The girls and boys track teams won the 4A Area meet last week and will compete this Friday and Saturday in Lubbock at Lowery field.

This year is the boy’s first area team championship, and they broke three different meet records. The girls team broke seven area meet records of the 17 records, and will compete in 13 events at the Regional meet. The girls track team won the meet with 228 points beating Lubbock Estacado in second place by 113 points. Senior Audrey Hughes broke the girls shot put and discus 4A Area meet records.

“I went into area not knowing what the meet record was,” Hughes said. “ After I threw and won, I didn’t even know I broke the record until two hours after I threw.”

Hughes threw the shot put 44 feet and threw the discus 148 feet and 10 inches. Although she won both events and broke both records, her personal records are still greater than her area meet throws.

“I hope to break the regional meet records, too, but I’m not really sure what they are,” Hughes said. “I hope to PR every meet, even though I PRed at the Canyon Invitational track meet a while back.”

Hughes said the biggest difference in her workouts this year have been practicing shot put and discus everyday.

“The goal is to qualify for state and win two gold medals,” Hughes said. “Coach Spears has kept his focus with me and made sure I keep working to win state because he knows I am capable.”

The boys track team broke the area meet record in the 4 x 400 with a 42.94, the 4 x 800 with a 1:28.32 and the shot put with a 49-11.75.

“At regionals we hope to compete well and do our best every time,” head coach Cade Wartes said. “We need to stay in control of the things we are able to control.”

The boys track team won the area meet with 177 points. They will have 16 boys compete at regionals. 

“Regionals is the top 16 teams in the region, and we have an opportunity to be one of the top two teams at the meet,” Wartes said. “We need to beat out teams like Brownwood, Decatur, Snyder, Perryton and that is just to name a few.”

Senior Lawton Rikel ran the 100 meter dash at the area meet with a 10.65 to win a gold medal and advance along with three other seniors.

“The team members in track having been learning how to support each other and have grown closer all year,” Wartes said. “Even though we are losing some talented seniors, our younger guys are stepping up as leaders, and I think we will have a pretty great track program for years to come.”