AUSTIN Elijah Gaines of Van Horn and Sydney Gonzales of Lenorah Grady led the Permian Basin contingent of athletes on the final day of competition at the UIL State Track and Field Championships Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Gaines earned gold in the Class 1A Boys High Jump, clearing 6-feet, 10-inches, while Gonzales earned gold in the Class 1A Girls Pole Vault with a height of 10 feet, 10 inches.
Leah Acosta of Midland Legacy finished second in the Class 6A Girls Shot Put with a personal best 44 feet, 3.75 inches.
Mariana Sanchez of Buena Vista finished second in the Class 1A Girls 3,200 meters in 12 minutes, 3.97 seconds, with teammate Gaby Sanchez finishing seventh in 12:57.40.
Mariana Sanchez also finished third in the Class 1A Girls 1600 meters, clocking in at 5:36.41.
JD Solis of Iraan earned a bronze in the Class 1A Boys Pole Vault, clearing 12 feet, 9 inches.
Bryce Virdell of Van Horn was fourth in the Class 1A Boys Long Jump, with Cole Brauchi of Buena Vista finishing seventh in the Class 1A Boys Triple Jump.
The Rankin boys relay team competed in the Class 1A Boys 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 races later in the day.
They took fourth in the 4×100 after finishing the race in 43.76 seconds and they also claimed fourth in the 4×200 with a 1:31.54 time.
The team closed out its performances with a sixth-place finish in the 4×400, clocking in at 3:32.62.
Rankin’s Baret Jackson earned gold in the Class 1A Boys 400 meter dash after coming in at 50.12 seconds.
Salma Mondragon of Balmorhea took sixth in the Class 1A Girls 100 meter dash, finishing in 12.72 seconds and Iraan’s Dayanara Torres claimed sixth in the 300 meter hurdles with a 48.94 mark.
