Rylee Hampton In Pursuit Of Her First Ever Texas State Title

By Olivia Ekpone - MileSplit

"[The season] has been an experience I would say. There have been lots of ups and downs, but just trusting the training has really brought me where I am today. It's really just an honor to know that my hard work is paying off and all the hours of studying film are meaning something."

This is the week that Rylee Hampton has been waiting for all season.

On Saturday at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, Hampton will put her energy into winning her first-ever Texas UIL Class 6A Track and Field State Championship while also looking to drop a new wind-legal personal best. 

It would be the icing on the cake.

This season has, so far, been nothing short of incredible. The Houston Cypress Ridge (TX) High School junior launched off to a wind-legal 13.18 in the 100 meter hurdles earlier this spring at the Texas Relays, which currently ties for U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 13 all-time in high school history. 

It was a bit surprising, considering Hampton's goal this season was to run between 13.40 and 13.50.

Now she has the fastest wind-legal performance in the Lone Star State by nearly six-tenths of a second. 

Last year, as a sophomore, she had her first appearance at the UIL Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished third in the 100mH and fifth in the 300mH in 13.73 and 42.23. 

"[Running 13.18 in the 100mH] put me into a whole new world and just like feeling, 'Oh wow. I really can do this,'" Hampton told MileSplit. "The wind-legal part was just like, 'Wow I can almost do this by myself and that I'm completely capable of it.'"

* Rylee Hampton wins the UIL 5A & 6A Region 3 title in the 100mH

She's continued to trust the process since then. 

"[The season] has been an experience I would say," Hampton said. "There have been lots of ups and downs, but just trusting the training has really brought me where I am today. It's really just an honor to know that my hard work is paying off and all the hours of studying film are meaning something."

Her fastest performance going into the year was 14.43 (-4.4), which she claimed last April to qualify for the 2022 Texas Outdoor state championships.

The difference, Hampton says, has been focusing on the weight room and taking key lessons from her father Rodney Hampton, a former Super Bowl champion for the New York Giants and a two-time Pro-Bowler.

She said he's taught her to believe in herself, work smart and be disciplined. Those three reminders are what Hampton has instilled in herself this season so she can line up in her blocks and put her best foot forward.

But being the best invites competition. As a result, Hampton feels she has a big target on her back going into the state championships. 

The biggest questions for Hampton going into the weekend is whether she can remain undefeated, grab the UIL Outdoor Track Championship 100mH title and lower her best mark of 13.18 this season?

* Rylee Hampton wins the UIL 5A & 6A Region 3 title in the 100mH