In a banner year for local track and field, 34 student-athletes from Alba-Golden, Mineola and Quitman schools will be competing at regional track meets this week. 

Leading the qualification for regionals were nine blue-ribbon performances at the Class 3A - 15/16 and Class 2A - 19/20 area meets held last week in Eustace and Madisonville, respectively.

Alba-Golden athletes won five events at area. Wyatt Sutton brought home the 200-meter dash in 22.42 seconds. Layton Williams tossed the shot 45’7.5” to win the event, while Alex Pfingsten vaulted 12’06” to win the pole vault.

Alexis Wilmut took the girls shot put with a toss of 32’6.5”, and Olivia Morrison won the pole vault with a vault of 9’.

The Alba-Golden boys teams finished in overall third place out of 14 teams participating at the area meet. The girls team secured an overall fourth place finish.  

Also qualifying for the regional meet for the Panthers and Lady Panthers were Cameron Lennon (110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles), Kayden Massie (100-meter dash), Wyatt Sutton (long jump, triple jump), Braelyn Massie (long jump), Averi Stevenson (triple jump) and Jayla Sitar (pole vault).

The boys 4x100-meter relay team of Massie, Sutton, Garrett Wright and Cooper Christian and 4x400-meter relay team of Massie, Sutton, Lennon and Wright will compete at regionals as well. All three Lady Panther relay teams will run at regionals. They are Braelyn Massie, Sadie Wright, Landrie Boyd and Stevenson in the 4x100-meter; Stevenson, Lainey Teel, Sitar and Peyton Clark in the 4x200-meter and Stevenson, Teel, Sitar and Campbell Shrum in the 4x400-meter.  

The area 3A meet last week in Eustace saw four blue-ribbon performances from local athletes. Quitman’s Bryson Hobbs captured the long jump title with a leap of 22’4.25”. Lady Jacket Raylie Peebles won the 800-meter run in 2’21.85”.  

In another stellar performance, Mineola’s Tierany Neighbors won the triple jump with a distance of 36’4.5” and the pole vault, clearing 12’. She additionally qualified for regionals in the long jump. 

Additional Mineola athletes qualifying for regionals included Ainsley Steward (high jump), Kipton Neighbors (pole vault), Stephanie Rojas (200-meter dash), Caroline Castleberry (100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles), Mahayla McMahon (high jump), Jaeyla Dennis (triple jump) and Shyli Rushing (shot put).

The Mineola girls 4x200-meter relay team of Amera Caldwell, Neighbors, Adelyn Steward and Rojas;and the 4x400-meter relay team of Olivia Hughes, Neighbors, Steward and Peebles will compete at regionals. 

Other Quitman athletes joining Bryson Hobbs on the trip to regionals are Jairo Salinas (800-meter run), Braleigh Wood (400-meter dash, 800-meter run), Katelyn DeGorostiza (1600-meter and 3200-meter runs) and Sadie Vander Schaaf (high jump). Hobbs also qualified for the next level with his finish in the 110-meter hurdles. 

The Mineola Lady Jackets finished in an overall third place out of 12 teams at area. The Lady Bulldogs placed ninth. Mineola and Quitman boys track teams finished in 11th and 12th places respectively out of 14 teams.  

Regional meets will be held April 18-19. Alba-Golden competes in Palestine and Mineola and Quitman at Whitehouse.