State Track and Field Meet Features Several Area Athletes

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

 EAST TEXAS – The 2019 UIL State Track and Field Meet gets underway on Friday, May 10 and runs through Saturday, May 11 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus in Austin.

This year’s meet will be chock full of the best of the best and will feature several athletes from the Houston and Anderson County areas.

Starting in Class 2A, the boys’ 3200m run will feature Slocum’s Justin Neal who qualified for the event with a time of 10:33.61.

The boys’ 4x100m relay will feature the team from Alto who qualified with a time of 42.86, the fastest of all the Class 2A qualifiers. The Yellowjackets 4X200m relay team also qualified for the state finals.

The girls’ 800m run will feature two area runners as Cayuga’s Aerin Thompson qualified with a time of 2:26.62 while Centerville’s Michaela Kmiec qualified with a time of 2:25.11. Thompson also qualified for the 400m dash with a time of 59.65

The girls’ 100m hurdles will see Alto’s BriAnna Green and Leon’s Caitlynn Bargas competing for the gold. Green qualified with a time of 16.24 while Bargas had a time of 16.53.

Alto’s Isaiah Gaddis qualified for the state meet in the boys’ 110m hurdles with a time of 15.35.Gaddis also qualified for the state meet in the 300m hurdles with a time of 41.50.

The boys’ 400m dash will feature Centerville’s Caleb Willis who qualified for the event with a time of 51.35.

The girls’ 300m will feature Alto’s Chesnee Upshaw with a time of 48.16 and Leon’s Caitlynn Bargas with a time of 46.59.

In the girls’ 200m dash, Cayuga’s Stormi Lane qualified for the event with a time of 26.38.

In the boys’ 1600m run, Centerville’s Josh Franklin qualified for the event with a time of 4:49.43.

In the girls’ 4x400m relay, the Leon Lady Cougars qualified for the event with a time of 4:11.26 while the Centerville Tigers boys’ team qualified for the boys’ 4x400m relay with a time of 3:26.72.

Moving to the field events, Alto’s Fed Thacker qualified for the discus with a throw of 160’5”. He also qualified for the shot put with a throw of 56’4”.

In the girls’ high jump, Grapeland’s Teira Jones qualified for the meet with a jump of 5’3”.

In the boys’ high jump, Lovelady’s Tre’Von Hawkins will be featured after he qualified with a jump of 6’5”.

The girls’ long jump will see Grapeland Sandiette Aeriannia Granderson competing after she qualified with a leap of 17’11.5”. Granderson also qualified for the girls’ triple jump with a leap of 36’7.75”.

In the boys’ long jump, Lovelady Lion Tre Hawkins qualified for the event with a leap of 21’8”.

In the girls’ pole vault, Alto’s Aby Bernard qualified with a jump of 9’6”.

In the boys’ triple jump, Lovelady had two athletes make the state finals. Tre Hawkins qualified with a leap of 44’ and Jay Thomas Robinson qualified with a leap of 44’6.25”.

Moving to the Class 3A level, the Crockett Bulldogs 4x100m relay team qualified for the state meet with a time of 42.6. The Bulldogs’ 4x200m relay team also qualified with a time of 1:30.13.

In the boys’ 110m hurdles, Trinity’s Justin Standley qualified with a time of 14.3.

Crockett Bulldog Demarcus Richardson qualified for the state meet with a time of 10.68.

Elkhart Elk Demarkus Ray qualified for the 400m dash with a time of 49.41.

In the boys’ discus, Elkhart’s Ky Thomas qualified for the state meet with a throw of 150’.

In the girls’ high jump, Elkhart’s Madison Crader qualified for the event with a jump of 5’4”.

In the boys’ pole vault, Frankston’s Brink Bizzell qualified for the state meet with a jump of 13’6” while Elkhart’s Andrew Thlang qualified with a jump of 13’9”.

Will Johnson may be reached via e-mail at [email protected].