On May 7 & 8 the girls and boys track and field teams competed at the State meet at UT Austin, with three reaching the podium, including one gold medal for the 3200m run by freshman Isabel Conde De Frankenberg.

Although it was her first state track meet, Conde de Frankenberg earned the gold medal and a silver one for the 800m event. Finishing with a time of 10:26.49 in the 3200m, she also set a new school record.

“It felt amazing to earn a gold medal at state,” Conde de Frankenberg said. “It was very exciting to know that my training over the season paid off. This state competition was very memorable to me because it was my first [state] competition, so it was just really exciting being able to go out there as a freshman and accomplishing what I did.”

According to Conde de Frankenberg, placing at the meet was due to her diligence in training and positive outlook towards the sport.

“I work very hard and do all the little things that many other runners do not do in order to get to where I am today,” Conde de Frankenberg. “I [eat] healthy, work hard, sleep well and most importantly have a positive attitude towards running. I also have a huge support group who help me through my doubts.”

The other medalist was senior track captain Meghan Wilcox, who tied for third in the 100m dash with a time of 11.715

“Tying in general for track is pretty much unheard of, much less at as big of a meet as state,” Wilcox said. “When I first finished the race, they had actually rounded up my time and put me as fourth place, so I had gotten all the way back to the warmup field to get ready for my 200m when they called me up to the clerking tent. The officials told me that my time had been reviewed and was the exact same time as the third-place finisher. It was very unexpected, but something I will definitely never forget.”

Working towards the final meet of the season, Wilcox analyzed videos of her previous races and found areas in which she could improve on. When training, Wilcox said she worked on those areas to get a feeling of what she would do in a real meet.

“Going into state I felt pretty good,” Wilcox said. “I was confident in my capabilities and knew that I could do well if I put everything together when it came down to it. But it did require that everything had to come together at that moment, so that’s what I was focusing on going into the races. In the blocks, I was thinking about the small corrections I had to make in the race and what to keep the same. It had to be right before so it was fresh in my mind because I don’t think at all during the race itself.”

With a final distance of 18ft and 1.25 in, Wilcox also placed ninth in the long jump event and placed fifth in the 200m event with a time of 24.35. She said she found herself struggling in the long jump event the week leading up to the meet.

“I hadn’t been able to get a lot of practice in the previous week because of rain making the sand too hard,” Wilcox said. “When it came time for me to jump at the meet, I wasn’t able to jump the distance I wanted to in order to place the way I had hoped.”

The girls 4 x 100m relay team, consisting of Wilcox, junior Katherine Alex, junior Raniya Laneau and sophomore Amani Graham, placed seventh and finished with a time of 47.41. Although Graham wasn’t content with the results at first, talking with her coach and teammates made her realize the accomplishment running at State is. Graham also placed seventh place with a time of 45.17 in the 300m hurdles, which she hopes to improve on next year.

“[The] handoffs [are difficult],” Graham said. “You have to make sure the handoffs are smooth and quick for us to run. I’m looking forward to run the 100m hurdles next year and to run a 43 low in my 300m hurdles. I will continue to push hard and do the extra strength work I need.”

Feeling accomplished with her success this season, Conde de Frankenberg, who also placed first in state in Cross Country, is still looking to beat her personal times next season as she heads into her sophomore year.

“Next year I am looking forward to just being able to train harder and improve my times,” Conde de Frankenberg said. “In reality, the goal I want accomplished by next year it’s just to get a new personal record [and] just have fun with running and the season.”

2021 State Meet Results:
Girls:

Meghan Wilcox

– Third place in 100m with a time of 11.71

– Fifth place in 200m with a time of 24.35

– Ninth place in long jump with a jump of 18ft 1.25in

Isabel Conde De Frankenberg
– First place in 3200m with a time of 10:26.49

– Second place in 800m with a time of 2:09.21

Katherine Alex, Meghan Wilcox, Amani Graham and Raniya Laneau
– Seventh place in 4 x 100m relay with a time of 47.41

Amani Graham
– Seventh place in 300m hurdles with a time of 45.17

Boys

Nicholas Grullon
– Seventh place in high jump with a height of 6ft 2 in.

Kevin Adams
– Fifth place in shot put- Broke his 2019 school record at 55ft 11.25in
– Fifth place in discus throw with final result of 160-3