Luke Lambert after his UIL 6A 1,600m win
What began as a sluggish race eventually turned into a sprint finish in the 6A Boys 3200 meter. Alfredo Reina Corona of Haltom came in with the fastest qualifying time of 9:08. Corona led the pack in the first lap with a 1:08 split. Chris Daniels from Klein also traded off the pace as he led the next two laps.
In the final straight away, the sprint began between Corona, Daniels and Luke Lambert from Wylie. Lambert used his speed and came away with the win after a 56 second final lap. Lambert turned in a time of 9:13.75. Corona held on to second with a time of 9:14.13 and Daniels ran a 9:14.35 to finish third.
6A BOYS 3200 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Luke Lambert 12 Wylie High 9:13.75 1 2 Alfredo Reina Corona 12 Haltom City 9:14.13 1 3 Christopher Daniels 12 Klein 9:14.35 1 4 Emanuel Galdino 11 Houston Stratford 9:14.54 1 5 Luis Pastor 10 El Paso Coronado 9:16.65 1 6 Tristan Galvan 12 San Antonio Brandeis 9:17.26 1 7 R Rojas Betanzos 11 Katy Seven Lakes 9:18.86 1 8 Israel David 11 El Paso Eastlake 9:20.09 1 9 Kevin Sanchez 10 Austin Vandegrift 9:27.00 1
Just like the 3200, Luke Lambert of Wylie used his strong kick to give himself the victory. Lambert ran a time of 4:14.62. The pace started out fairly solid with a 1:03.24 first lap led by Houston Strake Jesuit sophomore Reese Vannerson, but that's when the pace slowed and the half-mile split was 2:12.27 (1:09.03) as no one wanted to take over the duties from Vannerson.
The second lap saw the race become as close and convoluted as it possibly could have as all nine runners were 0.82 of a second of the lead. Lambert sat within the pack, usually in the middle, but he fell back as far as eighth at one point.
The pace was going to pick up at some point and it did on the third lap and even more on the bell lap as runners began their kicks. The pace picked up to 1:05.00 and the leader changed from one Strake Jesuit runner to another as Vannerson's teammate Anthony Gregory took the lead; Even though the pace quickened the top seven runners were still within 1.26 of the lead.
After spending most of the race jostling between being on the rail Lambert and moving in and out, Lambert would eventually find room and pull along side Gregory. At 200m, the race was betwen four guys, Gregory, Lambet, Vannerson, and Emanuel Galdino of Houston Stratford. Coming off the turn, the race was on between Lambert and Gregory as the two began to separate; Lambert swung wide and was able to move into the lead with 50m remaining as he added his second state championship of the meet and his third of the year with the cross country title in the fall.
Lambert covered the final lap in 56.97 with Gregory finishing in second, and Galdino held onto the third spot with a time of 4:16.95.
6A BOYS 1600 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Luke Lambert 12 Wylie High 4:14.62 1 2 Anthony Gregory 12 Houston Strake Jesuit 4:15.32 1 3 Emanuel Galdino 11 Houston Stratford 4:16.95 1 4 Reese Vannerson 10 Houston Strake Jesuit 4:17.32 1 5 Taj Lee 12 San Antonio Johnson 4:20.79 1 6 Israel David 11 El Paso Eastlake 4:21.07 1 7 Alfredo Reina Corona 12 Haltom City 4:22.19 1 8 Will Powers 12 Austin High 4:22.67 1 9 Christopher Daniels 12 Klein 4:23.39 1