The Whitharral Lady Panthers and Anton Lady Dawgs competed in the Girls 1A Region 1 Track & Field Championships this past Friday and Saturday at South Plains College, resulting in the Lady Panthers qualifying a female to State for the first time in 15 years.
To qualify for the State Championships, the competitor or relay had to place top two in the meet, but third place had a chance based on the marks of the other three regions. Eight quali- fiers come from the top two of each region, and the ninth and final qualifier is the in dividual/relay with the best mark in that event.
In the 100-meter dash, Ka- lyn Bates (Whitharral) fin ished as the runner-up with a time of 12.69, punching her ticket to the State Championships.
In the 4x100-meter relay, the Lady Panthers team of Sheridan Neal, Emberly Prowell, Ashtyn Potter and Bates placed sixth with a time of 53.01.
In the 4x200-meter relay, the Lady Panthers team of Neal, Valeria Frias, Paige Smith and Bates placed eighth with a time of 1:55.67.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Alyssa Mancias (Anton) placed fifth with a time of 51.95, and in the 800-meter run, Emma Gonzales (Whitharral) placed 14th with a time of 2:55.32.
In the triple jump, Neal placed 11th with a jump of 29’-1” and Prowell placed 13th with a jump of 28’-6”.
In the high jump, Aaliyah Sanchez (Whitharral) placed 11th with a jump of 4’-4”, and in the long jump, Mancias placed 14th with a jump of 13’-8”.
Following the meet, both the Lady Panthers and Lady Dawgs’ respective coaches gave their thoughts on their team’s performance.
“Kalyn Bates is Whitharral's first female to go to state since 2011, so we’re very proud of her. Overall, the Lady Panthers put on a very good performance,” Lady Panthers Head Track & Field Coach Coach Payton Shipley said. “They set a personal best in the 4x100-meter relay, the 800m, the 100-meter dash, and had finalists in the 4x200-meter relay, triple jump and high jump.”
“These athletes put in a ton of work this season, I’m proud of both their effort and their development,” Lady Dawgs Head Track & Field Coach Reed Myers said. “Our senior, Alyssa, has been to Regionals all four years of high school, and has proven her resolve time and time again.”
While everyone else’s season concludes, Bates will continue and compete at the 1A State Championships from May 14-16 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.