2026 San Antonio Track News and Notes #2

The Best Thing I Saw

I made it out to the Northside ISD Meet #1 at Gustafson Stadium and was able to interview many athletes throughout the meet. The excitement and enthusiasm that many of the athletes show is one of the best parts of the job. My favorite thing from Thursday night was my interview with James Lynch and Jack Hollimon of Alamo Heights. If you have not watched it yet, please go back and watch it. They do a great job of explaining what it means to be a leader on the team and they explain the psyche of what it takes to be a great hurdler. It was really a great reminder of why I love the sport of track and field.

Small Schools, Fast 400's

It was a good week for smaller school 400m runners. At the Edye Lea Relays in Pearsall, Ryan Weinkam (Devine) and Nasir Tapia (Cole) were shoulder-to-shoulder coming to the finish line with Weinkam crossing the tape in 49.94 while Tapia was inches back in 49.97. At the same meet, Cole's Klarrisa Frain posted a time of 59.54 in the quarter-mile. Madison Teague (Great Hearts Northern Oaks) was the fourth member of the small school, fast 400m group when she clocked a time of 1:00.22 at the Holy Cross Starter Invitational. In addition, the Devine boys 4x400m relay team broke 3:30 with a winning time of 3:29.75.

That Did Not Take Long

The San Antonio area boys half-milers have been rolling through the first two weeks of the season. It looks like there could be some major showdowns starting during the District meets and going all the way through Regionals. Wells Peterson (TMI) ran a 1:57 for the second straight week with his winning time of 1:57.65 at the Holy Cross Starter Meet. At the Steele Invitational, Sean Gonzalez (Clemens) raced to a winning time of 1:55.22 while his teammate, Aric Pinguelo and Clark's Urijah Peterman were both under 1:58 and three others broke 2-minutes. The Northside ISD Meet #1 boasted three runners under 1:57 led by Ayden Nunez of Sotomayor (1:55.67) with Silas Gonzalez and Chris Esparza of O'Connor each right behind him. Reagan's Samuel Ackerman nearly matched Sean Gonzalez's time with a 1:55.23 at the Dripping Springs Relays. Wagner's Channon Davis had the fastest recorded time of the weekend at the South San Invitational. He posted a hand-held time of 1:52.99.

Jumping Over the Bar

Despite it being early in the season, there were six girls in the area who cleared at least 5-4 in the high jump this past week. Reagan's Aryiel Sherman is making a triumphant return to competition this year after missing most of last season. She went 5-8 for the first time in her career at Dripping Springs. She had previously cleared 5-6 as a freshman and a sophomore, but never 5-8. In addition, Kiyana Perez (Medina Valley) and Lillian Hubbard (Warren) each cleared 5-6 at the Medina Valley Panther Relays. The high jump was just one part of Perez's big day where she also won the 100mh (15.24) and 300mh (46.78). Lauren Harding (Brennan) also went over 5-4 at the same meet. Sydney Primm (Brandeis) won the Steele Relays while Aliya Murphy (Smithson Valley) took gold at the Comal ISD Relays by jumping over 5-4.

He's Back!!!

Clemens senior Christian Dupree had his final year in football cut short due to a leg injury. On Thursday, he made his return to competition and promptly won the Steele Invitational high jump with a clearance of 6-2. Last year, Dupree did not start competing until March 19 and he ended up making it all the way to the State meet. He had a season best of 6-10 set at the Area meet.

Nothing Gets in Their Way

This year it seems like the best 110m hurdlers come in pairs. Alamo Heights, Brandeis, Johnson and Steele each have a pair of hurdlers who are having strong seasons. Alamo Heights is led by Jack Hollimon (15.02), a 5A State qualifier in 2025 and James Lynch (15.37), fifth place in the Region. Brandeis currently has the top-two ranked hurdlers in the area, Caiden Rodriguez (14.70) and Ajahni Williams (14.84). Rodriguez has already nearly matched his personal best while Williams has exceeded his from previous years. At Johnson, Thomas Sutton (15.46) and Paul Fisch (15.63) give the Jaguars a solid 1-2 punch. Steele is led by a pair of sophomores, Liam Jones (15.09) and Tanner Mudge (15.36). Both are already well ahead of last season's pace.

School Records

In this section, I want to highlight the new school records that were set during the week. I need coaches to please let me know when you have a new record set. Either email me at shanemeling@gmail.com or message at me @ShaneMeling on X (Twitter).

