This week's results seem to be the best of the season which is good to see as teams start to prepare for the postseason. The big meet of the week was the Texas Distance Festival sponsored by Hoka 2026 and hosted by Southlake Carroll High School. There were many local runners who made the trip North, including a few who raced in San Antonio on Thursday. The results were fast and furious all week long from Wednesday through Saturday.
The Best Thing I Saw
The best thing I saw this week was the strength of the Medina Valley girls 4x400m relay team. They ran the fastest time in the area this season on Thursday night at the NEISD 9 Meet. Madison Pinto got them started with 60-second opening lap and then Camia Patterson, Kiyana Perez and Trinity Pinto each went under 60-seconds. Trinity Pinto is the fastest quarter-miler in the area with a season best of 56.50 and she ran a 56.84 open time at the meet. The Panthers won the race in 3:55.07 by nearly 13 seconds. I think the best is still to come for the relay team since both Perez and Trinity Pinto seemed to have plenty left in the tank on their legs.
Top Distance Runner Returns
Smithson Valley sophomore Brady Solansky made her return to the track this weekend running as part of the Distance Medley and 4x400m relay teams at the New Braunfels Unicorn Invitational. Solansky had not competed since last year's Unicorn Invitational when she ran 2:14.60 in the 800m. As a freshman, she finished third at the UIL 5A State Cross Country meet and despite only running in three track meets she posted times of 2:14.01 in the 800m, 4:57.66 in the 1600m and 10:45.56 in the 3200m. It is nice to have her back and hopefully she will pick up where she left off.
Freshmen Boys Coming on Strong
Many of the top results for freshmen boys this season happened over the weekend. Schaeden Davis (Smithson Valley) ran the fastest 100m (10.72) and had the best high jump (6-0). Michael Hightower (Holmes) moved past Davis with his 22.02 in the 200m from the weekend. Silas Gonzalez (O'Connor) went to the Texas Distance Festival and ran the fastest 1600m (4:23.03) of the season. Jacob Cantu (Lytle) and Cyril Girgis (Antonian) battled it out this weekend in the 3200m at the Devine HS Meet with Cantu running the fastest time of the season, 9:50.43 while Girgis finished in 9:54.49. Timothy Odom (Veterans Memorial) ran his best in the 300mh (41.61). Ryder Flugence (Boerne Champion) had his best long jump (21-9) of the season and was already the leader in the triple jump. Tyler Bucks (Johnson) cleared 14-0 again in the pole vault to match the best mark of the season.
Rockets and Jags are Rolling
The Judson boys 4x100m relay team became the first team in the area this year to break 41s. They won the Don Hardin Alamo Relays with a time of 40.80 and have the fastest time in the Region IV-6A. The quartet of runners were Carlwynn Young, Tyson Youngblood, Ayden Ramirez and Emaurie Jones.
The Johnson boys 4x400m relay team set the San Antonio Area record this past weekend at the Ruben C. Jordan Relays in Clear Creek. They ran a time of 3:12.47 to break the 2005 record of 3:12.58 that was held by Madison. The incredible thing is that the Jags did not win the race but lost to Iowa Colony by a hundredth of a second. The group that ran on Saturday was Yashiyah Griffin, Jayden Lea, Angel Robinson and Abdou Ndiaye.
Reagan Relays Stay Hot
The Reagan girls consistently have some of the best relay teams in the area and this year is no different. Their 4x100m team has the best time in the area this year with the 47.00 they ran at the Canyon Cougar Relays at the end of February. They matched up with some quality sides from Sotomayor, Brandeis, Judson and Brennan this weekend and topped them all. The squad of Courtney Latronico, Gabriella McHugh, Barbara Lopez and Kennedy Sands ran 47.38 and the best part is that all four are underclassmen. The same group also won the 4x200m and they needed to run the fastest time in the area to do it thanks to a great effort from Sotomayor. It was the same group of Rattlers, just in a different order, that got the job done in 1:40.29. Sotomayor's quartet of Kaelony King, Rihanna Johnson, Nevaeh Johnson and Jayden Echols ran the second fastest time in San Antonio this year, 1:40.45, en route to their second place finish.
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).
