Here are the girls area track bests through April 14 (top 15 in each event):
Category: Track & field
FEATURE: Stamford’s Brady, relays hitting their stride
As soon as Stamford’s football season came to an end, Jared Brady wanted to know when track season started.
The senior Bulldog loves track more than any sport. He’s a returning state qualifier who runs the 100 and both sprint relays. And he’s looking forward to ending his high school track career with another trip to Austin.
“This year I’ve put in blood, sweat and tears to making it this far, and I’m not done yet,” Brady said. “Medaling in Austin would mean that I’ve proven to everyone that I am a winner and that I can push beyond my limits.”
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Jones takes five district titles and our Player of the Week
While we normally try to share the love in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, five district titles in one week isn’t easy to sidestep.
And while Wall’s Briggs Jones has already pulled down our award once this year, he earned a second with his showing at the District 6-3A meet in Clyde last week by sweeping the long jump (23-2), the triple jump (44-10.75), the 200 meters (21.92), the 100 meters (10.72) and assisting the 800 relay team to gold with a 1:29.68 split.
FEATURE: Tutter, Brock seniors hitting their stride
Brett Tutter is conflicted when it comes to these last few weeks of track season.
The Brock senior is excited about the possibility of getting back to state for the third time.
But he readily admits to being bummed that his days competing as an Eagle with his buddies are almost over.
Tutter and the Eagles are coming off a strong showing at last week’s District 8-3A Meet in Dublin. Not only did Tutter win the 100 with a season-best time of 10.71 seconds, but he also anchored both sprint relays to gold.
DISTRICT 4-5A TRACK MEET: AHS boys narrowly miss team title as local athletes combine to claim 48 medals
Entering the mile relay just two points down to Lubbock Cooper in the team race, the Abilene High boys track team gave itself a chance to claim team gold at the District 4-5A meet Thursday at the Shotwell Annex.
But after taking three of the top four spots in the 1,600 meters to put themselves in that position, the Eagles finished second to the Pirates in the final race of the evening to close the two-day meet with 172 points — six short of a district championship.
That 1-2 finish between LCHS and Abilene High mirrored the finish in the girls team race, which saw the Lady Pirates earn 141 points to top the second-place Lady Eagles by 29 points and the third-place Cooper Lady Cougars by 37.
The team medals, which also included a bronze for the Wylie boys (73 points) capped a successful district meet for Abilene’s three largest high schools, which combined to earn 48 medals (24 girls, 24 boys) and claim 68 spots at the Districts 3/4-5A area meet next week at Lowrey Field in Lubbock.
PHOTO GALLERY: District 4-5A Track Meet Day 1 (150 images)
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FEATURE: Goldthwaite’s Jernigan ready to defend state hurdles titles
Photos provided by April Wetzig
GOLDTHWAITE — Lainey Jernigan is excited to begin the next chapter of her life as a member of Angelo State’s track team.
But before Jernigan moves on, the Goldthwaite senior still has her sights set on defending her two Class 2A state titles in the hurdles.
“Going out as a double state champion would mean the world to me,” Jernigan said. “It would represent all of my years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice in this sport. It would also mean so much to my teammates, coaches, family and supporters who have been with me every step of the way.”
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hermleigh senior takes this week’s accolade
Sometimes the mercy rule and cheat a player a bit, limiting their number of plate appearances or the number of innings they can pitch.
But in District 15-1A, there is an added mercy rule, beyond the standard 10-run lead after five innings. There, a 15-run lead after three frames is enough to end a game early, which left our Big Country Preps Player of the Week (Hermleigh’s Summer Smith) short of what may have been a staggering set of numbers.
FEATURE: May’s Amanda Harrell begins her battle for state meet return
Amanda Harrell’s senior season of track has only just begun.
But the May senior fully expects it to last until May 4. That’s the date of the Class 1A UIL state meet in Austin.
Harrell left state last year with a second-place finish in the discus, but she’s hoping for a gold this time around in what would be her third trip to state.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall junior has huge day in San Angelo to capture our award
Wall junior Briggs Jones may be on the verge of a major breakout season in area track and field.
Our Big Country Player of the Week not only won five medals at the coveted Angelo State Spring Break meet, but he broke two solo school records and helped break a third. It seldom gets much better than that.
Aside from setting school marks in the long jump at 23-9.5 (for gold) and the triple jump at 45-2 (for gold), Jones was part of the 800 relay team’s silver medal performance of 1:28.49 — another Wall school mark.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jayton’s Gentry takes this week’s award
Big moments attract big-time players and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, certainly made the most of his opportunity over the weekend.
