TRACK REGIONAL UPDATE | Overton’s Hall, Gilmer’s Cano to state! (UPDATE 1)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our first update of the day from the UIL-organized track and field regionals, the meets serving as state meet qualifiers, going on this weekend involving all 12 programs in the ETBlitz.com coverage area (in alphabetical order: Arp, Gilmer, Gladewater, Henderson, Kilgore, Leverett’s Chapel, Overton, Sabine, Tatum, Troup, West Rusk, and White Oak). We’ll be back as many times as necessary, or until the meets are no longer updating results, on Saturday.
The competitors for the UIL’s state track meet are being set this weekend – as we speak, actually.
Gilmer’s Lucas Cano and Overton’s Christian Hall have punched their tickets.
The meets are ongoing, but Cano, in the 4A boys discus, and Hall, in the 2A boys high jump, will be among those competing in the University Interscholastic League’s State Track & Field Championships at Mike A Myers Stadium on May 1, 2 & 3 at the University of Texas in Austin.
Regional track and field meets are still happening today at Texas A&M-Commerce (for athletes in 4A, Region II, from Kilgore, Gilmer and Henderson), at Whitehouse High School (for athletes in 3A, Region II, including Arp, West Rusk, Troup, White Oak, Gladewater, Tatum and Sabine), at Waco Midway (a 1A regional meet that includes Leverett’s Chapel) and a 2A, Region III meet in Palestine (including athletes from Overton).
All of these meets are setting the field the state meet, and ETBlitz.com will be back with results, updating how all of the local track athletes did. Here’s what we have so far, the results that were completed up until 9 a.m. Saturday morning. Meets were to resume this morning, and we’ll be updating later.
The top two athletes in each event qualify for the state meet.
Congratulations to Cano and Hall!
CLASS 4A
Girls
3200 meter (two-mile) run: Henderson’s Gisele Alejandro finished third, in 12 minutes, 11.47 seconds, behind Lindale’s Abigail Kelley (11:38.76) and Tatum Cross of Celina (11:50.93). Gilmer’s Alondra Dominguez was sixth (12:24.64).
Long jump: Tasiyah Lewis of Gilmer finished sixth, with a best of 17 feet, 8 inches. The winner: Ferris’ Arieanna Jefferson (20 feet, 6 inches).
Discus: Kilgore’s Kassidy Oliver came in fifth, with a personal-best of 113 feet, 10 inches. Canton’s Allison Rickman had the best throw of the day: 136 feet, 1 inch, almost 13 feet better than second-place finisher Meagan Davis of Waxahachie Life.
Boys
Pole vault: Henderson’s Ty White finished fifth, with a best of 14 feet, even. The winner of the event, Ty Bybee of Sulphur Springs, had a best of 16 feet – second-best was Canton’s Hutson Davis (14 feet, 6 inches).
Blaine Blasser of West set the 4A record in the event, at 17 feet, back in 2008.
Discus: Hey, it’s Lucas Cano of Gilmer, in a blowout, and with a personal-best 194 feet, 9 inches! That was over 13 feet better than second-place McCager Smith of Athens, a state finalist with Cano last year. And they’ll compete again in Austin this year, with Smith’s second-place finish.
The discus event at Texas A&M-Commerce had an honor: USA discus Olympian Joe Brown, the A&M-Commerce standout who won the NCAA Division II national title in the event back in 2019, was on hand Friday. Brown, from Mansfield, was a U.S. Olympian in Paris, and most represented the U.S. in the Pan-Am Games most recently, in Santiago, Chile.
By the way, the 4A record for discus goes all the way back to 1992, a distance of 204 feet, 2 inches by Matt Lepis of Frisco.
CLASS 2A
Girls
Triple jump: Kaylee Stevens was 13th for Overton with a best of 31 feet, even. The top two, and headed to state in the event, were winner Jamiah Birmingham of Linden-Kildare, who won it with a best of 37 feet, 5.25 inches, and Anyya Mitchell of Lovelady, who was second with a best of 36 feet, 5.25 inches.
Boys
High jump: As mentioned, Christian Hall is headed to state to represent the Mustangs! Hall was second on Friday with a best of 6 feet, 6 inches in the high jump. Only one competitor, Latexo’s Michael Woodard, had a better jump, and by one inch (6-7).
3200 meter (two-mile) run: Vincent “Vini” Herron was fifth for Overton in a time of 10 minutes, 50.11 seconds, just edging Harleton’s Braedon Glennen Lovvorn (10:50.43). The winning time was by Corrigan-Camden’s Andres Landaverde, in 10:20.89. Centerville’s Caddel Keeling was second (10:20.89), a photo finish, literally. When they replayed it, Landaverde clocked in at 10:20.884 – Keeling came in at 10:20.887!
Long jump: Jayden Edwards finished 11th (20 feet, 5 ¾ inches); Axtell’s Troy Arlitt won it with a best of 22 feet, 11 inches, and Cooper Bragg of Joaquin was second, just an inch behind.
Shot put: Mustang Elijah Dorsey was eighth with a best throw of 45 feet, 11.50 inches. Nobody was beating Big Sandy’s Brennon Ference on Friday, though: Ference had a best of 52 feet, 11.50 inches, and Marlin’s Brysen Maxwell-Steele also qualified for state with a best of 50 feet, 7.50 inches. Ference won the event on his last throw.