San Saba's Adams repeats as 800 champ, leads strong day for West Texas 2A girls

AUSTIN — It was a long time in between, but San Saba High School’s Brighton Adams finished her track career as a repeat champion.

The senior all-state basketball player, who will continue her hoops career at Angelo State University, won the Class 2A girls 800 meters at the UIL State Track and Field Championships here Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Adams, who was the two-time Defensive MVP on the Standard-Times All-West Texas basketball team, repeated the feat she accomplished in 2019 as a sophomore and did it in a personal-best time. She also finished second in the 400.

“I went out there and got it done,” said Adams, whose back-to-back gold medals in the half-mile was interrupted by the cancelation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “That last stretch of the 400 was pretty tough, but I battled through it and I’m glad that it’s over. And I’m glad it ended the way it did.”

She had to wait longer than anyone in the whole state of Texas wanted, but she ran a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 17.83 seconds to hold off Wellington’s Kyla Kane (2:17.99) and Christoval’s Allison Vaughn (2:18.51).

It was a rematch of the top three finishers from 2019, the last year the meet was held.

Adams wasn’t able to grab a second gold in the 400 but still ran a time of 58.84 – her second-best career time – to finish second behind Macklynn Land’s blazing 56.01. Vaughn, who had been at the track since midday competing in the triple jump, finished in seventh. 

In addition to the battle in the 800, Adams and Mason sophomore Eliza Cope finished another battle that went all the way back to before the District 29-2A meet, where both San Saba and Mason compete. Cope finished third in her state-meet debut with a personal-best time of 59.41.

“It was very exciting,” Adams said of the battle with Cope, a sophomore. “That shows how competitive our district is.”

Adams had to battle two tough lane assignments, although the Lane 7 placement in the 400 was tougher. In the 800, Adams started in Lane 9.

“All positive thoughts,” said Adams, relating her mentality before both races. “In the first 200 (of the 400), I wanted to get out strong and focus on that last backstretch. I saw (Land) coming up and I just wanted to go with her.”

The competition in her first state meet was an eye-opener for Cope.

“It was a lot faster than I thought it would feel, and I was hoping for a little bit faster but I’ve still got two more years,” Cope said. “I’ve been working this whole year on trying to start better and I feel like I did pretty well with that this time.”

The Harper girls 4x400 relay stole some of Mason’s thunder in the final event of the day as the Ladyhorns finished third behind state-meet record-breaking Panhandle and Haskell.

The relay foursome Talli Millican, Rebekah Stracke, Kaylee Price and Whitney Spaeth ran a season-best 4:06.60 and bested district mate Mason, which had beaten the Ladyhorns at district, area and regional before falling to fifth on Friday.

The Ladyhorns took their lane assignment seriously, running scared out of the far lane 9, just hoping they were running fast enough to not be overtaken by the teams who started behind them.

“I was very nervous,” said sophomore Millican. “We were in lane 9 which really kind of stressed us all out, but I knew I just couldn’t let myself see anyone.”

Millican got the Harper girls started right, senior Stracke said.

“After the break, I was in third and whenever I was coming into the last 100, I could tell that I was a lot taller than the girl in front of me and my stride was longer so I knew that I could catch her and I did,” said Stracke, who was a state qualifier in 2019 in the 300 hurdles but didn’t make it back again this year. “And I was very happy because all those last-leg girls are really fast and I had to make sure we had enough of a lead for the last leg.

Price, a freshman who qualified in both the 100 and 300 hurdles, said she had to focus on the fundamentals in the high-stress atmosphere.

“Don’t leave too early, take the baton and get out fast,” said Price, who finished fifth in the 300 hurdles. “I had 100 meters of full-out sprint and I remember looking down and I saw the girls’ shadow behind me and I was like, ‘Oh Lord, it’s time to run faster.’”

Spaeth, the other senior, credited her teammates for running smart.

“Kaylee brought it to me in a really good position and just coming off the first curve and back straightaway and the second 200, the girls kind of caught me and it was at that moment where I was like, ‘OK, Whitney, you’ve got to buck up and go, it’s going to be all or nothing.’ The other last legs have some crazy good times but we stuck it out thanks to the lead these ladies got me.”

Panhandle won the relay in a meet-record 3:56.09. Haskell was second in 4:06.45.

The Mason team of Kinsley Jordan, Kamryn Loeffler, Tori Perlichek and Cope ran 4:08.73. Loeffler is a freshman, Jordan and Cope are sophomores while Perlichek is a junior.

Eldorado freshman Logan Prater claimed a bronze medal in the 2A girls 200.

Prater finished in a time of 25.79, just .09 off her personal best, to finish behind Joaguin’s Victoria Byrd and Refugio’s Peyton Oliver.

It could be a preview of next year’s 200 meters, as the top two are also underclassmen. Byrd is a junior while Oliver is a sophomore.

“It was more than everything I thought it would be,” Prater said. “It was crazy in there. There were so many people, I didn’t think there would be this many people.

