The boys and girls track teams will advance to regionals starting Friday, April 27 at Lowery Field in Lubbock after competing at the area track meet in Lubbock. 

Individuals advancing to regionals from the boys track team include freshman Samuel Ashley, junior Beana Sebastiao and seniors Isaac Huseman and Hayden Moore. Junior Lawton Rikel will also advance to regionals after running a 10.81 setting the area track meet record in the 100 meter race. To qualify for the regional track meet, Ashley ran a 4.35 in the 1600 meter race and a personal record of 10.04 in the 3200 meter race.

¨I felt really good at area,” Ashley said. “I got second place in both races, and I’ve just been trying to get faster before regionals.”

Ashley said his coach told him not to worry about first place, but to focus on qualifying for the next meet.

“My training has been a lot more intense, and I’ve had a couple of guys have to help me with my workouts,” Ashley said. “They have gotten really hard. We’ve been working on pushing at the end of my races.”

Ashley said he has been working on pushing to sprint the last 600 meters of his race.

“Since my races are long distance, they are more mental than anything,” Ashley said. “I am nervous, but if I don’t make it to state, then I don’t make it to state.”

The girls 4 x 400 meter relay team of Ryleigh Taylor, Madi Rolan, Caitlynne Speegle, Alyssa Harris, Mackenzie Grimes and Bailey St. Romain will advance as well Mackenzie Grimes in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, Gabi Davis and Ayse Allison in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs, Davis and Kelsee Dudley in the 800 meter run and Ayssa Harris in the 400 meter run. Those advancing in field events include Natalie Davis in the pole vault, Audrey Hughes and Danielle Burns in shot put and Hughes and Berkleigh Crosby in discus.

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“Knowing that you need to get out ahead of everyone else is big,” Allison said. “Lap count is a huge difference in my races compared to others, but that also means there’s a lot more strategy. It’s comforting to know I don’t have to sprint eight laps, but it’s different because you have to maintain pace for that long of a race, too.”

As a senior, Allison said this could potentially be her last race.

“Going into regionals, I am going to have to be confident in my training and know to not be intimidated by my opponents,” Allison said. “It is a matter of how bad you want it, and my races will come down to who has more grit.”