Rowdy Esparza, Devine, Long Jump, 23-6.75
Tanner Davis, Devine, Pole Vault, 15-0
Providence Girls, 4x400m Relay, 4:20.00 (Leni Hargesheimer, Talia Raba, Drew Ovalles, Olivia Martini
Nyessa Dumas-Perry, Pieper, Shot Put, 35-10.25
Marion Boys, 4x100m Relay, 42.29 (Jaylen Reese, Tanner Otis, Aaron Salinas, Kolten Rios)
Veterans Memorial Boys, 4x400m Relay, 3:25.60 (Mahkai Stallings, Roydon Johnson, John Rodriguez, Josaiah Villarreal)
Kaitlyn Rackley, Marion, Pole Vault, 12-7
Emily Jones, Alamo Heights, Long Jump, 17-8.75
Alamo Heights Girls, 4x100m Relay, 49.19 (Emily Jones, Mary Wesley Gissell, Charlotte Tompsett, Alzara Mysliwiec)
Johnson Boys, 4x400m Relay, 3:12.47 (Yashiyah Griffin, Jayden Lea, Angel Robinson, Abdou Ndiaye)
Cooper Warrick, Stockdale, 1600m, 4:25.91
Medina Valley Girls, 4x400m Relay, 3:55.07 (Madison Pinto, Camia Patterson, Kiyana Perez, Trinity Pinto)
Johnson Girls, Distance Medley Relay, 12:19.71 (Emily Krot, Diana Soto, Ariana Pinheiro Barreira, Kira Albino)
Joshua McNeil, Johnson, Shot Put, 57-11.5
Cameron McDuffie, Johnson, Triple Jump, 48-7
Around the City
The Harlandale ISD Relays started the week last Wednesday with McCollum winning the varsity boys division with 131 points and the Brackenridge varsity girls won by four points over McCollum and eight points over Southwest Legacy. Jermaine Ramirez (Harlandale) won both throwing events at his home meet and had a big throw of 50-3.5 in the shot put. Joel Lara (Southwest Legacy) won titles in the 110mh (16.10) and 300mh (42.20) while Reyes Arteaga (Brackenridge) was a double winner in the 1600m (4:39.74) and 3200m (10:05.44). Ava Garza (Brackenridge) matched Arteaga in the girls races winning the 1600m in 5:42.49 and the 3200m in 12:35.74. Maria Munoz (Edison) won a tightly contested shot put with her toss of 33-11.75.
The Randolph boys won the Cornerstone Christian Meet #2 on the strength of their relays and Kevin Harris. Harris took gold in the 100m (10.95) and the long jump (21-5.25) while the relay teams swept all three events. They posted timed of 42.77 (4x100m), 1:30.55 (4x200m) and 3:25.19 (4x400m). Jackson Hulse (Castle Hills) had a strong showing in the hurdles with a win in the 110mh (15.55) and a runner-up finish in the 300mh (40.64). Even though he attends a small school, Gloria Deo Academy, Kai Wallace showed he has big talent with his win in the triple jump (42-4) and second place finish in the 400m (50.72).
The Randolph girls matched their boys team by also winning the CCS Meet #2. Imani Spencer led the Ro-Hawks with her sprint performances. She won the 200m in 25.13 and anchored the winning 4x200m relay (1:46.26) and second place 4x100m relay (50.26) teams. Kaidyn Holmes-Oliver (TMI) shined in the 100m (12.29) and long jump (17-5.75) and anchored the winning 4x100m (50.04) relay team. Madison Teague (Great Hearts Northern Oaks) showed why she is a two-event threat by winning the 400m (59.32) and taking second in the 800m (2:19.27) to Daniela Shelfo (TMI) who clocked a 2:14.85.
Holy Cross hosted their Westside Relays and the varsity boys featured a pair of powerhouse individual performances. The Knights' own Jackson Vann-Morgan won three individual events taking gold in the triple jump (42-10.5), 110mh (15.56) and 300mh (41.26). Geneva's Brady Chandler nearly matched Vann-Morgan. He won the pole vault (15-0) and long jump (21-0) but had to settle for second in the 100m (11.01). Holy Cross won the 4x400m relay in a quality time of 3:25.87. The varsity girls also featured two of the best athletes in the city in Chloe Nellis (Incarnate Word) and Rylee Higginbotham (John Paul II). Nellis won the long jump (18-4), high jump (5-1) and 300mh (47.17) while Higginbotham ran two of the fastest times all year en route to winning the 100m (12.06) and 200m (25.09).
