Racing into the spotlight: Local athletes take home medals at state track and field meet

Not only did several local athletes qualify for the state event, they shined in the spotlight, bringing home an assortment of medals.

Frisco ISD sent one of the largest contingents of any school district and saw its group claim five individual state championships and 15 total medals.

One of the most decorated athletes was Panther Creek junior Falyn Lott, who qualified for the state competition in four events.

Lott claimed gold in the 300 hurdles in a time of 43.08 seconds, which was nearly a second faster than the rest of the field.

She also earned silver medals in the 100 hurdles in a time of 14.32 seconds, and long jump, where her mark of 19-02.00 was one inch off the winning jump, and she was fifth in the high jump after clearing 5-04.00.

Lott helped Panther Creek finish fourth in the 4A girls team standings in their inaugural varsity campaign.

In addition to Lott, junior Hannah Forde claimed a silver medal in the triple jump with a top mark of 38-07.25.

Sunnyvale freshman Chiora Enyinna made an immediate impact during her first varsity season and qualified in three events.

Enyinna was fifth in the 400 meters in a time of 57.50 seconds, took sixth in the high jump after clearing 5-04.00 and was part of the 400 relay team that placed seventh.

The Raiders also had a medalist in senior Emma Tindall, who took third in the pole vault by clearing 13-00.00.

On the 4A boys side, the Sunnyvale duo of sophomore Cade Andrews and juniot Ethan Tanck placed seventh and ninth, respectively, in the triple jump, while Panther Creek junior Seth Rugg was ninth in the 800.

Frisco ISD was also well-represented on the medal stand at the 5A level, which featured a number of standout performances.

FISD had four athletes bring home gold medals.

Lebanon Trail senior Laila Hackett took first place in one of the marquee races, winning the 100 meters in a time of 11.51 seconds. Hackett added a second medal in the 200 by taking bronze in 23.96.

Wakeland senior Hannah Pfiffner capped her high school career with a third consecutive gold medal in the high jump, clearing 5-10.00, which was four inches higher than the rest of the field.

Frisco senior Myla Canty took first place in the triple jump with a top mark of 41-03.50 and Heritage junior Kaylah Braxton earned gold in the 100 hurdles in a tme of 13.67 seconds.

The Coyotes finished sixth in the team standings, as in addition to Braxton, senior Kirin Chacchia claimed silver in the 300 hurdles in a time of 42.20 seconds and junior Brooke Freeman took home bronze in the 400 in a time of 54.78.

Independence sophomore Caitlyn Johnson was another medalist, finishing third in the long jump with a mark of 19-02.50.

Several FISD athletes also just missed out on the medal stand, as Lebanon Trail junior Taylor Jones was fourth in the 800 (2:12.13), Lone Star junior Kelis Jules placed fifth in the 10 hurdles (14.22), Independence senior Payton Guye took seventh in the long jump (18-05.50) and Centennial senior Emma Nelson was ninth in the pole vault (11-00.00).

West Mesquite senior Precious Okougbodu also narrowly missed out on a medal, placing fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 40-02.25, while her teammate, senior Elijah Walker, was seventh in the boys triple jump at 45-10.50.

The Lone Star boys finished second in the team standings with a total of 32 points, which was only behind Fort Bend Marshall’s score of 38.

That total was provided by the 400 and 800 relay teams, who each finished as silver medalists in times of 40.53 seconds and 1:25.26, respectively.

Heritage sophomore Cordial Vann was also a silver medalist, as he took second place in the long jump with a mark of 23-02.25.

Among the other FISD boys competitors, Heritage sophomore Josiah Sapp placed sixth in the 200 (21.39), which was just ahead of Lebanon Trail senior Tim Madi, who was eighth (21.60).

Wakeland senior Osawese Agbonkonkon narrowly missed out on the medal stand, as his mark of 6-08.00 in the high jump was good enough for fourth place, Lebanon Trail junior Neeraj Kulkarni was fifth in the 3,200 (9:28.01), Independence senior Makenden Brown crossed eighth in the 400 (49.63) and Liberty senior  Ryan Stulting was ninth in the discus (146-00.00).

At the 6A level, Sachse junior Hannah Lowe earned a bronze medal in the girls 100 meters, placing third in a time of 11.72 seconds.

Lowe’s teammate, junior Favor Anyanwu, was ninth in the shot put (38-11.25) and Naaman Forest senior Markis Deal took sixth in the boys shot put (57-06.25).