Texas Relays - High School Events Preview

Texas Relays
MileSplit Staff

Preview of the Thursday & Friday's high school event finals from the Texas Relays. Saturday's finals events (which includes events with prelims on Friday afternoon/evening) will be posted at the latest Friday morning.

HS Events @ Texas Relays Preview: Thursday Finals - Friday Finals - Saturday Finals (to be posted by Friday AM)

MileSplit US will be on-site all 3 days of high school competition at Texas Relays with photos, meet updates on MileSplit & twitter, and video interviews with event champions.

 

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Thursday's Finals

Girls 2K Steeplechase - Emily Voss, a junior at Katy High School, and Jesssica Ellis, a senior at Austin Westlake, are two of the top entrants in the field based off their track times in other events. Ellis has run under 5:20 in the 1600, while Voss has one of the faster 3200 times in the field at 11:31 and has run a 19:13 5K and 11:13 in prior cross country seasons.

New Braunfels senior Gabby Thompson has experience running the 2K steeplechase as she won the Disney Showcase steeple two weeks ago in 7:22 and has run a 11:41 3200 this past month. Ashley Koett of The Woodlands usually only runs 300 meters with barriers to leap over as a 45 second 300 meter hurdler, but has shown enough range to run a 2:22 800 and made a 7:51 2K steeple debut last weekend.

 

Boys 2K Steeplechase - 4:25 miler Kendall Joiner of Lucas Lovejoy is the top returnee from last year's 2K steeple when he posted a time of 6:39 for 9th place. Joiner comes into the race fit after running 9:45 for 3200 meters earlier this month at a Dallas Skyline meet. Arkansas distance runner Chris Sandoval of Har-Ber High School has steeple experience after running a 6:38 in the 2K steeplechase last spring at the Kansas Relays.

Christian Kerr of Long Beach Poly in California could fair well in his steeple debut as he recently ran under 10 minutes for 3200 as well as Houston Strake Jesuit senior Matthew Solcher following a 9:51 3200 PR at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays last Saturday. Cedar Park's Logan Thomas should improve significantly from his last 2K steeple of 6:54 last spring after running under 16 minutes for 5K in the cross country season.

 

Friday's Finals

Girls Discus - The girls discus will include four of the US top 10 ranked currently in the event including several returning 150 plus foot throwers led by US #5 ranked Jeia Gilliam of Fort Bend Hightower (TX). Gilliam has a season best of 155'6" and finished 4th in last year's Texas Relays. Dickinson senior Lauryn Caldwell is the top returnee from the 2013 Texas Relays and sits currently in a US #6 ranking with a season best throw of 154'6". Haley Teel of Gregory Portland and Yesenia Ruiz of Brownsville Pace both finished top 6 in last year's meet and have season best times hovering around the 150 foot range. Gilliam and Caldwell competed just recently head-to-head in the Texas Southern Relays with a split decision in Gilliam having the better day in the discus, while Caldwell had the best mark in the shot.

Boys High Jump - Natron Gipson of Arlington Bowie (TX) is back to defend his Texas Relays title after clearing a height of 6'10.25" last March at Myers Stadium. Back to contest him are Buffalo's Tyler Adams (TX) and Houston Eisenhower's Robert Stevenson (TX), who both cleared 6'8" and were in the competition late in the 2013 Texas Relays with Gipson. Gipson has cleared a season best of 6'8" so far this outdoor season and will need to be sharp on Friday going against two higher ranked competitors in US #3 Blaine Lisatch of Waco Meyer (TX) and US #5 Shonderius Howard of Lampass (TX). The junior Lisatch opened his outdoor season with his first 7'0" clearance and last week went 6'10" in another meet. Howard, a Texas 3A state high jump runner-up in 2013, has done no worse than 6'9" in any meet this outdoor season with a 6'11" spring best at the Burnet Bulldog Relays last month.

 

Girls High Jump - Last year's Texas state leader in Makenzie Smajstrla of Manvel and this year's state leader Latryia Jefferson of DeSoto lead a deep field of girls in the high jump at the Texas Relays with a traffic jam of 5'8" high jumpers that on any given day including this Friday could win the event. Smajstrla won the Texas 5A state title last spring and has 5'10" personal best, but so far has only cleared 5'6" this season. Jefferson placed third in last year's 5A girls high jump behind Smajstrla, but is coming off a PR US #5 clearance of 5'9" last Saturday at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays in Dallas. Placing well in last year's Texas Relays and returning are Schertz Clemens senior Courtney Johnson and Arlington Bowie senior Diaja Sheppard, who all were in a 5 way tie for second place at 5'6.50" with Jefferson and two other graduated seniors. Adding to the list of potential winners is two other athletes who have achieved a height of 5'8" this spring from Texas in Taylor Martinez of San Antonio Churchill and Ellyana Long of The Woodlands.

 

Girls 1600 - The DMR later in the evening takes away many of the state's distance runners from running individuall in the 1600 on Friday evening. Nonetheless, a sub 5 winner and several others under the time is very much within the realm of possibilities. New Braunfels (TX) senior Morgan Szekeley is the top returnee from last year's race when she came in 4th place with a time of 5:02.02. Szekely currently has the 3rd fastest time in the state of Texas and #15 in the US with her 4:56.30 performance from the Boerne Twilight Mile on March 13th.