After scoring nine points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing four assists in a state semifinal win over Fayetteville last Thursday, Jayton sophomore Colt Gentry, saved his best for last in a 60-53 win over Benjamin in the 1A boys state title game on Saturday.
Gentry charted a team-high 19 points to go with six boards, four assists, a steal and a block to help the Jaybirds to the state title and earn state tourney MVP honors in the process.
It was his second straight week of huge performances under pressure, the first of which helped the Jaybirds win the regional tournament.
BIG COUNTRY BOYS TRACK FORECAST: Who are the top boys athletes to watch in 2024?
The Big Country loves its track and field and with dozens of team and individual state championships to its credit, the area has proven itself to be a hotbed.
Soon, we’ll begin the season-long process of seeing who will represent their schools and the entire Big Country area at the state meet in Austin.
For now, let’s have a peek at the top boys talent we have coming back.
Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of this year’s top returnees, along with their personal best times and distances from last year.
Enjoy. We’ll see you at the track.
BIG COUNTRY GIRLS TRACK FORECAST: Who are the top girls athletes to watch in 2024?
The Big Country loves its track and field and with dozens of team and individual state championships to its credit, the area has proven itself to be a hotbed.
Soon, we’ll begin the season-long process of seeing who will represent their schools and the entire Big Country area at the state meet in Austin.
For now, let’s have a look at the top girls talent we have coming back.
Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of this year’s top returnees, along with their personal best times and distances from last year.
Enjoy. We’ll see you at the track.
SIGNING DAY 2024: Multiple area athletes have now inked their commitments
With National Signing Day taking place on Wednesday, the Big Country, as always, saw a large number of athletes finalize their commitments to compete at the next level.
Headliners among this year’s signees include Albany running back Adam HIll and Hawley receiver Chandlin Myers, both of whom signed early with Texas Tech University.
Stephenville offensive lineman Creece Brister (TCU) and Comanche defensive back Kyler Beaty (Baylor) also inked their letters early. They’re joined Brock offensive/defensive lineman Hunter Fay (Navy) and standout hurdler Dylan Foster (Army) as the top signees in the Big Country Preps coverage area.
2023 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Boys field
While the UIL state track meet provides a fun and exciting end to the high school track season every year, giving the best athletes in each part of the state an opportunity to compete against the other top athletes in their classification, we here at Big Country Preps weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the sport.
We now present our annual All-Big Country Preps Dream Track Meet.
As with our All-Big Country Preps teams for other sports, our Dream Meet is our way of honoring some of best athletes the Big Country had to offer this past school year. But our concept for this is just a little bit different.
Instead of being presented as a team, we’re treating this like a meet with an area-wide field in each event. There are no distinctions made for classification, just a collection of the top performers from across the BCP coverage area.
Without further ado, we present our first All-Big Country Preps Dream Meet boys field. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.
2023 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Girls field
While the UIL state track meet provides a fun and exciting end to the high school track season every year, giving the best athletes in each part of the state an opportunity to compete against the other top athletes in their classification, we here at Big Country Preps weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the sport.
After introducing the inaugural All-Big Country Preps Dream Track Meet in 2021, we’ve decided to reprise it this year.
As with our All-Big Country Preps teams for other sports, our Dream Meet is our way of honoring some of best athletes the Big Country had to offer this past school year. But our concept for this is just a little bit different.
Instead of being presented as a team, we’re treating this like a meet with an area-wide field in each event. There are no distinctions made for classification, just a collection of the top performers from across the BCP coverage area.
Without further ado, we present our All-Big Country Preps Dream Meet girls field. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.
Continue reading “2023 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Girls field”
STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Big Country finishes week with Roby claiming Class 1A girls championship
AUSTIN — The rain that hit most of Texas from Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday morning also affected the schedule at Mike A. Meyers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas for the final day of the UIL State Track & Field meet.
A delayed start to the day was met with no breaks between events, which caused a heavy day for area Class 1A participants to become even busier with less time for rest and recovery.
Entering the meet, the Big Country had 23 athletes that had posted qualifying marks that were in the top three of their respective events. Saturday’s action then netted the area 25 medals (2 gold, 15 silver, 8 bronze) and a state team championship for the second consecutive day as Roby claimed the girls title with 47 points.
