AUSTIN – Silverton’s Maddie Francis, McLean’s Hailo Moon and White Deer’s Caynden Mynear weren’t the only Texas Panhandle athletes to bring home hardware during the UIL Class 1A state track and field meet Saturday in front of an energetic crowd at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Out of the handful of medal winners was Hope McLain of Kress. Making her third straight appearance at the state meet, McLain was able to find a spot on the podium with a third place finish in the 400-meter race running a 1:00.61.
“This is a blessing,” said, McLain, who is a junior. “It feels like all the hard work that has been put into this season paid off. I knew this was my year to prove myself and running here is my favorite part. This season was a challenge, I’ve had my challenges but I got my spark back at the right time.”
The rest of this story is only for subscribers.
Making his first appearance at Mike A. Myers Stadium, McLean’s Stran Henderson ran a very strong 300-meter hurdle race. The multi-talented Tiger athlete clocked a time of 40.52 to take home a bronze medal.
“I’ve worked very hard for this,” Henderson said. “It takes a lot of effort to get here, and I gave it my all. The goal was to run as hard as I could and empty the tank. I felt like my speed got me through it and I’m lucky to be here. This is a once in a lifetime experience.”
In the girls 300-meter hurdles event, Shamrock’s Addi Jernigan was right behind Silverton’s Maddie Francis tallying a strong time of 47.38 to get the Lady Irish junior a bronze medal.
“This meant a lot to me,” said Jernigan, who is making her second appearance at the state meet. “Being from Shamrock, I’m so proud to get this accomplishment and represent my school. I felt like I ran really well. It was so exciting to be back in front of a crowd like this, and I’m just so happy I was able to get a medal.”
In the 110-meter hurdles, Groom’s Jacob Babcock capped off an outstanding season with a bronze medal. In a very competitive race, Babcock was able to register a time of 15.39 for an invite to the podium.
“This was my first time at state and it was very exciting,” Babcock said. “Getting a medal means everything to me, though I think I could always have ran better, but I’m happy with the outcome.”
CHECK OUT THE RESULTS
For the complete results from the UIL state track and field meet, please visit https://www.milesplit.live/meets/746342/schedule