Burnet County athletes earn medal, set PRs at Texas Relays
CAPTION: Marble Falls High School 1,600-meter runners Greg Colver (left), Gage Coleman, horizontal jumper Madison Cuplin, Graham Goggans and Connor Yaklin. Courtesy photo
Several Burnet County athletes competed at the 98th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays April 3-4.
Marble Falls Junior Madison Cuplin finished third in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and a half inch April 3 and didn’t compete in the triple jump because of weather April 4.
“It wasn’t her best series of jumps, but she was still able to hit a high-level mark within her six attempts, which speaks to her consistency and competitiveness,” head coach Brenda Gonzalez said. “She was a bit out of rhythm and with the event running later in the evening, around 9 p.m., that can be challenging. Finishing third in that field is a big accomplishment.”
In the boys 1,600-meter relay, the Marble Falls team of juniors Gage Coleman, Greg Colver and Connor Yaklin and sophomore Graham Goggans ran to its best time of the season, finishing in 3 minutes and 27.759 for 18th overall
The environment at the Texas Relays can be intimidating based on the size – the venue, the number of professional, collegiate and high school athletes and simply the number of events happening each day.
“Meets like this are extremely valuable,” Gonzalez said. “(Cuplin) is competing against some of the best athletes, and that level of competition prepares her for what’s ahead. Also, getting experience at Mike A. Myers Stadium — where the state meet is held — is a big advantage. It helps her get comfortable with the environment and expectations at that stage.”
Gonzalez noted Cuplin kept her objective of competing to the best of her ability.
“I’m really proud of how she competed and continued to put herself in a position to succeed,” she said. “She did a great job staying composed and finding a way to perform even when everything didn’t feel perfect. That’s what high-level athletes do — they compete through it and still deliver strong results. I’m really proud of Maddie and how she continues to represent our program. She’s a competitor, she’s resilient, and she continues to grow each time she steps on the runway.”
The Burnet High School girls 1,600-meter relay team of sophomore Brooklynn Dawes, freshman Izabelle Thompson and juniors Brianne Smith and Cali Eason finished 46th in 4:15.409.
In the boys 400-meter relay, the Burnet team of sophomore Caden Farmer, junior Colt McGraw and seniors Cohen Jorpeland and Clay Lamb finished 20th in 43.23 seconds, while the Lady Dawgs relay team of freshman Alaina Brown, sophomores Molly Cupitt and Cheyenne Adams and junior Hayden McCombs finished 48th in 51.47 seconds.
Marble Falls and Burnet will compete in the District 24-4A meet Wednesday and Thursday, April 8-9, at Bulldog Field in Burnet.
