STATE STAGE THIS WEEK! | Qualifiers from across ETBlitz.com coverage area set to compete at UIL State Track & Field Championships
Last year, and in several years prior, there have been all sorts of stories of East Texas athletes doing tremendous things at the state track meet.
But to do those things on the state’s brightest, most famous stage, there is one requirement: you’ve gotta get there.
And several student athletes that compete in the 12 high schools covered by ETBlitz.com did just that, qualifying last week for the University Interscholastic League’s State Track & Field Championships that begin on Thursday.
They’re all listed below.
First, some particulars.
It all takes place, as usual, at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.
Thursday belongs to athletes from schools in Classes 3A and 4A. Classes 2A, 5A and wheelchair division will compete on Friday, and athletes from 1A and 6A are center stage on Saturday.
It’s the same schedule every day: field events and the 3,200 meter (two-mile) run begin at 9 a.m. each day, and running event finals begin at 5 p.m.
We’ll define it a little more with each athlete or team from the ETBlitz.com coverage area below.
Mike A. Myers Stadium is 707 Clyde Littlefield Drive, Austin, Texas, 78705.
For anyone who can’t make the trip, the NFHS Network (NFHSNetwork.com – High School Sports Online – Stream Live & On Demand) will have coverage, for a monthly subscription fee. According to the track and field section of the UIL website here (Track & Field State Meet Broadcast Information —University Interscholastic League (UIL)), viewers will have the option to pick from three streams that run continuously. NFHS Network also has a mobile app. Subscriptions are right at $13, and can be canceled at any time, although the first payment is due upon subscribing.
Tickets are $15 per session. Gates open for the A.M. sessions each day at 8 a.m., about an hour before the event starts, and gates open for the P.M. sessions daily at 3 p.m. Day tickets are $25 and allow admission for the entire day, and allow re-entry (for anyone who needs to leave and return).
Tickets, including day passes, can be purchased at this link: UIL Track and Field State Championships Tickets | University of Texas – Athletics.
Tickets will also be available at the stadium each day of the event, but there are no cash sales. Everyone from 2 years and up requires a ticket.
Parking is a $15 charge per vehicle, per day. On Thursday and Friday, parking will be in the East Campus Garage or Trinity Garage, or in LBJ lots 38-40 after 5 p.m. On Saturday, parking will be available at the East Campus Garage, the Health Center Garage, or again, in LBJ Lots 38-40 after 5.
Parking can be purchased in advance, as well, here: Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium Parking | Find Parking.
The East Campus Garage is located at 1200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Trinity Garage is at 1815 Trinity Street. The Health Center Garage is at 1601 Trinity Street, Building A, and LBJ Lots 38-40 are located south of the Red River Street and Dean Keeton Intersection.
The stadium does have a clear back policy; read more about that right here: Clear Bag Policy FAQs – University of Texas Athletics.
Now, here’s what you came here for: the qualifiers from our area schools.
Girls 400 meter relay (5 p.m. Thursday): Gilmer has a team in this event, having ran it in 47.89 seconds at regionals. Running for Gilmer will be Taryn Tennison, Tasiyah Lewis, Evelyne Applegate, Alondria Nelson, Makyah Jimmerson, and Adlleigh France; obviously two of those will be alternates. Brownwood had the fastest qualifying time at regionals (47.07 seconds).
Boys 110 meter hurdles (5:45 p.m. Thursday): Gilmer’s Brendan Webb will run in this one, having qualified at regionals with a time of 14.33 seconds. Swayde Griffin of Lago Vista comes in with the fastest time at regionals (13.54).
Girls 100 meter hurdles (5:45 p.m. Thursday: Tasiyah Lewis of Gilmer will represent the Buckeyes here. She had a time of 12.14 at regionals. Manor New Tech’s Maliya Curry had the regionals’ fastest time (11.93).
Girls 800 meter relay (6:40 p.m. Thursday): More Buckeyes – a qualifying time of 1 minute, 41.22 seconds. It’s the team of Tennison, Lewis, Nelson, Applegate, Ashlie Acy, and France. As in the 400, Brownwood’s team had the fastest regional time (1:39.73).
Boys 800 meter relay (6:40 p.m. Thursday): Both Kilgore and Gilmer have teams in this event. Kilgore’s team of LaKeyleon Graves, Takieran White, Jayden Sanders, Carsyn Bynum, K’Winn Reese, Jeremiah Freeman and Jacory Walton (three of them alternates) comes in with the third-fastest time (1 minute, 26.72 seconds). Gilmer had the fifth-fastest regional time (1:27.29), the team of Webb, Christopher Pinkney, Mykah Easley, Trillyon Butler, and Solomon Jackson. The fastest time at a regional: that would be Johnson High School of Austin (1:26.34).
Girls 200 meter dash (7:55 p.m. Thursday): Another event with a Gilmer runner: it’s Alondria Nelson, who clocked in at 25.16 seconds at regionals. Brownwood’s Kaya Phillips had the fastest qualifying time (24.32 seconds).
Girls 1,600 meter (mile) relay (8:45 p.m. Thursday): Guess which team qualified here? If your answer is Gilmer, you’d be right: Addleigh France, Jimmerson, Johnae Newsome, Applegate and Acy, who had a time of 3 minutes, 55.97 seconds at regionals. Canyon’s team qualified with the best time (3 minutes, 50.78 seconds).