Kennedy Veale, Alamo Heights, Pole Vault, 11-6

Sean Gonzalez, Clemens, 800m, 1:55.22

Sean Gonzalez, Clemens, 1600m, 4:17.94

Quentin Jones, Brennan, Pole Vault, 15-6

Brody Vestal, Davenport, Shot Put, 47-8.5

Mia Nunez, Brennan, Pole Vault, 11-0

Skylar Carter, Pieper, Triple Jump, 37-10

Pieper Boys, 4x400m Relay, 3:22.06 (Archer Garate, Ben Aibel, Cash Lancaster, Bryce Harrison)

Keira Reyna, Steele, 300mh, 44.81

Cyani Ingram, Madison, Shot Put, 43-5.5

Around the City

The first meet of the week was the Edye Lea Relays in Pearsall. Ryan Weinkam (Devine) and Nasir Tapia (Cole) each broke 50s in the 400m. Rowdy Esparza (Devine) had a big meet winning the long jump (21-9.5), triple jump (43-6.5) and 200m (22.70). Karter Brown (Devine) was a double winner in the shot put (49-10.5) and discus (134-2). In the girls meet, Klarrisa Frain (Cole) and Rylie Wells (Devine) each scored a lot of points. Frain won the 400m in 59.54 and also did well in the long jump (16-7.5) and 100mh (16.61). Wells was third in the 100mh (16.85) and she won the long jump (17-6) and triple jump (35-4.5).

At the Harlandale ISD Track Meet, Madison held off Holmes for the boys team title 147-139. The Mavericks were led by Alejandro Quijano who took gold in the 110mh (15.60) and 300mh (41.92). The 3200m proved to be a great race with Armando Cantu (Holmes), Noah Gonzalez (Holmes) and Sergio Martinez (Central Catholic) all breaking 10 minutes. Freshman Michael Hightower (Holmes) took the 400m with a time of 50.32 and came back with a win in the 200m (22.25). Central Catholic's Antonio Guevara became the first athlete in the area to clear 6-6 in the high jump.

The Madison girls also took the team title with 183 points while Holmes was second with 100 points. Madison racked up serious points in the relays taking gold in all three events. A'Niah Hammond (Madison) won both sprint titles taking the 100m in 12.94 and the 200m in 26.63. Cyani Ingram continues to impress in the throwing events for the Mavericks. She re-set her own school record in the shot put with a heave of 43-5.5 and also won the discus with a toss of 110-8.

Holy Cross hosted their Starter Meet and in the boys meet it was the distance runners who shined the most. Wells Peterson (TMI) took the 800m in 1:57.65 and his teammate, Ethan Garza, ran an incredible 3200m crossing the finish line in 9:13.61. Jackson Vann-Morgan of the host school had a solid day winning the 110mh in 16.20 and the 300mh in 40.87. Holy Cross also ran a pair of quality times in the 4x100m relay (43.46) and the 4x400m relay (3:27.63).

The girls Holy Cross meet started with Rylee Higginbotham (John Paul II) showing her speed in the 100m (12.38) and 200m (25.29). Incarnate Word's Chloe Nellis took gold in the 300mh (46.75) and long jump (16-8). Tyla Blackstock (Great Hearts Northern Oaks) showed her continued improvement in both throwing events taking top prize in the shot put (35-3.5) and discus (119-8.75). The half-mile was a great race with D'Vani Hernandez (San Antonio Christian) taking the gold medal in 2:19.60 while Natalia Sandoval (TMI) took a close second place (2:21.60).

Fredericksburg, Kerrville Tivy and Boerne competed in a tri-meet in Fredericksburg. Boerne's Noah Blomqvist looked good in the throwing events with throws of 48-0 in the shot put and 148-9 in the discus. Presley Merkens (Boerne) opened her meet by winning the 800m in 2:17.85 and nearly won the 400m before settling for second place with a time of 59.16. Her teammate, Sutton Amerman (Boerne), won the 400m in 58.97. Isabella Pettet (Boerne) won the 100m (12.81) and long jump (16-9.25).

Medina Valley hosted a meet on Thursday that the Brennan boys won with 244 points and MV was second with 122 points. Quentin Jones (Brennan) had a huge meet. He won the triple jump with a big mark of 46-8 and then he set a new school record en route to winning the pole vault with a clearance of 15-6. He added a silver medal in the 110mh with a time of 15.60. The Bears won the 4x100m relay (42.68), were second in the 4x200m relay (1:30.57) and took the 4x400m relay (3:21.58). The best race of the meet was likely the 1600m where Kyle Carpenter (Medina Valley) edged out Dionell Delgado (Brennan) by less than a tenth of a second as both crossed in 4:33. Warren's Cal Carpenter had a huge throw to win the discus with a toss of 162-11.

The Medina Valley girls won their own meet with 190 points while Brennan (140) and Churchill (120) followed with strong performances. Kiyana Perez led Medina Valley by winning both hurdle events, 15.24 in the 100mh and 46.78 in the 300mh, and she won the high jump with a clearance of 5-6 as she had fewer misses than Warren's Lillian Hubbard who also cleared 5-6. Brennan's Mia Nunez won the pole vault with a clearance of 11-0. Churchill's distance duo of Mia Kellogg and Kallie Van Prooyen each ran well. Kellogg won the 3200m (11:31.20) and was second in the 1600m (5:16.32) to Van Prooyen who won in 5:14.59. Aniyah Armstrong (Southwest) took gold in the 100m with a winning time of 12.52 and her teammate, Danieliz Villafane, threw 124-0 to win the discus.

