Besides the University Interscholastic League (UIL) webpage on the Texas public high school state meet... http://www.utexas.edu/ftp/depts/uil/ath/track/index.html ..., and the coverage by Texas Track & field... http://www.texastrack.com/ ..., there's also the Austin American-Statesman's Saturday morning story on the Friday events... http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/sports_1.html Along the left sidebar, in case you're late getting to the above, is a week's worth of past issues from which you can select Saturday and find the article. Ychlindria Spears of Luling, who last year was T&FN's top-ranked U.S. high school girls' triple jumper, produced a 44-2 1/4 on her sixth attempt for a new national high school record to win the 3A title. Luling is a town of 5,000 or so, SSE of Austin and SE of San Marcos, one county down and one county over, respectively. I should mention that the leap confirmed Garry Hill's contention that everybody could see a lot better if they would remain seated. Or, more accurately, confirmed the opposite of that, that everybody CAN'T see well if they all stand. Spears will be a senior in 2002. She won the long jump in 21-3 1/4. Brendan Christian of Austin Reagan, likewise ranked #1 last year by T&FN, but in the 200, won the 4A title in 20.56 (+1.7 mps). I don't have my program, but the four 2A and 4A 200s all had winds of +1.4 to +1.7 while the last rounds of the the 3A girls' triple jump were going on, so that's probably about the tailwind that Spears had. Somebody will clear this up eventually, no doubt. Christian will be a senior in 2002. Austin Reagan was in the 4x400, though not in contention. I handtimed his anchor in 45.95, but didn't talk to anybody else who was clocking him, for purposes of comparison. The individual 4A 400 title went to Kelly Willie of Houston Sterling, who won by more than a second in 46.13. Christian was not entered. Trey Griffin of Lockhart, the two-time Texas Relays boys' 100 champion who was ailing and only 4th or 5th at last year's state meet, won the 4A 100 title in 10.31. I didn't get the wind reading. It was a close race, with Danieal Manning of Corsicana timed in 10.34 and Willie Hodge of Houston Forest Brook timed in 10.37. I think Griffin was probably still 3rd, albeit obviously closing, at 80 meters. Alesha Stegmoller of Priddy, after breaking the 1A state meet record, cleared 5-10 on her first try at the next height, and then had the bar raised all the way to 5-10 1/4(!!), where she was unsuccessful (so she must have known her limits!!). I'm unaware when she graduates, but she looked very good (even when she missed), particularly for a small-school star. Matt McKinney of Refugio, ranked #5 last year by T&FN in the shot put, had a series of 65-0 3/4, 64-10, 64-11, 63-6, 63-5, foul. In the discus, he threw 174-10 yet only finished 2nd, despite the fact that he's in 2A. The winner was Richard Varnon of Spearman at 177-7. I dawdled around too long leaving work yesterday, and consequently arrived just after Houston Forest Brook in 4A ran 39.95 in the 4x400. Three years ago, because it was in Lubbock, I missed Fort Worth Wyatt's first ever sub-40 in the region 4A meet, then missed Wyatt's followup sub-40 when I stayed away from the state meet because of the smoke from Mexico. So I'm now a crummy 0 for 3, and it's entirely my own fault. Leonel Manzano of Marble Falls closed in about 2:02 to win the 4A 1600 in 4:18.55 in what started out as a very slow race. Earlier in the day, he won the 3200 in 9:18.97. Neither of these are spectacular times, except that Manzano is a freshman. Little short guy. Jerrika Chapple, now a Lancaster sophomore, won the 4A 400 in 53.63. She came out with a bandage and was slower than last year. But then she anchored the 4x400 in 52.0 (handtiming from Art Morgan, from Las Cruces) to come from way behind on the final lap and carry Lancaster to the 4A team state title. Ranysha LeBlanc of Port Arthur Austin won a 4A hurdles double, 13.84 and 42.26. Timothy Bissell of Junction was a very fluid and efficient 37.17 in the 2A 300 hurdles. Really smooth, and faster than the 4A winner. But the top 5A guys tonight will likely be a second or more faster. Michelle Carter, daughter of former Olympic silver medalist Michael Carter, won the 4A shot. The Cisco girls' fans set what I believe to be a new state meet decibel- level record, cheering for their team. It worked. Cisco won the 2A team title. Weather was perfect, very unusual for a UIL meet. There were very brief showers about 1 p.m. today, and they may return, but right now at 2 p.m. it's partly cloudy. Tonight's carryover TF&N #1 from last year is Jonathan Johnson of Abilene in the 5A boys' 800. His regional time was 1:50 and change. On the girls' side of 5A, Mindy Sullivan of Lubbock Coronado (formerly out of El Paso, I understand) had a 2:10+ at the same West Texas regional. Chris Kuykendall Austin, Texas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
