2019 Texas Track & Field Year in Review
By all accounts, 2019 was a year to remember in Texas Track & Field. At both the high school and collegiate levels, names we’re familiar with grew into legendary status, while many had breakout seasons and became part of the weekly discussion. Others, as we anticipate annually, flew onto our collective radar for the first time; these are tomorrow’s stars, Texas’ next great track and field athletes.
2019 is filled with drama and intrigue at all levels, so let’s look at some of the stories that kept our attention. In no particular order; rather, off the top of my head:
FasTrak Athletix and the University of Houston
Bella and Anthony
Matthew Boling and Jasmine Moore: Gatorade National High School Track & Field Athletes of the Year
UIL All-Time Marks Set
TAPPS All-Time Marks Set
SPC Re-Cap
Who Moved into the Texas All-Time Top 5?
Austin Hosts an Amazing NCAA DI National Championship
No Branson Bragg
DeSoto Sprints to a National Record
Clyde Hart Retires
FasTrak Athletix and the University of Houston
On December 18, 2018, the University of Houston issued a press release to announce a 10-year agreement with Net Lease Capital to house a $2 million, 6-lane, 200-meter banked track with an 8-lane straightaway for sprints and hurdles and two runways for the horizontals and two vault runways.
Said Head Coach Leroy Burrell: “It has been a goal of mine to someday get a banked track in the facility during my career here. I'm excited to say that it will happen in a few days now thanks to the generous donation and partnership with Net Lease Capital, FasTrak, Doug, Thor and Steve. I also would be remiss if I didn't thank our athletics administration for sharing our vision and helping us to make a dream a reality. Today is a game-changing day for our program. Our current and future student-athletes will benefit greatly from the state of the art facility we will have and will continue the tradition of excellence that is Houston Cougar Track & Field.”
The track, now one of two indoor tracks in the United States that meet IAAF standards and is certified as such, proved game-changing, as multiple high school and collegiate personal bests were set along with several facility times and marks. The 2019-20 schedule is already available at the FasTrak Athletix website (https://fastrakathletix.com) and on the 2020 Meet Schedule page of the TTFCA website - https://www.ttfca.org/2020-meet-calendar.
From FasTrak Athletix Twitter
Bella and Anthony
It seems like an annual happening – a vaulter (or two) soars to new heights, building expectations for the future, be it the remainder of high school or the anticipation of a great college career. This year is no different, as two freshmen from Woodsboro who train at the Vault Barn with Coach Kevin Hall garnered the accolades.
Bella Coscetti
On January 12, 2019, at the Arkansas High School Invitational, Bella cleared 12-10 to set the national freshmen mark. Makayla Linebarger of Nevada and Mackenzie Hayward of Flower Mound owned the prior mark of 12-09. Bella ended the indoor campaign ranked #1 in Texas and #19 in the US at 12-10. Outdoors, she PR’d at 12-06 for Texas #13; no doubt, bright days ahead.
Anthony Meacham
At the Region 4-2A meet, Anthony cleared 16-01, the #1 mark for freshmen in the US. Among all grade levels, he finished the season ranked #9 in Texas and #41 in the nation. It’s apparent the Vault Barn will be a staple of pole vault production for years to come.
Courtesy MySouTex.com
From Twitter
Matthew Boling and Jasmine Moore: Gatorade National High School Track & Field Athletes of the Year
While Jasmine built her reputation over four years of winning medals and setting national age-group records in the triple jump, Matthew Boling, it appears, became an overnight – and viral – sensation.
Jasmine Moore
Jasmine collects medals and accolades as if they were on sale: multiple age-group triple jump records, four straight TTFCA Field Athlete of