Rebecca Jacobson, a junior at Flower Mound, has the next best time this outdoor season among the Texas girls at 5:00.79 (TX #10). Forney sophomore Caylon McMillan nearly broke 5 minutes for 1600 last spring and will have one of her best opportunities to challenge the barrier again on Friday afternoon. Alison Ringle of Parkway is one of the top distance runners from the state of Louisiana and last week had a breakthrough race and PR with a 5:07 runner-up finish in the 1600 at the Sugar Bowl Classic. Wyle East (TX) senior Sarah Scott has one of the best recent times in the field with her 5:03 third place finish last Saturday at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays and last year's Texas Relays ran her personal best of 5:02. Evelyn Chavez of Porter has been one of the most consistent performers in the field in that 5:00's range going back to last spring, while opening her 2014 outdoor season with a 5:03 victory at The Woodlands Invite over a month ago. 

 

Boys 1600 - A fifth place finish of 4:16.15 in last year's Texas Relays 1600 makes Robert Ammons of Houston Strake Jesuit (TX) the top returnee with the next best being Boerne Champion (TX) junior Andrew Tankersley (9th, 4:20). Could be a rematch from last week's Jesuit-Sheaner Relays between Zach Kirkland of Justin Northwest and Ammons. The state's top 5 times were produced in that race with Kirkland in 3rd at 4:14.91 and Ammons in 5th at 4:16.17. Also lurking in the field for Ammons is a regional foe in Ian Cazares, who is the 4th fastest returning miler in Texas after posting a 4:15.62 performance in the 1600 last spring at the Region3A-5A Meet behind Ammons.

Pay special attention to Eric Coston of St. Pauls School in Covington, Louisiana. Coston probably will not win the race, but he could potentially challenge for a 1600 time of 4:20 or faster which would be remarkable for a ninth grader. Coston won the freshmen mile at New Balance Nationals Indoor earlier this month and last week ran a big 1600 PR of 4:22 at the Sugar Bowl Classic. 

Making the long trip from Illinois, Danville's Johnny Leverenz is escaping indoor back home to raise against the best in Texas. Leverenz last week put together a sensational double at the Gene Armer Invite with a 4:17 1600 and 9:16 3200. An Illinois 2A state cross country this fall, Leverenz appears to be in great position to drop a 1600 PR and possibly major victory at the Texas Relays. Another out-of-state who could steal the win is Arkansas state champion miler Brendan Taylor of Little Rock Catholic. Taylor ran 9:12 last spring for 3200 in the Arkansas Meet of Champions, but also ran under 4:20 for the first time to win the Arkansas 1600 state indoor title back in February.

 

Girls SMR - The Woodlands (TX) girls are back to defend their title from a year ago when they ran an impressive time under 4 minutes with a 3:58.64 performance, which ended up standing as the US #2 time for the entire 2013 outdoor season. Two of their four legs have graduated. The St. Thomas Aquinas girls from Fort Lauderdale, Florida have some of the nation's best times this year in several relay races and may look to add the SMR as well for their focus on Friday. Two of the nation's top 3 fastest currently are also in the race between US #2 Wylie East (4:08.80) and US #3 Round Rock McNeil (4:09.80). The Desoto girls (TX) always seem to perform well in this event and were 3rd in last year's race with a US top 10 performance of 4:03.02. 

 

Boys SMR - The Galena Park North Shore boys graduated only 1 of their 4 legs from last year's 3rd place squad in the Texas Relays SMR (3:32.04). Shelton figures to anchor for them with a 1:53 best in the open 800 from last spring. Katy Morton Ranch boys are ranked US #4 in the event this spring and looking to run closer to 3:30 with a month to improve upon their 3:34.44 performance at the Sam Mosely Relays. Dallas Jesuit will have one of the faster anchor legs in the field with Andrew Pott, who recently popped a 1:55 in the open 800 last weekend.

 

Girls DMR - The Southlake Carroll girls dominated last year's DMR at the Texas Relays winning by a 15 second margin of victory. Two of the four legs are graduated as their 1200 leg from 2013 in sophomore Antigone Archer will likely now go on the back end of their relay as the 1600 meter anchor. Archer is capable of splitting under 5 for the anchor as shown with a 4:58.99 performance last Saturday. 

The New Braunfels girls should be worthy competition for the defending champs as last month in their home relays invitational clocked a US #2 performance of 12:07.50. Running anchor for them should be Paige Hofstad, ranked #2 in the state of Texas with a 4:56.22 season best in the 1600. The Woodlands girls also expect to run in the low 12's and close to 12 minutes flat featuring one of the state's best distance runners in Madi McLellan (4:52 1600 PR) and should be led off well potentially by Kara Zuspan (5:09 1600). Other sub 5 minute legs to likely be running on anchor are Manvel's Julia Hemach and Justin Northwest's Kellee McCann. 

 

Boys DMR - Can the Keller's (TX) first three legs keep their team close enough for 4:11 1600 runner Austen Dalquist the opportunity to chase down other anchors and give his team the win? That might not even be a real question with the likes of Jack McConnell and Derek Gutierrez having already run 1:54 and 1:55 respectively in the open 800 this spring. Their quartet over a month ago on February 22nd at the Mansfield Legacy Meet posted the still US #1 time of 10:18.50.

The Southlake Carroll boys graduated everyone from their 2013 first place DMR at the Texas Relays, which won in a US #1 time for the entire season at 10:03.59. The depth of their program should prove them to be competitive again in 2014 with three guys having run from 4:19 to 4:22 in the 1600 this season between Johnny Kemps (4:19), Eli Canal (4:20), and Connor Hendrickson (4:22). Do not count Southlake Carroll out for a repeat victory.

 

Saturday's Finals

Preview to be posted by Friday morning!