Area athletes leave all on state track
The UIL track season crossed the finish line for the final time in 2026, and multiple athletes from the Ranch Cities left their mark on the big stage.
The Tioga Bulldogs were represented by teams in all three relay events on both the boys’ and girls' sides, with the boys leaving Austin with their second 2A State Championship in as many years.
“This is our standard, and it’s what we do, but at the same time it’s hard to quantify what we’ve accomplished when you’re in the day-to-day of it,” said Beau Burruss, Tioga head boys track coach. “It’s been awesome to see the outpouring on social media, and we could feel and see all the people in Tioga shirts, and even hear them in the stadium, and that helped us absorb everything. … Some people have never been here before, and we may never be here again, but we’ll always look back on this and know how special it was.”
The Bulldogs' 4x100meter relay team—Jaxson Hurst, Greeley McAden, Quesyn Arrington and Justin Arrington—won bronze with a time of 42.61 seconds.
“We didn’t really do as well as we could have, so for our 4x2 we knew we had to lock in,' Justin said.
The Bulldogs—Justin, Noah Vasquez, Quesyn and Jake David—did just that, winning gold with a 2A State record time of 1:27.3.
David, who missed time because of injuries and illness this season, said helping his team win gold was extra special.
“Sports is a big part of my life, so getting back out there one last time [this year] for track, especially at the state championships, meant the world to me,” he said.
The Bulldogs—Vazquez, Kyson Kirkland, Quesyn and Justin—closed out the meet with another gold medal performance in the 4x400-meter relay, recording a time of 3:18.38 and winning the 2A State Championship with a total of 52 points.
Burruss highlighted the performance of Quesyn, who brought the Bulldogs from behind in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays.
“When I saw the other teams in front of me, I didn’t freak out because I knew what I’m capable of,” Quesyn said. “All year long I've been wanting to chase, and I got my chance on the biggest stage of my life, so I knew what I had to do.”
The Lady Bulldogs— Ella Norwood, Kyndall Whitley, Bella Dennis, Timber Johnson and Jillian Rodriguez—finished fifth in the 4x100-meter relay, fourth in the 4x200-meter relay and seventh in the 4x100-meter relay.
“While we may not have been fired up about the end results, I was proud of our performance,” said Rickey Smith, Tioga head girls track coach. “We ran our fastest time this year in the 4x2, and the girls [competed] well. … But the girls deserve to be commended, not just for qualifying all three relays, which is unheard of in itself, but for also being a part of a track program that sent all six to Austin.”
Dennis shared her thoughts on the Lady Bulldogs’ accomplishments this season.
“Sending all three relays to the state meet was special, especially with us getting first in three [races] at regionals, … and having our families behind us truly gave us a boost,” she said.
Norwood said the experience of competing against the best in the state was a good experience for the team, who are all returning next season.
“When we looked around it really hit us that these are the Top 8 teams in Texas for 2A,” she said. “… Everyone has worked hard and sacrificed, and being around those high-level performers makes us want to be at that level, too.”
The Pilot Point Bearcats were represented by their relay team consisting of Michael Marsh, Drevion James, David Pickrel and Hunter Newman.
Pickrel spoke highly of the State meet’s atmosphere.
“It was breathtaking,” he said. “It was one of the best tracks I’ve ever seen, and I’ve never seen a crowd that big, so I would definitely give it a 10 out of 10.”
The quartet finished sixth in the 3A 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:20.92.
James, who ran the second leg of the relay, said he was impressed with the level of competition at the meet.
“Whenever I took off, the guy in the lane inside of me flew by me, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!' but I just said I was going to run my race.”
Newman, who anchored the relay, echoed his teammates' sentiments.
“That was the fastest the 400 has ever felt,” Newman said. “… I kicked at the 175[-meter] mark, and that’s the fastest I’ve ever run in my life. I was doing whatever I could to try and break the school record again.”
Tyler Lawson, Pilot Point head boys track coach, shared his thoughts on the team’s performance.
“The guys that we ran against were really fast, with four of the teams [breaking] the state record [in 3A], but I couldn’t be more pleased with the way our guys performed,” he said. “… They got to experience competing at a level not many kids get to, and they left everything out there on the track. There’s not much more you can ask for.”
Marsh shared the group’s appreciation for the coaches that helped them this season.
“I want to thank Coach Lawson, Coach [Reed] Eichenberger and Coach [Grady] McCrae for pushing us through practice,” he said. “Without them telling us to come on or go or saying something, I probably would have jogged a lot of the reps I ran at practice, and without them being there I don’t know if we would have had as successful of a season as we did.”
The Aubrey Chaparrals were represented by senior long-distance runner Abby Turner, who finished ninth in the 4A 3200-meter run with a time of 12:03.21.
Turner spoke highly of the atmosphere at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.
“It was such a cool experience, and I’ve never [experienced] anything like it,” she said. “... I'm proud of my effort, even if it wasn’t my best race of the season.”
Turner also made sure to share her appreciation for everyone that followed her this season.
“Big thanks to my parents; they’ve always been so supportive,” she said. “Even when I was doing running club in elementary school, they wanted me to run because they knew I loved it so much, and thanks to my teammates, too. Some of them came and watched me [run] at State, and it was really nice to see and hear them cheering.”
Kristin Giddens, Aubrey head girls track coach, spoke highly of Turner’s impact on the future of the Lady Chaps running programs.
“She set the bar high, so I’m excited for our future,” she said. “… Sometimes the distance [runners] are separate from the sprinters, but they were her No. 1 fans this year, and that unity within the team is cool to see. We have a lot of youth and built a lot of enthusiasm this year, and [Abby] was huge part of that.”
