Previewing the Top San Antonio 100m Sprinters

It is the time of year to begin previewing the 2024 outdoor track and field season for the San Antonio metro area. The biggest thing I learned from last year is that there will be senior football players who decide not to compete in track for various reasons including graduating early and going to college in the Spring so take all of these with a grain of salt as some of the athletes mentioned may not actually be competing in track and field this year. However, let's get started with the 100-meter dash preview.

6A Boys

Harlan's Tate Taylor is only a sophomore, but he heads into the season as one of the favorites in Region IV after finishing third a year ago and owning a top time of 10.58. Overall, there are six boys returning who broke 11 seconds last year and three more within 0.05 of the mark. Taylor came on strong late in the year after finishing second in District 29-6A, he won the Area meet and nearly made the State meet.

The best of the rest includes a few names that football fans will know including Jeremiah Jones of Judson, Brennan Carroll of Roosevelt, Cole Walker of Judson and Austin Vivier of East Central. Jones is the only other returner to make the Regional finals and has a top time of 10.68. Devin Gills (Brennan) may be the top 100-200m guy in the area as he ranks in the top 5 in the 200m as well. Vivier was one of the best long and triple jumpers in the area last year and is poised for a huge season. One final name to remember is Reagan's Caleb Cappucio who ran 11.06 as a freshman in 2022 but only ran relays last year.

6A Girls

There is a strong contingent of 6A girls returning this year, including six who qualified for the Regional meet and four who made the finals. Last year, there were only six returners who had run faster than 12.50 and this year there are nine. For the second straight year Judson's Darinasia Taylor is the top returner. She ran a season best of 11.94 in the Regional prelims and finished fourth overall.

The top challengers to Taylor are spread out all across San Antonio. Romina Reyes (Reagan) and Madisun Sparks (Johnson) are the top two in NEISD while district foe Caydence Jackson of Steele will provide a tough challenge as a sophomore. Toryn Taylor (Harlan) and Jada Tyler (Stevens) are the top two from NISD and both have run at least 12.20. If Sparks has improved her starts, I think she will be the top 6A sprinter in the area.

5A Boys

The top 5A boys will be interesting to keep an eye on this year. Medina Valley's Carter Hewitt posted the top time of 10.61, but at the end of the season it was football stars Nikolas Henry (Seguin), Jaeden Servantez (Sam Houston) and Michael Terry (Alamo Heights) running the fastest 100m. Henry ran a pair of 10.7s at the Regional meet and would appear to be the top man this season.

Servantez and Terry are two of the best athletes in all of San Antonio. Servantez is the top returning 200m runner in the area while Terry ranks highly in the 100m, 200m, 400m and high jump. Additionally, there are three sophomores; Joseph Erker (Pieper), Zachary Garcia (Boerne Champion) and Chance Stanley (Wagner), who may be primed to move into the top contenders group.

5A Girls

If it were not for a pair of local superstars, Alyssa Jones and Taylor Nunez, Seguin's Daisha Shular would have been stealing all the sprint headlines last year. She finished as the State runner-up with a best time of 11.44 and is the clear favorite for a State title this year. In addition, she is a 19-foot long jumper and anchored the Regional champion 4x100 relay team.

After Shular, Lockhart's Rakaia Walker and Pieper's Gentry Boykin are the best of the rest and each made it to the Regional finals in the event. They are both excellent 200m runners as well. Shular's sister, Arianna figures to be in the mix as well after running 12.21 last year. Sam Houston's Dimushae Simmons and Deja Walker both qualified for Regionals and return to the track this year.

4A Boys

It appears that it will be a three-man race to see who the top 4A sprinter is this year. Boerne's Charlie Stahl is the top returner in the entire Region, but he is only slightly ahead of George Stenberg (Fredericksburg) and Curtis Saenz (Pearsall) who focused on the 200m at the Regional meet.

Boerne boasts four of the top 10 returning sprinters and should have an outstanding 4x100m relay team. In addition to Stahl, they bring back Michael Igbo, Willie Freeman and Cash McPeak who have all run 11.33 or better. Joseph Fale of Floresville is another runner to follow after he just missed making the Regional finals last year.

4A Girls

Canyon Lake's Savanna Oberholtzer easily has the top returning 100m time from a year but will have to prove she is the favorite since Jerriana McWilliams (Davenport) defeated her at the Area meet last year. Oberholtzer ran a 12.23 and a 12.33 last year which would both be the top returning time. Both Oberholtzer and McWilliams are top long jumpers while Oberholtzer is also one of the best triple jumpers around.

La Vernia's Summer Osburn could challenge for the top spot after running 12.52 as a freshman last year. Davenport's Aniah Tinsley and Bandera's Kinlee Lawlis would also be on the short list for top 100m sprinter this year. Tinsley and Lawlis are also the two best returning 200m runners in 4A.

3A Boys

It will likely be another three-man race for the top spot in 3A with Austin Young (Randolph), Gabriele Ortiz (Jourdanton) and Dorian Aranda (Dilley) the top contenders. Young has the top returning time of 10.81 from the Regional prelims where he was second, but in the finals he fell to sixth place and Aranda edged him out for fourth place and is the best 200m runner of the group. Ortiz qualified for Regionals but was unable to run.

Karnes City and Randolph both have multiple runners in the top-10. For KC, it is Syrhian Alaniz and Israel Soto who ran 11.24 as a freshman last year. In addition to Young, Randolph boasts Aaron Davis and Hagen Kalynko who are both 11.3 sprinters.

3A Girls

With the graduation of Cotulla's Raeann Charo, Taylor Nunez (Randolph) has no challengers left at the 3A level in San Antonio. Only Daisha Shular can challenge her in the San Antonio Metro Area for the title of fastest girl in the city. Nunez has won a pair of State titles in the 100m as well as the 200m and long jump in a career that is only half complete. It will be exciting to watch what she will do this year and it is imperative for any track fan to make sure that watch her run and jump this year.

After Nunez, there are three returners who have broken 13 seconds: Kahlen Castro (Poth), Jaeda Jones (Randolph) and Amelia Martinez (Lytle). There is another group of sprinters a half-step back from them including Annie Netardus and Kathryn Borth of Jourdanton and Makila Yanta of Karnes City. With Nunez, Jones and Ciara Hyde, Randolph should once again have one of the top 4x100m relay teams in the State.

Private and Homeschool Boys

There are three boys who have times under 11 seconds, but the clear-cut top returner is Jeremy Burch of Central Catholic. He was the bronze medalist at the TAPPS 6A meet last year and has a best time of 10.83. Caleb Norman of the SA Patriots and Alijah Cason of Universal City First Baptist Academy were each State champions last year. Norman won the Homeschool title while Cason was the TAPPS 2A champ. The duo is also ranked 1-2 in the 200m.

After the top three, only Carter McCray of Cornerstone Christian and Logan Bates of San Antonio Christian have run faster than 11.2 for the 100m. TMI's Armon Gardner is another challenger to follow as his 200m times compare favorably to the top 100m runners, but he only ran 11.36 last year.

Private and Homeschool Girls

Tori Neeley of the SA Patriots has the top returning time with a 12.68 to her name. Antonian's Mia Ruiz also broke 13 seconds last year as a freshman and will be one to watch. Olivia McCabe (San Antonio Christian) and Mikayla Kidney (SA Patriots) were the top two returners heading into last season but took a step back. They will be trying to get back to their form from two years ago. Incarnate Word's Cheyenne Deckard has been close to breaking 13 seconds each of the past two years and will be a top challenger.