“I was actually not as nervous as I thought I would be,” Prater continued. “I got off the blocks really good and I came around the curve really good but the girls were super-fast but felt like I could keep up with them.”

Mason’s Ana Segura closed out her career with a third-place finish in the 2A girls 1,600.

The senior was second in the race in 2019 and held the lead on the last lap until the final 100 meters when Wellington’s Kyla Kane, the state cross country champion, overtook her.

“She came out of nowhere, those long legs,” said Segura, who is being recruited by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Even though it was a lower finish than in 2019, it was a better time, as Segura bested her own school record with a time of 5:20.38. Her previous best was 5:21.08, run at the state meet in 2019.

“My coach and I were planning on staying behind the Gruver and Schulenburg girls because they had the best times coming in,” Segura said. “And he said, as long as you stay with them through the second lap, if you feel good you can just go. You’re a great sprinter, you give it your all, you have the heart, the mentality, the passion.”

Christoval’s Vaughn finished second in the girls triple jump after improving her PR by two feet from 2019. She jumped 36-10 3/4 which while not her best of 38-8, was enough to hold off a last-ditch attempt by Bailey Maupin of Gruver, who came close at 36-10 1/2.

JaToryia Barnes won the triple jump with a mark of 38-11 1/2.

Vaughn said her take-off mark was “off” throughout the competition but she persevered.

“I knew I just had to go out there and do what I could with what I had and not dwell on the past,” said the senior who is headed for Angelo State, where she will run track and cross country. “If I do at least three-fourths of what I’m capable of, I could make it onto the podium, so that’s what I did and I’m going to be grateful for that.”

For Vaughn, it was the first time in the event this year that she’s been pushed. The only other West Texan to come near a 38-foot jump was Eldorado freshman Logan Prater.

“It's great to be here and to have some competition,” she said.

Coleman junior Devinar Roberson also got a medal in the 2A boys triple jump. He won bronze after taking silver in the boys high jump.

Roberson cleared at new West Texas Best of 6-6 in the high jump and then turned around and jumped 45-5 1/2 in the TJ. The 6-6 was an improvement by two inches from his previous best.

Mason High School's Lauren Olson won silver in the 2A girls discus throw.

The junior threw 122-4 to narrowly miss a gold medal in her state-meet debut.

Olson was grateful, not only for the state-meet berth, but for the medal.

“It wasn’t my best but I was just so lucky to be able to get here and compete today,” Olson said. “A lot of people can’t say that right now and then to get here and do so well, very happy.”

Olson was in second place going into the finals and then moved into first temporarily before Jenna VanCleave from Hamlin threw 122-11 to move back into first.

Olson, who missed qualifying in the shot put by a mere five inches, said that she was nervous coming into the meet but settled down after the first three throws.

Not making it in the shot put was “kind of a bummer,” Olson said, “but that gives me something to strive for next year.”

Mason's Tristin Keller claimed bronze in the Class 2A girls pole vault.

She cleared 10 feet, 9 inches but had to wait to claim her medal as winner Ella Strickland from Sunray vaulted at 13-0 to break the 2A state-meet record.

Keller was noticeably disappointed in not hitting 11-0 for the third time this season, which could have snagged a silver instead of a bronze.

On three tries at 11-0, she was having trouble with the placement of the standards.

“I was hitting (the bar) on the way up,” Keller said. “I was going over it but it was already knocked off by the time. We didn’t know if I should move (the standards) backwards. It’s always kind of tricky and sometimes you have the luck of the draw and we didn’t that time.”

Keller was impressed with the Sunray and Vega competitors. Vega’s TaraLee McKarns, cleared 10-9 but had viewer misses than Keller.

“Those girls from Sunray and Vega, they were really cool and I was glad I got the chance to jump with them because most of the time, pole vaulters are really cool,” Keller said. “They’re both from the same region so they get to practice together and have a cool relationship.”

Although disappointed, Keller was “thrilled” to be there, after having finished fifth as a freshman and then missing the 2020 season like everyone else.

“Some of our coaches at the beginning of football said, ‘You’ve got to make every practice like it is your last because you never know when it could get shut down again.”

LIVE UPDATES

AUSTIN — Live updates from Friday's competition at the UIL State Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium:

9:20 p.m.

The Harper girls 4x400 relay took its lane assignment seriously, running scared out of the far lane 9 to claim a bronze medal in the final event of the night for Class 2A girls.

The team of Talli Millican, Rebekah Stracke, Kaylee Price and Whitney Spaeth ran a season-best 4:06.60 and bested district mate Mason, which had beaten the Ladyhorns at district, area and regional before falling to fifth on Friday.

Stracke and Spaeth are seniors while Millican is a sophomore and Price is a freshman.

Panhandle won the relay in a meet-record 3:56.09. Haskell was second in 4:06.45.

The Mason team of Kinsley Jordan, Kamryn Loeffler, Tori Perlichek and Eliza Cope ran 4:08.73. Loeffler is a freshman, Jordan and Cope are sophomores while Perlichek is a junior.

8:37 p.m.

