Bushland, Canadian girls, Muleshoe boys, highlight Region I-3A track and field meet

Having to wait 48 hours as one of the last regions in the state to finish after rainy weather postponed Saturday’s action didn’t slow down Texas Panhandle athletes during the running finals of the Region I-3A track and field meet at Elmer Gray Stadium on the campus of Abilene Christian University on Monday.

With nicer weather, Amarillo-area Class 3A schools posted incredible times punching a ticket to the UIL state meet in just 10 days.

The Canadian girls and Bushland girls each had outstanding afternoons. The Canadian Lady Cats finished second overall as a team tallying 60.5 points. Holliday was the Region I-3A champion with 77 points.

The Lady Cats 400 and 800-meter relay teams both found the medal stand earning a spot in Austin.

To open Monday, the Canadian sprint relay squad of Elizabeth Guerrero, Samantha Krehbiel, Jacy Long and Sharlene Cervantes sped to a season-best time of 48.53 for the gold medal holding off Bushland’s 48.86, which finished with a silver.

In the 800-meter relay, it was the Lady Falcons team of Sloane Hale, Ashby Graham, Kenley King and Leah Ruthardt repaying the favor thanks to a gold medal time of 1:43.44 to edge Canadian’s 1:43.93.

Individually, Canadian and Bushland added to the state meet.

In what was arguably the day’s best race, Krehbiel blazed to a school-record 11.83 to finish third in the 100-meter dash but did earn the wild card spot to Austin.

On Friday during the 3200-meter race, teammate Konnar McClendon advanced via the wildcard with a bronze medal running to a new school-record time of 11:12.96.

Leah Ruthardt joins Krehbiel qualifying in three events of her own. Not only was Lady Falcon speedster a part of the 400-meter and 800-meter relay teams, but she also punched her ticket to Mike A. Myers stadium with a silver medal in the 200-meter dash clocking a personal-best 24.84.

As good as Krehbiel and Ruthardt were, the MVP of Monday belonged to Shallowater’s prolific sprinter Makki Hart.

The Oklahoma State signee left ACU with three gold medals adding to her career prestige. Hart set a new school-record in the 100-meter dash thanks to a 11.77, broke the regional meet record in the 400-meter with an incredible 54.81 and ended her day as part of the 1600-meter relay team that set a new regional record as well with a 3:55.19.

Hart is headed to Austin as a 12-time state qualifier and an eight-time regional champion.

Other Texas Panhandle state qualifiers saw Taylor Wiseman of Childress win the discus event with a toss of 147-3. Wiseman is the defending UIL Class 3A state discus champion.

Friona’s Yvonne Legarreta is headed back to state by earning silver in the 3200-meter run with a 11:11.32. Spearman’s Braylen Lusby goes back to Austin after getting a silver medal with a new school-record time of 2:18.09 in the 800-meter run and Dalhart’s Reese Jenkins took silver in the pole vault clearing 10-feet-6 inches.

In boys’ action, it was banner days for Muleshoe and Bushland.

The Mules showed up and showed out in the days final race as the foursome of Nathan Martens, Noah Cantu, Mauricio Herrera, and anchor leg Daniel Sianez ran away from Wall to clock a gold medal winning time of 3:19.60 and earn a trip to the state meet.

That was the icing on the cake for the senior Sianez who also qualified in a very fast 400-meter race with a silver medal time of 47.85 just four-tenths of a second behind gold medalist Jackson Aydelott (47.45) of Vernon.

Bushland made a big splash on Monday as well. The Falcons sprint relay team opened the afternoon by getting back to state for a second year in a row. The Falcons squad of Slade Perry, Ty Purcell, Max Rodriguez and Tanner Adams ran a 42.75 to claim a silver medal.

Adams showed his stellar speed later in the meet getting back on the podium in the 200-meter dash with another silver running a 21.83 and has a very good chance at the wildcard in the 100-meter dash after blazing a 10.41 which gave him a bronze.

The other Amarillo-athlete to advance was Canadian’s Preston Neumeier. On Friday, the senior multi-sport athlete popped off a 23-4 3/4 to grab a gold medal in the long jump for a trip to Austin. Neumeier also finished with bronze medals in the triple jump (45-0 3/4) and the 300-meter hurdles (39.19).

The Brock Eagles won the Region I-3A championship with 99 points. Canadian and Muleshoe tied for fifth with 31 points as Bushland was seventh with 30 points.

The UIL Class 3A state track and field meet is set for Thursday, May 2, at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.