STATE TRACK QUALIFYING UPDATES | ETBlitz state qualifiers updated throughout the day
Several high school student track & field athletes from around the ETBlitz.com area are competing at University Interscholastic League (UIL) regional meets today at Bullard (Class 4A, athletes from Kilgore and Henderson), at Whitehouse (Class 3A, athletes from Arp, Gladewater, Sabine, Tatum, Troup, West Rusk, and White Oak), and Palestine (Class 2A, athletes from Overton). The goal: finish in the top two in their respective events and reach the UIL State Track & Field Championships at the University of Texas in Austin on May 2-4. We’ll be updating results from regionals and the state qualifiers throughout the day.
SAM BLACK, Sabine, has qualified for the state meet in the 3A boys discus at regionals in Whitehouse! Black had a best of 161 feet, winning the discus on Friday. Sam is headed to the state meet, and in his case, he’s headed back to state; Sam went last year. Congratulations, Sam!
KASON REED, West Rusk, finished fourth in discus at the 3A regionals, same meet as Black, in Whitehouse. To qualify for state, it takes a top-two finish in each event.
BRAYDON NELSON, Kilgore, has qualified for the state meet in the 4A boys discus at regionals in Bullard! Nelson won the discus at regionals in Bullard, no surprise, and is headed to the state meet. He was just at the University of Texas a few weeks ago for the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, where he finished second in the state in that discus competition. Since then, he won district in discus, and at area, and now regionals.
We’ll have complete results when they’re released, of course, including how Nelson actually did, but getting these results in on the fly, some of them from coaches, some of them from the schools, some of them from the websites who actually cover the meets. By the way, Kilgore coach T.J. Gillen-Hall said the Bulldogs’ athletes are finished for the first day of the meet; rain and storms are forecasted for Saturday, so it is unknown at this writing (Friday, at 1 p.m.) if the meet will be able to resume on Saturday, or if other arrangements will have to be made.
CHRISTIAN HALL, Overton, finished sixth in the high jump at the UIL Class 2A, Region III meet at Palestine. Christian had a good season, a great season, getting all the way to regionals. Congratulations, Christian!
JAYDEN EDWARDS, Overton, finished ninth in the long jump at the meet at Palestine. Edwards still has to run in the 200 meter dash later tonight.
Track in Whitehouse is beginning running event preliminaries. And everyone will have to have a plan for Saturday, according to KLTV (Weather (kltv.com)). The 2A meet in Palestine already consolidated the meet to today only.
As of now (7:52 p.m.,), Kilgore still has not been given word that the meet in Bullard has been postponed.
When we have more results, or any kind of concrete plan for Saturday at Bullard or Whitehouse, we’ll let you guys know.