The Steele boys notched another team title with their win at the Sandra Tapia Relays as while Stevens and Taft finished on the medal stand. The best race of the meet, the 4x100m relay, was won by Steele in 42.53 as they held off both Stevens (42.56) and Sam Houston (42.65) as it was a near three-way tie. Liam Jones (Steele) ran 14-flat in the 110mh and was second to teammate Tanner Mudge in the 300mh as both went under 40s. Jordan Ortega led Stevens with wins in the long jump (22-3.25) and 200m (21.89). He was able to edge out Donell Wright (Taft) who ran 21.90 to take second place.
The Steele girls also took the team title with 245 points as they doubled up second place Taft. Lauren Dobbins, a stalwart on the Steele relay teams, blazed her way to victory in the 200m with a time of 24.34. DeShae Knox (Steele) won the high jump (5-4) and was runner-up in the 100m (12.41) for the Lady Knights. Taft's Adelyn Miller was a double-winner in the 1600m (5:19.27) and 3200m (11:40.34).
At the New Braunfels Unicorn Invitational, the Smithson Valley boys lost the team title by 1.25 points to Liberty Hill. Freshman Schaeden Davis took gold in the 100m (10.72) and was part of their winning 4x100m (42.30) relay team. Noah Johnson and Gavin Williams went 1-2 in the 400m for the Rangers with times of 48.22 and 49.08, respectively. Kingston Brown (New Braunfels) won a pair of individual events, the 200m (21.74) and long jump (21-7.5) and Rye Roberts (New Braunfels Christian Academy) was runner-up with a leap of 44-7.5 in the triple jump.
The Canyon girls won the Unicorn Invitational with 199 points to hold off Smithson Valley by 17 points. Their 4x100m relay team got them started on the right foot with a victory in 49.01. They followed that up by taking gold in the 4x200m (1:44.63) as well. Paige Beeghley (New Braunfels) won a spirited battle in the pole vault with a clearance of 12-7. Marion's Kaitlyn Rackley also cleared 12-7, but had more misses and Sofia Mitschke (Smithson Valley) went over 12-1. The 1600m featured a battle between two of the best distance runners in the area with Lilly Koenig (Smithson Valley) winning in 5:22.23 over Canyon's Madi Molinar who crossed in 5:24.83.
The AJ Loth/CW Relays in Fredericksburg were won by the Pieper boys with 238 points, more than 100 points ahead of second place. The Warriors were led by a sweep in the triple jump with Michael Ajagbe taking first place with a jump of 46-10.5 and he was followed by Kahdyn Freeman (45-3.5) and Micah Freeman (44-7.5). Ajagbe also won the 100m in 11.15. Valentine Onyenagada (Pieper) won both the hurdle events posting times of 15.18 in the 110mh and 40.17 in the 300mh. Joshua Hoover (Saint Mary's Hall) showed off in the long jump with a winning jump of 22-8.5.
The Fredericksburg girls took home the title in their home meet as they nipped Pieper by nine points and Canyon Lake by 13 points. The Billies pulled off the team title without winning a single event but Alison Weirich was runner-up in both the pole vault and long jump. Shyla Boydstun (Pieper) won the 100mh (14.47) and was runner-up in the 300mh (46.22) and Pieper's 4x100m team won in 48.31. Boerne's Isabella Pettet took first in the long jump (17-6.5) and took second in the 100 (12.59). Boerne also took gold in the Sprint Medley relay (4:18.64) and 4x400m relay (4:07.18).
At the Jimmy Dykes Relays, the Wagner boys raced to victory with impressive titles in the 4x100m (42.64) and 4x200m (1:29.07) relays. Vaunray Ramsey took both hurdle events and Channon Davis won another 800m title. Holmes freshman Michael Hightower pulled off the unusual triple of winning the 100m (11.06), 200m (22.02) and 400m (48.48). Veterans Memorial closed out the meet by winning the 4x400m relay in 3:25.60 to hold off Churchill by 0.23s.
Churchill took the varsity girls title at the Jimmy Dykes Relays thanks to their dynamic distance duo, Mia Kellogg and Kallie Van Prooyen. Kellogg won the 3200m in 11:10.22 with Van Prooyen in second place at 11:17.78. They switched spots in the 1600m with Van Prooyen winning in 5:08.23 while Kellogg crossed the line in 5:18.86. Duprasia Beets (Jay) was spectacular in winning the 200m in 25.46 and the 400m in 57.50. The triple jump was the best event of the meet with Deyanna Smith (Holmes) winning with a mark of 38-8 while Jayana Maldonado (Churchill), Cashia Delaine (Veterans Memorial) and Camille Coleman (Veterans Memorial) all jumped at least 36-5.
