed Brown (2nd, 9:00) of Southlake Carroll and Rogers' teammate Sam Worley (3rd, 9:01)
  • Big throw from Adrian Piperi of The Woodlands in the 5A boys shot put with a US #5 65'5.25" from only a sophomore in Piperi.
  • Future University of Texas basketball player Kerwin Roach clearly has good hops for the Longhorns in winning the Texas 5A state title in the triple jump with a US #2 leap of 50'6.25".
  • Jacob Wooten clears a season best 17 feet in the 5A pole vault, which moves the Tomball Memorial senior to US #7 ranking in the event.
  • Galena Park's Fletcher Sherrard leaps a wind-aided mark of 49'0.25" in the boys triple jump.

Saturday Girls Highlights:

  • Two of the nation's top three fastest times in the girls 1600 were produced in the 6A race between Julia Heymach and Devin Clark. Heymach led throughout and Clark followed with the sophomore from Houston Lamar in Heymach breaking the Texas state record with her US #2 winning time of 4:40.97, while Clark also went under the old state record with her US #3 time as well at 4:42.70.
  • Big Saturday for Alexis Duncan of DeSoto as she won state individual titles in the 100 meter hurdles (13.25w) and 300 meter hurdles (42.09 PR) as well as anchoring the DeSoto girls to new US #1 time of 45.38 in the 4x100 meter relay. Her hurdles time ranks US #2 all-conditions, while
  • Heavily wind aided times on final day of competition produced many insane times in the sprints. Earlier in the day for the 2A girls finals, Italy's Kourtnei Johnson ran smoking wind-aided times of 11.26 in the 100 and 23.39 in the 200. Later in the night, Kiana Horton of Converse Judson topped Johnson's time in the 6A girls 200 with a ridiculous performance of 23.10 over the 6A 100 meter champ Taylor Bennett (11.41w).
  • Aaliyah Miller was able to win both the 6A girls 800 and 400 in a short period of time as she first took first in the 800 with a time of 2:08.94 then the McKinney Boyd junior doubled back to claim a state title in the 400 with a season best time of 54.31.
  • Samiyah Samuels leaped the nation's second best mark in the long jump this spring at 20'7.75", but the junior from Cypress Spring had too much wind behind her to be wind legal for a US #2.

Thursday & Friday Girls Highlights:

  • Samantha Gonzalez not only improved upon her national leading time in the 300 meter hurdles, the Carrollton Creekview senior also dipped under 41 seconds for the first time with a US #10 all-time performance of 40.81 in the 5A girls race!
  • In a highly anticipated matchup between two of Texas best among distance girls, sophomore Julia Heymach got the better of senior Devin Clark with a US #5 10:14.62 in the 6A girls 3200 race. US #8 ranked Clark was a few seconds back in second at 10:18.
  • US #2 ranked 100 meter hurdler Tonea Marshall of Arlington Seguin was just off her season best time of 13.44 in her specialty as she claimed the 5A state title with a 13.51 clocking. Marshall also helped the Arlington Seguin girls to the state title as a team and in the 4x200 meter relay.
  • Alexus Henry of Bridge City took down the 4A girls high jump state meet record with a successful clearance at 5'10.50". Henry is ranked US #2 after clearing 6 feet earlier this season at her district meet.
  • Meia Gordon threw for a personal best mark of 48'8" in the girls shot put to move her into a US #8 ranking in the event.
  • New Balance Nationals Indoor triple jump champion Asa Garcia (Texas City) pops a US #2 wind-legal leap of 42'5.75" from the future Texas Longhorn.
  • Abby Gray led the 5A girls 3200 race from start to finish with a personal best best victory of 10:44.59 and a first Texas state title from the Alamo Heights junior. She doubled back later on Friday to win the 1600 as well in a 4:57 PR.