At the Steele Relays, Clemens won the boys team title with 187 points while Steele (121) edged out Judson (116) for second place. The distance races were on fire as four runners broke 10 minutes in the 3200m, seven ran faster than 4:31 in the 1600m and six broke two minutes in the 800m. Sean Gonzalez (Clemens) was the big star as he won the 800m in 1:55.22 and the 1600m in 4:17.94. Aiden Adams (Clark) took the 3200m in 9:39.42 and was second in the 1600m (4:22.69). The Brandeis duo of Caiden Rodriguez and Ajahni Williams took the top two spots in both hurdle races as each broke 15 seconds in the 110mh and 40 seconds in the 300mh. Cyelan Whitley and Case Dierschke of Clemens took the top two spots in the discus as Whitley won with a throw of 163-1 and Dierschke threw 161-10. Steele's Maverick James won the 400m (48.55) and the 200m (22.10).

The Steele girls won their own meet with 183 points while Clemens and Judson finished in second and third, respectively. Keira Reyna (Steele) ran a fabulous race in the 300mh winning in 44.81. In the 100mh, Steele's Trinity Onugha (15.35) and Layla Frierson (15.57) took the top two spots. Ataya Rhoden (Clemens) won the 400m in 57.77 and was second in the 200m (25.70). Brandeis' Sydney Primm won both the high jump (5-4) and the long jump (17-5).

The Pieper boys won the Comal ISD Relays with 180 points while Smithson Valley settled for second place with 165 points. Kahdyn Freeman led Pieper with a pair of victories in the long jump (22-3.75) and triple jump (46-8). Pieper won the 4x400m relay in 3:22.06. Hans Scheff (Smithson Valley) had a huge personal best in the shot put winning with a throw of 53-10 and he added another victory with a throw of 146-1 in the discus. Canyon's William Moffatt won a tough pole vault competition with a clearance of 15-0. The Smithson Valley 4x100m relay team won with a time of 42.07.

The Canyon girls were the team champions of the Comal ISD Relays with 161.5 points while Smithson Valley was second and New Braunfels finished in third. In the pole vault, Paige Beeghley (New Braunfels) and Sofia Mitschke (Smithson Valley) each cleared 12-0. Shyla Boydstun was a big double-winner for Pieper taking the 100mh in 14.38 and the 200m in 25.67. Savanah Moya (New Braunfels) won the 1600m in 5:13.50 in her first race of the season. The Canyon Lake 4x100m (48.49) and 4x200m (1:45.69) relay teams showed their strength taking gold in both events.

Reagan, Seguin and Wimberley all competed at the Dripping Springs Tiger Relays. Sam Ackerman (Reagan) took gold in the 800m (1:55.23) and was third in the 1600m (4:25.88) while his teammate, Thomas Schwennesen, won the discus with a throw of 151-6. The Reagan girls won the meet with 197 points. Their 4x100m relay team won in 47.47 and sprinters Sabina Machado and Kennedy Sands went 1-2 while running into a headwind in the 100m. Aryiel Sherman (Reagan) won the high jump with a 5-8 clearance while Ellen Watson (Wimberley) was second with a 5-4 clearance.

South San hosted their second meet of the season last week. The Wagner boys won by 15 points over Veterans Memorial while the Wagner girls easily won the competition. The meet featured hand-held timing. Alexis Tirado (10.59) and Chance Stanley (10.75) of Wagner took the top two spots in the 100m. Channon Davis (Wagner) posted a winning time of 1:52.99 in the 800m and also won the 1600m in 4:41.02. The Wagner girls were led by Savannah Hardin (100m), Zoe Maricle (400m) and Machaela Ward (300mh) who each took gold in the respective events.

For information on the Northside ISD Meet #1 please read my article that recapped that meet.

Senior Signings

I would like to keep a running tally of all the track and field and cross country signings so please contact me if you notice someone is missing.

Kendall Fallon, Davenport, Tulsa

Tate Taylor, Harlan, Texas Tech

Mia Villanueva, Canyon, Texas Lutheran

Lauren Pardo, Canyon, Henderson State

Aryiel Sherman, Reagan, Biola

Sadie Larson, Pieper, Tarleton State

Frances Scotello, Lytle, UNLV

Lilly Koenig, Smithson Valley, Texas Tech

Jaelyn Moore, Cornerstone, Dallas Baptist

Juliet Osuna, Cornerstone, Carson-Newman

Elizabeth Leachman, Boerne Champion, Stanford

Maverick James, Steele, UIW

Aaron Garcia, Boerne, Lamar

Sadrac Castillo, Jefferson, Our Lady of the Lake

Next Week