Converse Judson's Richard Kuykendoll won 2018 Region 4-6A 200m
Today is Wednesday (#Winsday) and we are highlighting some of this past weekend's individual winners and their accomplishments.
The results are full of athletes and teams who had impressive week 2 track and field meets. Here are a few of them.
Richard Kuykendoll - Converse Judson
Kuykendooll might be more know for his 200m abilities, but he is making waves to start this season off with his 400m performance from this weekend.
The 2018 UIL 6A seventh place finisher in the 200m is seriously adding and competing in his complimentary event. This may just become his primary race by the way he is approaching it. Kuykendoll popped off his 2019 season with a 48.23 run at the Judson Patriot Invitational, and get this, he ran it out of lane 1.
If the name and the school sounds familiar, it might be due to his sister, University of Kansas sprinter Mariah Kuykendoll was the 2016 UIL 6A state champion in the same event. Although his sister was a star in the event, this Kuykendoll is making a name for himself in the same fashion.
Keep an eye on the results because Kuykendoll could become the first 47 quarter miler of the season.
Sarah Bandy - Dallas White
You might have noticed her name in the results and rankings, but you might not be aware of who she is. The reason might be because she is a freshman. The Dallas ISD youngster ran throughout the cross country season, but nothing too major. Clearly, she is good and by good I mean very good in the 800m.
The young whipper snapper dropped a 2:13.88 in her first varsity race of the season. This clearly vaults her up to the top of the list for girls half milers in the short outdoor season.
Her arrival will add to an already elite and deadly group of Region 1 girls 800m runners. At the Region 1-6A championships last year, 2:13.70 was 5th place and running 2:11.65 didn't even get out of the region to the state meet.
With the top six finisher from the region returning including two of them state meet medal winners, the region just got that much more difficult.
Cooper Newsome qualified for the 400m finals at the 2019 Texas Tech Under Armour HS Classic
Cooper Newsome - Amarillo
Like the aforementioned Richard Kuykendoll, Cooper Newsome is also continuing his family lineage in Texas high school track and field. Older brother and current Oklahoma State University hurdler Calahan Newsome was the 2017 UIL 5A runner-up in the 300H.
Now a senior himself, Cooper is blazing a path of his own as eveident with his TX #1 800m time of 1:54.89. He already had 49.67 and a 1:57.68 marks during the indoor season, he has continued his hot streak outdoors.
Don't be surprised to see Newsome eclipse his 1:54.31 PR from last year's state meet real soon. Also, look for him to make a push for a higher finish than last year's third place at the state meet.
Nissi Kabongo - Frisco Liberty
It's rare for an athlete to do just one event in track and field and Kabongo is no different the the majority. Except, that we don't often see the 800m and high jump combination. Well, the Frisco Liberty junior brings us just that combo and she does it at a high level.
Kabongo has qualified for the UIL state meet in both events and she has some good PRs in both. Well, this weekend, she raised the bar (pun intended) in the high jump. Her previous PR was 5-8, but she eclipsed that with an impressive TX #1 5-10 this past weekend.
She'll add that to her 2:13.03 800m PR. Check out her PRs in all of the events she competes in.
Caleb Malbrough - Manvel
Malbrough is another young man you may not yet know. However, if this pst weekend is a sign, it won't be long before you do.
Manvel has had it's fair share of top jumpers in the long, triple, and high jump over the recent years and it looks like they found another one in Malbrough.
At the John Morris Pearland Invitational he popped some impressive jumps with his 22-5 long jump and 48-1 triple jump. The 48-1 was good enough for the win and the TX #1 mark so far this season.
Riley Floerke interviews at the 2016 UIL Texas state meet after her 2nd place finish freshman year
Riley Floerke - Gregory Portland
It's no secret that Riley Floerke is one of Texas' top track and field athletes on the girls side. After this weekend, there is no doubt how good of an athlete she actually is.
Floerke took to her specialty in the pole vault and hit a big time 13-5, which was a personal best. Not only is it a PR and TX #1, but it woulda been good for the 15th best vault all of last season.
Her day wasn't over just yet as she left the pole vault pit and then went to the long jump pit where she captured her second win of the day with a 17-11.25. Floerke still wasn't done as she worked on her speed that will no doubt help her on the run way for both the pole vault and the long jump. She placed fourth overall this weekend in both the 100m and the 200m.
Jacob Williams - McKinney North
At the Byron Nelson Bobcat Invitational, we saw McKinney North senior Jacob Williams bust for a 23-3 long jump.
That was not only good enough for a PR, but it was also a TX #1 for Williams.
Koi Johnson - Dickinson
By now, nobody will be caught off guard or surprised by Koi Johnson can do in either of the horizontal jumps. The 2018 UIL 6A triple jump state champion jump started her senior campaign with a 38-11 jump. She has set the 2019 season standard high already for the rest of the triple jumpers with her mark from the Brown Relays.