*Gavin Schurr and Sophie Galloway were a few of the stand out performers from the Lion Relays
Photo Credit: USA Today/MileSplit
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Another week, another big meet in Texas.
Several standout high school athletes from the Lone Star State and beyond laced up their spikes and stepped on to the track -- as well as the runway -- to compete on Saturday at The Lions Relays at Faith Academy in Marble Falls.
After a competitive meet at the Desert Dream Last Hurrah a few weeks ago, Gavin Schurr returned to the track -- located just northwest of Austin in Burnet County -- and focused on the 100m.
And just like in Arizona, the rising senior from Fairview (CO) High School broke the tape in an impressive performance, running a wind-legal 10.70 seconds to win by nearly two tenths of a second.
That was just 14-hundredths off his personal best and his second straight mark under 11 seconds for the 2020 season.
Fast Females: Meanwhile, in the girls 100m, it was another battle. St. Dominic Savio Catholic's Autumn Wilson, running in her fourth 100m in 11 days, broke through with a big effort. She won the 100m with a 11.66. That was about two tenths over second-place, Taejha Badal, who went 11.89w. The duo were the only two athletes who broke 12 seconds in this event.
Solo Half-Mile: In early March, Marble Falls (TX) rising senior Bailey Goggans ran a 1,600m personal best of 4:53.63. On Saturday, however, it was all about being fast. She tested her speed in the 400m and 800m this weekend, hitting season-best times of 2:06.66 seconds and 55.76 seconds in each event, respectively. Her 800m time was just six-hundredths of a second off her personal best from last year at the Music City Distance Carnival -- Saturday's race saw her in a co-ed field featuring males.
Underclassmen Talent: Goggans' competitor and Wilson's teammate, Hali Murphy, won the girls 15-16 division 400m with a time of 55.49 seconds. Murphy has competed in eight 400m races this year and has broken 56 seconds five times. She's showed consistency in her strength throughout this 2020 season.
Jump Squad: Graves County's (KY) Sophie Galloway had a busy weekend of competition, too. She won four of five events that consisted of being on the track and in the field. Galloway won the high jump and triple jump while also setting personal bests. She cleared a final height of 5-6 and leaped to 42-0, the latter mark taking over a new US No. 1 mark for the 2020 season. While also competing in the long jump, she won with a mark of 18-10.5 feet, a US No. 21 mark. She stepped onto the track for the 200m dash, but her stand out performance was in the 100mH, where she won with a time of 14.70 seconds.
Faster Riser: Denzel Hinds, of San Antonio Health Careers (TX) showed improvement in the 400mH over the 2019 season. His fastest time, as a sophomore, a was 56.07 seconds. On Saturday, he ran a personal best at the Lions Relays with a time of 55.12 seconds. Through the abbreviated season, that time sits at US No. 2. Hinds and Tyler Moore were the only athletes who broke 56 seconds in this event on Saturday -- and they're among six athletes who have dipped under 56 over the 2020 campaign.
Don't Forget About Jett: The nation's best returning decathlete found himself in Texas over the weekend. The University of Oregon signee, who took silver in the decathlon at the Pan American U20 Championships in 2019, competed in the pole vault, long jump and high jump events. He won the pole vault with a leap of 15-0. But the Brentwood (TN) graduate leapt to a personal best mark of 23-8 in the long jump. In the high jump, his clearance of 6-4 was good for second place.
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