The Devine boys and girls each won the Devine HS Meet. Rowdy Esparza and Tanner Davis led Devine with two individual victories. Esparza won the 400m in 49.67 and he had a huge long jump of 23-6.75. Davis cleared 6-4 to win the high jump and 15-0 to win the pole vault. Davis was also third in the 400m and sixth in the discus. Devine edged out Lytle in the 4x400m relay running 3:23.06 to win the race. The Devine girls were led by Rylie Wells and Kylie Monreal who combined for seven top-3 individual performances. Kaliya Jones (Antonian) won the 100mh in 15.90, the 300mh in 46.34 and she went 19-0 to win the long jump. Uvalde's sprint relay teams showed out by winning the 4x100m in 50.54 and the 4x200m in 1:48.71. Frances Scotello (Lytle) won the 1600m in 5:37.82 after opening the meet with a runner-up performance in the 3200m.
The Don Hardin Alamo Relays featured some of the best performances of the season. Judson finished in second place just two points ahead of Brennan in the varsity boys meet. Judson ran the fastest time in the area in the 4x100m relay winning in 40.80 and they nearly won the 4x200m with their time of 1:29.32, but they fell just short as Brennan finished in 1:29.31. Samuel Ackerman took 800m in 1:53.77 while Logan Martinez was the gold medalist in the 1600m (4:27.63) and 3200m (9:16.02) for Reagan. Caiden Rodriguez (Brennan) kept up his string of quality meets with victories in the 110mh (14.57) and 300mh (39.23).
The Reagan girls took the Don Hardin Alamo Relays title with 178 points while Sotomayor finished in second place. The Rattlers were led by their 4x100m and 4x200m relay teams that won both events. Ella Meares (46.11) and Morgan Schlueter (46.76) took the top two spots in the 300mh for Reagan while Paige Opaska (11:29.24) and Theone Glosser (11:33.86) finished second and third in the 3200m. Harlan's Dessalyn Rogers ran a pair of individual events for the first time this year finishing first in the 100m (12.22) and 200m (24.58). Brandeis posted a 1-2-3 finish in the 400m with Faith Ponds (57.83) finishing first while Leila Smith-Harris (58.73) and Isabella Graham (59.46) took the next two spots.
At the Seguin Matador Relays, Daniel Pinon and Adrian Rangel led the hometown team. Pinon won the 100m in 11.19 and the 400m in 49.56 while Rangel took the gold in the 1600m (4:34.55) and the 3200m (9:47.00). Central Catholic's Antonio Guevara cleared 23-4 in the long jump while Joehl Martinez (East Central) went 23-0.5 to finish in second place. Jordan Pinones (East Central) had his best meet of the season throwing 55-8.25 in the shot put and 161-10 in the discus to set new personal records in each event. The girls long jump had a pair of big performances from Isabella Davis (La Vernia) who leaped 18-8.75) and Alty Keita (Southwest) who jumped 18-7. Danieliz Villafane (Southwest) had another winning performance in the discus with a toss of 121-0.75.
Marion traveled to the Schulenburg HS Meet and had many winning performances including the boys 4x100m and 4x200m relays and the girls 4x100m, 4x200m, and 4x400m relays.
Johnson took their squads to the Clear Creek ISD Ruben C Jordan Relays. Braelyn Allen won the 400m in 48.80 and their 4x200m relay team won in 1:27.11. Cameron McDuffie won the triple jump with a leap of 46-7. Most impressive was their 4x400m relay team setting a new City record. Adriana Parra took gold in the 800m with a time of 2:22.53 while Kira Albino, Emily Krot and Isabella Porter went 1-2-3 in the 3200m. Kylee Koch won the 300mh in 45.40 and was part of the winning 4x100m shuttle hurdle relay.
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
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
Klayre Cook, Lytle, Texas Lutheran
Anastacia Garza, Judson, UTSA
Ava Arellano, Wimberley, Texas Lutheran
Amariah Young, Medina Valley, Texas Lutheran
Payton DeFelippis, Medina Valley, Texas A&M-Texarkana
Next Week
On the schedule for this week are the NEISD Invitational, Northside ISD Meet #4, Pleasanton Brush Country Relays, Ro-Hawk Relays, Steele Invitational, Wimberley Texan Relays, and the Charles Austin Classic.