Lady Flames light up Round Rock Christian meet
GEORGETOWN — Faith Academy Lady Flame Laura Lykken nailed the hat trick with three gold medals while teammate Kendra Field added a couple of her own as the squad shattered the competition with 198 points for first place at the Round Rock Christian Invitational Track and Field meet April 10.
“Laura and Kendra had ‘perfect’ days by winning all their events and the team title,” said coach Stephen McCannon. “They are really showing their senior leadership.”
Field earned first in the discus (119 feet) and shot put (34 feet, 8.5 inches). Lykken sported gold for her success in the long jump (16-4 3/4), triple jump (31-3 1/2) and the 800-meter run (2 minutes, 36.45 seconds).
With the two seniors leading the way, the Lady Flames earned 90 team points more than the second place squad of Central Texas Christian Academy. Universal City First Baptist School came in third with 68 points.
“This was a huge confidence-booster for us,” McCannon said. “We are really starting to fire on all cylinders.”
The Lady Flames are gearing up for the district meet April 22 at Leander Rouse High School. McCannon said the team will face the toughest district competition they’ve ever seen, with 17 teams fighting for a coveted regional berth.
All sights are set on the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state track and field meet May 7-8 at Baylor University in Waco.
“Winning a state championship is a process, and it starts at district,” the coach said.
The Lady Flames made a loud statement the Round Rock Christian meet, which was held in Georgetown. One key to winning meets and advancing to state, McCannon said, is turning in strong relay performances. On Saturday, the three Lady Flames relays were perfect with three entries and three gold medals.
“I could not be more proud of the relays,” McCannon said. “We dropped our times by two seconds in both the (4)x100 and (4)x200 and six seconds in the 4×400.”
The 4×100-meter team consists of Kristyn Stagner, Field, Kentlee Cozby and Tori Diamond. The 4×200-meter team consists of Stagner, Field, Cozby and Lykken, while the 4×400-meter relay comprises Stagner, Field, Lykken and Bailey Brinkley.
Along with her relay performance, Diamond earned silver medals in thee events (pole vault, 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles).
Brooke Field threw the discus 107 feet, good enough for silver, and received bronze at shot put, 29-11 3/4. Cozby gave the team a boost outside the relays, placing second in the 400-meter hurdles and third in triple jump.
With the “warm ups” over, the Lady Flames will now focus on the upcoming district meet and a return to the state meet at Baylor.
“We are starting to compete,” McCannon said. “The march begins to Waco.”