Boys discus throw (3 p.m. Thursday): No question who owned this event, not only at his own regional, but all of them. Gilmer’s Lucas Cano comes into the state meet with the best distance by far in 4A in this event: 194 feet, 9 inches at regionals.
Boys shot put (10:30 a.m. Thursday): Cano owned this event at regionals, as well, with a best of 63 feet, 2 inches, and had the best throw of anyone at any regional in the state. Kilgore’s Cameron “Cam” Christian is competing in this event, as well, and had a best of 50 feet, 7 inches at regionals.
CLASS 3A – THURSDAY (Gladewater, Sabine, Tatum, Troup, and White Oak)
Girls 3200 meter run (9 a.m. Thursday): West Rusk’s Adelaide Murphy starts it off for the 3A athletes, after finishing second at regionals in a time of 11 minutes, 44.09 seconds.
Girls 400 meter relay (5 p.m. Thursday): Gladewater’s team of Adyson Evans, Paytin Thompson, Ki’zyah Miles, Peyton Hunter and Hydie Collins had a time of 48.29 seconds at regionals – that was the second-fastest qualifying time. Only Fairfield’s team, with a time of 48.27, was faster, barely faster.
Girls 800 meter relay (6:40 p.m. Thursday): Evans, Thompson, Miles, Hunter and Collins will compete here, too. They had the third-fastest time at regionals (1:42.02), as Holliday’s team comes in with the fastest (1:41.75).
Boys 800 meter relay (6:40 p.m. Thursday): How about the Troup Tigers? They’re in this event, with a time of 1:28.16, fifth-best among qualifiers. Headed to Austin for Troup in the 800 will be Brett Wells, Caden Claburn, Bryce Wallum, Da’Carryon Hollie, Noble Kendrick, James Pierce, Landon Powell and Keenan Foster.
Girls 400 meter dash (7 p.m. Thursday): Sabine’s Sarah Roberts is back, coming into her event at state with the second-best time among qualifiers (56.18 seconds), and only Lexington’s Kamree Wolridge was faster (54.84).
Girls 200 meter dash (7:55 p.m. Thursday): Paytin Thompson of Gladewater’s Lady Bears will compete in this one, having finished in 25.10 seconds at regionals. The fastest time among qualifiers was by Taylor Nunez, of Universal City Randolph (24.26 seconds).
Girls 1,600 meter (mile) run (8:15 p.m. Thursday): West Rusk’s Adelaide Murphy returns to the track for this one. She was second at this event at regionals, as well, in 5:15.20. Sophia Bendet of UC-Randolph has the fastest qualifying time (4:59.91).
Boys 1,600 meter (mile) relay (8:45 p.m. Thursday): Time for the Roughnecks to get involved, and it’ll be a combination of Tyson McKinney, Anthony Soto, Angel Mejia, Jaxsen Ludlow, Logan Ladwig, Trevor Sizemore, Cal Jester and Branton Wood running this one. They ran the event at regionals in 3:22.89. That’s the seventh-fastest qualifying time in this event. Wall has the fastest qualifying time (3:19.12).
Boys discus throw (11 a.m. Thursday): And here’s Sabine’s Sam Black, returning to Austin – his goal, to be a two-time medalist by the end of the night on Thursday. Sam had a best of 171 feet, 1 inch at regionals, the second-best qualifying distance. Also in the 3A boys discus throw: Troup’s A.J. Dewberry, with a qualifying throw of 163 feet, 2 inches. East Bernard’s Ty Domel had the best throw at 3A’s regionals (175 feet, 10 inches).
Boys high jump (11:30 a.m. Thursday): A pair of Tatum athletes have a chance at bringing home state gold again for the Eagles after both played big roles on Tatum’s boys state championship team. The first: Cayden Tatum, who will compete for the Eagles in the high jump. He had a best of 6 feet, 8 inches at regionals. A host of the state qualifiers are tied at 6-8.
Girls long jump (9 a.m. Thursday): Peyton Hunter of Gladewater checks out of the relay team for a bit to compete here. She had a best of 18 feet, 1 ½ inches at regionals; the best distance among state qualifiers is by Nunez of UC-Randolph again, at 21 feet, even.
Girls shot put (12:30 p.m. Thursday): West Rusk’s Gabby Coleman went for 38 feet, 7 ¾ inches at regionals, and has the seventh-best distance among state qualifiers.
Boys pole vault (9 a.m. Thursday): Kyler Priest and Trevor Sizemore, both of White Oak, are in the mix here. Idalou’s Nicholas Estrada went 15 feet, 9 inches high at regionals for the best qualifying height; Priest’s 15 feet, 6 inches was second, and Sizemore’s 14 feet, 6 inches was fourth.
Boys shot put (2 p.m. Thursday): Sabine’s Black will go for the gold in this one, too. Black comes in as the favorite, having thrown for 59 feet, 9 ¾ inches at regionals.
Boys triple jump (1 p.m. Thursday): Only Commerce’s Malik Garcia (49 feet, 4 inches) was better at regionals than Gladewater’s Kingston Sheffield. Sheffield had 48 feet, 11 inches at the regional meet.
Boys high jump (11:30 a.m. Friday): Overton’s Christian Hall will try and take care of business, coming in with a best qualifying height of 6 feet, 6 inches.