Eldorado freshman Logan Prater claimed a bronze medal in the 2A girls 200.

Prater finished in a time of 25.79, just .09 off her personal best, to finish behind Joaguin’s Victoria Byrd and Refugio’s Peyton Oliver.

It could be a preview of next year’s 200 meters, as the top two are also underclassmen. Byrd is a junior while Oliver is a sophomore.

Mason’s Ana Segura closed out her career with a third-place finish in the 2A girls 1,600.

The senior was second in the race in 2019 and held the lead on the last lap until the final 100 meters when Wellington’s Kyla Kane, the state cross country champion, overtook her.

Even though it was a lower finish than in 2019, it was a better time, as Segura bested her own school record with a time of 5:20.38. Her previous best was 5:21.08, run at the state meet in 2019.

7:48 p.m.

San Saba’s Brighton Adams repeated as state champion in the 2A girls 800 meters and took second in the 400 as she closed her career in track and field.

The senior will play basketball for Angelo State University but had some unfinished business on the track after winning the 800 two years ago.

She had to wait longer than anyone wanted but she ran a personal-best time of 2:17.83 to hold off Wellington’s Kyla Kane (2:17.99) and Christoval’s Allison Vaughn (2:18.51).

It was a rematch of the top three finishers from 2019, the last year the meet was held.

Adams wasn’t able to grab a second gold in the 400 but still ran a time of 58.84 – her second-best career time – to finish second behind Macklynn Land’s blazing 56.01. Vaughn, who had been at the track since midday competing in the triple jump, finished in seventh. 

2:05 p.m.

Christoval High School's Allison Vaughn finished second in the 2A girls triple jump. While the senior already owns a state medal from 2019, this is her first in the triple jump and her first appearance at state in the event.

She jumped 36-10 3/4 which while not her best, was enough to hold off a last-ditch attempt by Bailey Maupin of Gruver, who came close at 36-10 1/2.

JaToryia Barnes won the triple jump with a mark of 38-11 1/2.

Vaughn, who will run in the 800 and 400 later Friday, said her take-off mark was “off” all day but she persevered.

“I knew I just had to go out there and do what I could with what I had and not dwell on the past,” Vaughn said. “If I do at least three-fourths of what I’m capable of, I could make it onto the podium, so that’s what I did and I’m going to be grateful for that.

For Vaughn, it was the first time in the event this year that she’s been pushed. The only other West Texan to come near a 38-foot jump was Eldorado freshman Logan Prater.

“It's great to be here and to have some competition,” she said.

Coleman junior Devinar Roberson also got a medal in the 2A boys triple jump. He won bronze after taking silver in the boys high jump.

Roberson cleared at new West Texas Best of 6-6 in the high jump and then turned around and jumped 45-5 1/2 in the TJ. The 6-6 was an improvement by two inches from his previous best.

RELATED:  Bronte's Bohensky goes for gold and state-meet record

12:20 p.m.

Mason High School's Lauren Olson won silver in the 2A girls discus throw.

The junior threw 122-4 to narrowly miss a gold medal in her state-meet debut.

Olson was grateful, not only for the state-meet berth, but for the medal.

“It wasn’t my best but I was just so lucky to be able to get here and compete today,” Olson said. “A lot of people can’t say that right now and then to get here and do so well, very happy.”

Olson was in second place going into the finals and then moved into first temporarily before Jenna VanCleave from Hamlin threw 122-11 to move back into first.

Olson, who missed qualifying in the shot put by a mere five inches, said that she was nervous coming into the meet but settled down after the first three throws.

Not making it in the shot put was “kind of a bummer,” Olson said, “but that gives me something to strive for next year.”

Mason's Tristin Keller claimed bronze in the Class 2A girls pole vault.

She cleared 10 feet, 9 inches but had to wait to claim her medal as winner Ella Strickland from Sunray vaulted at 13-0 to break the 2A state-meet record.

RELATED: Wall's Williams wins two silver medals, Ballinger's Rollwitz nabs bronze

MORE:  Live updated complete results file from UIL State Track and Field

Keller was noticeably disappointed in not hitting 11-0 for the third time this season, which could have snagged a silver instead of a bronze.

On three tries at 11-0, she was having trouble with the placement of the standards.

“I was hitting (the bar) on the way up,” Keller said. “I was going over it but it was already knocked off by the time. We didn’t know if I should move (the standards) backwards. It’s always kind of tricky and sometimes you have the luck of the draw and we didn’t that time.”

Keller was impressed with the Sunray and Vega competitors. Vega’s TaraLee McKarns, cleared 10-9 but had viewer misses than Keller.

“Those girls from Sunray and Vega, they were really cool and I was glad I got the chance to jump with them because most of the time, pole vaulters are really cool,” Keller said. “They’re both from the same region so they get to practice together and have a cool relationship.”

Although disappointed, Keller was “thrilled” to be there, after having finished fifth as a freshman and then missing the 2020 season like everyone else.

“Some of our coaches at the beginning of football said, ‘You’ve got to make every practice like it is your last because you never know when it could get shut down again.”