Competition was stiff at the UIL Class 3A Region 1 Track & Field Meet last weekend in Abilene, but three Vernon High School athletes were up for the challenge and earned a trip to the Class 3A State Track & Field Meet being held later this month in Austin.
Vernon Lion Tru Gipson turned on the jets in the Boys 100-meter Dash and capture the regional title and gold medal with a time of 10.79 seconds. Lady Lion Breasha Waggoner cleared 5-feet, 4-inches in the Girls High Jump to earn a gold medal and a regional crown.
In Boys High Jump, Tevan Evans cleared 6-4 which earned him a silver medal and a trip to the state meet. This will be Evans second consecutive trip to the state meet.
The Lions were also close to getting the 800-meter Relay team to state. The team of Gipson, Jamari Chance, Kylan Jagiere, and Ethan Robledo finished third with a time of 1:28.62 and just missed out on earning the wild-card to state.
The top two finishers in each event at the four regional meets automatically qualify for the state meet. The best third-place finish in each event from among the four regional meets earns the wild-card berth. The Lions missed qualifying for state by just .08 of a second. Mexia took the wild-card berth with a time of 1:28.54.
Also placing in their event at the regional meet were: Klancy Sherrill, who was fourth in the Girls 300-meter Hurdles with a time of 48.12 seconds; Caylor Streit, who was fifth in the Boys 300-meter Hurdles with a time of 39.97 seconds; and the Lions mile relay team of Ethan Robledo, Jamari Chance, Ty Scott, and Jagiere, who was sixth with a time of 3:26.75.
Other Lions and Lady Lions competing in the regional meet included: Chance in the Triple Jump and Long Jump; Keigan Ballard in the Shot Put; Streit in the 300-meter Hurdles and High Jump; Jagiere in the 200-meter Dash; Brek Payne in the Girls 100-meter Hurdles; Nadia Gaines in the Shot Put; and the Lions sprint relay team of Gipson, Chance, Robledo, and Tyce Payne.