CL Hawks Track & Field sending 5 to State Meet
Alencia Lentz is having fun doing what she loves.
Canyon Lake’s Lady Tracksters came through with their best finish at their recent Region IV Meet in Kingsville finishing 5th overall garnering 43 points.
Hawk Proud!!
“The team really worked hard and support each other just as much,” Head Girls Coach Sami Theurer stated in response the finishing 5th at Region. “Our team trained to compete and put their best efforts forward at the regional meet. A few athletes fell short of qualifying for state, but represented Canyon Lake Hawks with a valiant performances.”
All of athletes that were able to compete will be back for another year with only Connar Windham running out of eligibility on the Boy’s team.
The Lake had their first ever Relay team qualify when the Ladies 4×400 relay finished 2nd behind Fredericksburg.
This foursome has a chance to set another record and will look to continue this sojourn for another season. There are two Juniors (Claire Schroeder, Alencia Lentz) and two Freshman (Ayren Lightfoot and Hannah Hammer) make up this record setting relay team.
Lightfoot just missed in her 400 meter dash finishing 3rd as well as Cadence Patterson in her 3200 meter run.
Schroeder was 4th in her 300 meter hurdle event but in so doing took over Jessica Cunningham record who had enjoyed being at the top for over 10 years.
TOP 4x400 Meter Relay Schools 1) Canyon 3:55.90 Region I 2) Kennedale 4:00.78 Region II 3) Huffman Hargrove 4:01.70 Region III 4) Argyle 4:02.24 Region I 5) Dallas Carter 4:02.89 Region II 6) CL Hawks 4:04.84 Region IV Ayren Lightfoot, Alencia Lentz Claire Schroeder, Hannah Hammer 7) La Grange 4:05.82 Region III 8) Fredericksburg 4:06.93 Region IV
Cunningham also lost her best mark in the Pole Vault by Lentz who was able to up her best Vault to 13-04 and will certainly be in a hunt for a chance to be the best in the state.
Congrats & Way to Go Hawks!!
Even CL’s alternates for the 4×400 relay event are underclassman with Sophomore Sofia George, Junior Maddie Pipkin, and Sophomore Patterson.
Think of the competition that these 7 ladies will present for a chance to make the final four during next year’s season.
Canyon Lake will send more athletes to Austin in their short history with the addition of Coby Mickey joining these 4 ladies.
The Lake had two at the State Meet in 2012 and that year sent Marisa Ellis for two events in the Triple Jump and High Jump.
Ellis forte in track was the triple jump but it was on the high jump that she was able to get Canyon Lake’s first state trophy. She entered that event with the 7th best jump but was able to shine when she upped her all time record by 4 inches (5’6) which so happened to be the best on this day.
Jordan Anderson was the other Hawk in attendance and it was his 2nd time to make the State Meet. A year earlier he placed 6th in the 400 meter dash but on this meet he was taking part in the high jump. Anderson was tied with the best mark going into this competition (6’6) but could not get untracked on this day and was unable to match his best.
That brings us Lentz with a legit chance of finishing on top and she will be the 2nd Hawk to be at the State Meet in the pole vault event.
Finish Strong Hawks!!
Jessica Cunningham was in Austin in 2010 but she was unable to reach her best on that day. Cunningham had some strong gene’s as her brother Logan Cunningham ran track for Smithson Valley and he made the ultimate Track Meet when he qualified for the Olympics in Rio in the pole vault.
The ReSporter caught up with Lentz to get her thoughts on the State Meet.
On what will be going on this week? “I will be working on bars and bungee practicing with the bars,” Lentz stated.
On what is meant by bungee bars? “That is having bars that if you hit them can stay up on the poles and you don’t have to put them back up after each attempt.”
What goes on with your strategy during this event, “Each meet is different and it depends on everything…wind, direction of the wind, type of competition, what pole you use. I’m excited but I don’t want to overthink and just do my best.”
Way to Go Hawks!!
On if Alencia was having fun, “I love pole vault and it has to be fun…If I ever go out and I’m not loving it and it does not make me smile then I know something is wrong.”
What will be your starting jump, “I will start at 12’ just to get a height in.”
On being on CL’s 4×400 meter relay and thoughts on that part of the meet, “We’ve looked pretty good and we will just do our best and compete.”
A busy day with the pole vault starting Thursday afternoon and seeing if she can become the 2nd Lady Hawk to win a State Championship!
The TOP 8 STATE MEET Ladies' Pole Vault 1) Kashlee Dickinson Junior 13’6 PR Canyon Region I 2) Alencia Lentz Junior 13’4 PR Canyon Lake Region IV 3) Emma Tindall Junior 12’6 PR Sunnyvale. Region II 4) Keidra Mills Senior 12’3 PR Stephenville Region I 5) Nikolette Schmidt Senior 12’1.75 Smithville Region III 6) Ashlynn Recknagel Senior 12’0 La Vernia. Region IV 7) Callie Ward Senior 11’6 PR Gilmer Region II 8) Breanna Brandes Senior 11’0 Sealy Region III
Coby Mickey has had a long wait considering this time last year he was recovering from a broken leg by competing in the pole vault. Fourteen months later he finds himself at the pinnacle in Austin competing against 7 other athletes.
Coby Mickey was perfect on his vault to Austin!!
“I had my best jump this year at an indoor meet in January and I got my PR (personal best, 13’8) at that meet,” Mickey stated.
“This will be my Redemption Meet,” Mickey said while recalling his long wait it took to start competing again. “You usually want to start 3 lower bars than what your PR is so I will start at 12’6.”
On the difference in this Meet compared to previous meets this year, “In most of the meets this year it becomes a long wait because there are others that start at a lower height and it becomes a long day and can become stressful…I am jealous of those guys running in the 100 meter dash because their event takes 10 seconds and it is over. Pole Vault can go for hours…”
“I have a ritual for every part of my jump but I will not have to be sitting for an hour because there are just 8 of us and they are the best,” Mickey continued. “I don’t watch the others jump and I will just keep trying to keep warm…this is the most technical sport because there are a million things to think about and if you are off a little then your jump will not be perfect and a perfect pole vault is for a perfectionist.”
Keep it going Hawks and Fly High!!
Mickey will be first with the Boys competition starting at 1:00pm on Thursday. You can see that Mickey has the 5th best mark of the 8 athletes but in a sport that has so many variables that being perfect can put you in the lead.
All Field Events besides the Pole Vault or similar. Discus, shot put, javelin and hammer throws are people throwing objects as far as possible. Long Jump, Triple Jump, and High Jump has the athletes throwing themselves as far or high as possible.
The Pole Vault, in using the skills of those jumpers with your foot work and running down a runway and that object (pole) that will throw the athlete instead of throwing object. This event is the culmination of all of those other field events which shows just how easy it is you can miss but when you make it over that bar then that can be the most impressive event in Track & Field.
The TOP 8 STATE MEET Boy’s Pole Vault 1) Ben Kirbo Senior 15’6 Stephenville Region ! 2) Mitch Thompson Senior 15’3 Argyle Region I 3) Preston Pilgrim Sophomore 15’1 Pleasanton Region IV 4) Isaac Pollard Senior 14’6 PR Lindale Region II 5) Coby Mickey Junior 13’8 PR CL Hawks Region IV 6) Tomas Farr 13’6 PR Paris Region II 6) Christian Rubio Sophomore 13’6 PR Sour Lake Region III 6) Jackson Bragg Sophomore 13’6 PR Salado Region III
Let’s Go Coby/Alencia Hawks and The Ladies 4×400 Relay!!