FEATURE: Gordon hurdlers Reed, Crowe set for state after special regional meet moment
Photo/video contributed by Gordon coach Mike Reed
The picture of Gordon’s Stryker Reed crossing the finish line in the 110-meter hurdles two weeks ago at regionals says it all.
As soon as Reed steps across the white stripe, he turns to his right to celebrate teammate Kaden Crowe also locking up his state berth with a second-place finish.
The two Longhorn freshmen are great friends away from the track and fierce competitors between the lines. Now they’ll get to race together one more time this season Saturday night at the Class 1A track meet in Austin.
STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Stamford girls claim share of Class 2A team title
AUSTIN — After a slow start in the field events on Friday saw the Big Country net just four medals, things heated up in the evening session when the track events got rolling.
Big Country athletes picked up 10 medals under the lights at Mike A. Meyers Stadium at the University of Texas, giving the area 14 for the day.
On top of that, the Stamford girls team finished in a three-way tie with Refugio and Panhandle with 32 points to claim a share of the state championship. Goldthwaite’s girls finished three points back in fourth.
STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Area Class 3A, 4A athletes claim 14 combined medals at state meet
Cover photo courtesy of Stephenville coach Kolt Kittley
AUSTIN —The UIL State Track and Field meet kicked off Thursday with Classes 3A and 4A competing at Mike Meyers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas, and the Big Country had a fairly strong showing.
The closest finish determining who would be on and off the podium came in the Class 3A girls 800 meter run where Ballinger’s Addison Martin ran the race in 2 minutes, 17.522 seconds, edging Holliday freshman Kenli Atwood by a microscopic 0.007 seconds after diving through the finish line in her final event of a storied career.
Martin’s podium finish, where she was just one-tenth of a second off what had been the top qualification mark, was one of 14 medal-worthy performances for area athletes.
FEATURE: Relay races a family affair in Cross Plains
CROSS PLAINS TEAM PHOTO LEFT TO RIGHT: Theron Albrecht, Gray Albrecht, Asher Moses, Noah Moses, Ryan Reed and Ryder Reed.
CROSS PLAINS — While his relay teams were getting their photos taken following the Region II-1A track meet, Cross Plains boys track coach Daniel Purvis noticed an oddity that he had never before realized.
The entirety of his three relay teams consisted of three sets of brothers: Theron and Gray Albrecht, Asher and Noah Moses, along with Ryan and Ryder Reed. Six athletes, all with one sibling to call a teammate and all six qualifying for this week’s state track meet in Austin.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Cameron takes this week’s award
It’s always a great accomplishment to go to the state track meet in multiple events. But when it’s done in dominating fashion at the Class 4A level or above, you’re generally talking about a very special, gifted athlete.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Victoria Cameron of Stephenville, falls directly into that category and she has the regional hardware to prove it.
Taking four gold medals at the Region I-4A meet, Cameron scored 30 individual points while clinching four berths to the state meet.
PHOTO GALLERY: Region I-3A track meet (118 images)
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REGION IV-2A TRACK RECAP: Goldthwaite teams collect nine combined medals, earn seven state berths
KINGSVILLE — The Goldthwaite girls and boys track teams both made successful showings at the Region IV-2A track meet Friday and Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Javelina Stadium, finishing third and sixth in their respective team races.
The Lady Eagles claimed six medals and clinched five berths to the state meet, while the Eagles earned three medals and secured two state bids.
The GHS girls finished 63 points to tie with Shiner for third, 18 points behind team champion Thrall and nine points behind runner-up Refugio. The boys, meanwhile, totaled 37 points to finish three points outside of the top five. Refugio won the boys team title with 88 points, followed by Falls City with 53, Mason with 52, Stockdale with 42 and Shiner with 40.
REGION II-2A TRACK RECAP: Albany, Cisco go 1-2 in boys race; Stamford shares girls title
SPRINGTOWN — Big Country athletes made a big showing at the Region II-2A track meet, collecting a combined 37 medals and clinching 28 state berths over the two-day event at Porcupine Stadium.
Along the way, Albany and Cisco went 1-2 in the boys team race, while Stamford shared the girls team title with Era and Hamilton.
The Albany Lions had the highest point total of any program, boys or girls, collecting five medals on the way to 70 points, while the Cisco boys followed closely behind with 67 points. Stamford finished third in the boys team race with 64 points, while the girls earned 56 points to finish in a three-way tie atop the team standings.
REGION I-2A TRACK RECAP: Coleman’s Smith, C-City’s Raschke headline solid area effort
CANYON — Behind gold medal efforts by Coleman’s Braxton Smith and Colorado City’s Jordan Raschke, the Big Country locked up seven state berths over the weekend at the Region I-2A track meet at West Texas A&M University Track & Field Complex.
