Despite the Texas track and field season being over for nearly a month, Texas athletes were able to look fairly sharp in many of their first high level competition in four to five weeks.
See which athletes were able to come away with top five performances yesterday at the Brooks PR Invitational.
Boys 400M
Lawson Jacobs - The UIL 6A 400m state champion didn't have a great lane (7), but what's new for Jacobs? He was runner-up at the state meet in 2023 out of lane nine and won the 2024 title out of lane one. It was a solid rust buster race from Jacobs six weeks after his last run to finish runner-up in 47.41
Kevin Bello - For the first race in a long time, Bello only ran one race. He is a complete sprinter running the 100m, 200m, and 400m at high levels, but developed into a great quarter miler throughout this season. He finished third behind Jacobs in 47.59.
Girls 400m
Angel Brefo - Brefo was another athlete who was able to knock off some rust from not competing recently. She managed a fourth place finish in the girls 400m. Although almost a full half-second behind her personal best, her 54.15
Girls 3,200m
Elizabeth Leachman - Leachman was one of two Texas UIL 3,200m state champions taking on the rest of the nation's best. The UIL 5A state champ is also the national record holder in the event, but was coming off a race the week before at the Portland Track Festival where she didn't finish the race. Leachman ran this race in an unfamiliar position . . . not in first place. It wasn't until the sixth lap where she looked to take the lead, but stride entanglement from behind with the eventual winner Allie Zealand clearly took its effect on Leachman who would eventually finish in fourth place with a time of 9:52.30
San Juanita Leal - The two-time UIL 6A 3,200m state champion Leal was in the race from start to finish. The Texas A&M signee kept contact with the leaders even after the top group began to separate. In the end, Leal proved she was one of Texas' most versatile and best overall distance runners ever. She added a new PR with her first sub 10:00 3,200 by goin 9:54.02. That combines with her 2:08.64, 4:42.30 to exhibit her range.
Boys 800m
Cooper Lutkenhaus - The freshman phenom continues to dazzle with his running like no other 15 year old has ever displayed. Lutkenhaus continues to lower his own freshman class record which now sits at 1:47.58 after his win along with the Brooks PR Inv. record. The Justin Northwest half miler is now the Texas record holder with that time and is the No. 7 fastest runner of all-time in American high school history.
Girls 100-meter hurdles
Lillian Harden - Harden suffered her first loss of the season and it took a national level field to do it. The UIL 6A state champion and Iowa signee ran her third fastest time of the season 13.41 to net a third place finish.