Smith won the boys long jump and Raschke the boys 110-meter hurdles to headline a list of 12 area entries to medal at the meet — six on the boys side and six on the girls side.
The Bluecats, who also got a silver medal from Clayton Lackey in the discus and a bronze in the 400 relay, had the top team finish of any Big Country squad, scoring 34 points to finish third behind champion Panhandle (77) and runner-up Plains (47).
REGION I-4A TRACK RECAP: Stephenville’s Cameron, Brister headline strong showing for area athletes
LUBBOCK — Big Country athletes combined to claim 18 medals and clinch 13 automatic berths to the state track meet at the Region I-4A meet over the weekend at Lowrey Field.
The area accounted for 11 gold medals, two silvers and five bronzes as Stephenville and Sweetwater claimed top-five team finishes on the girls side and Stephenville and Brownwood finished in the top 10 in boys competition.
Stephenville’s Victoria Cameron headlined the meet for the Big Country girls contingent, leaving Lubbock with four gold medals, while Stephenville’s Creece Brister won both throwing events on the boys side.
REGION I-5A TRACK RECAP: Wylie thrower Blake earns state trip with silver medal in discus
LUBBOCK — Wylie senior Ryan Blake earned himself a trip to Austin with a silver medal performance in the discus over the weekend at the Region I-5A track meet at Lowrey Field.
The standout thrower highlighted a local effort that saw nine local entries score for their respective schools in the team standings.
REGION I-3A TRACK MEET: Brock, Breck boys go 1-2 again; Big Country girls claim six individual golds
The Brock boys track teams clinched its third consecutive region championship Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium, and for the second year in a row, the Eagles’ stiffest competition came from Breckenridge.
Brock took first at the Region I-3A meet, tallying 70 team points over the two-day competition, while the Buckaroos finished with 55 points, edging third-place Vernon (54) for their second runner-up finish in as many years.
Those performances headlined a successful meet for area competitors, which saw athletes or relay teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area claim 26 total medals — 14 on the boys side and 12 on the girls. That list featured 15 automatic qualifying bids to the state meet May 11-13 in Austin, including 10 total gold medals.
FEATURE: Breckenridge boys track hoping to make another strong showing at region meet
The Breckenridge boys track team is peaking at the right time.
That’s good news for Mark Young’s Buckaroos as they head into the Region I-3A Meet this Friday and Saturday at Abilene Christian University.
Young has a special place in his heart for the mile relay, an event he ran during his college days at ACU. That explains why he was still pumped up a couple days after Breckenridge ran an area-best 3 minutes, 22.79 seconds at last week’s Districts 7/8-3A area meet.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brock sophomore takes this week’s accolade with mercy rule no-hitter
A no-hitter alone is often enough to secure the Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But when it’s backed by a solid offensive performance, it’s very difficult to get knocked off of the perch.
Brock sophomore Jesse Rusinek takes this week’s accolade after holding Eastland hitless in a 15-0 mercy rule win that saw him miss a perfect game by one walk. He fanned 12 in the process.
“He was dealin’ out there,” Brock coach Kobe Page said of the stuff Rusinek had in the Eastland game. “When he’s on, he’s pretty tough … just showing up, battling and moving the ball around the strike zone. He was ‘on.'”
PHOTO GALLERY: Districts 5/6-4A area track meet (104 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Phillips takes yet another Player of the Week award
Clyde’s Payton Phillips is no stranger to our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. She’s no stranger to gold medals either.
And for the third time since last year, the CHS senior has captured our weekly accolade — this time with an armful of hardware.
In her latest performance, Phillips won four separate district championships and took silver in a fifth at the District 6-3A track meet.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Snyder baseballer edges Snyder softballer for top spot
It’s difficult to trump a no-hitter, though Snyder’s Ava Aviles came close last week.
Aviles, who threw back-to-back two-hitters for Snyder softball, is our first runner-up to her classmate, Player of the Week Ty Davis and his first career no-hitter.
Davis earned a 13-2 five-inning win over Levelland last week, holding LHS hitless in the mercy rule win, finishing with five strikeouts.
“Ty has continued to improve on the mound and has given us some excellent innings this season, none bigger than last Tuesday with his no-hit performance,” Snyder coach Shane Stewart said. ” I am proud of him and looking forward to watching him mature as a pitcher and a young man.”
