Flames track team finishes in top three at district meet
CEDAR PARK — Wanting to give a great performance and actually doing it are two separate thoughts.
But for the Faith Academy boys track team, the athletes were able to accomplish both as the Flames finished third in the district meet Thursday.
“Our boys district is a very competitive district,” head coach John Berkman said. “Just like all of our boys sports. Track isn’t any different.”
Several Faith athletes advanced to the regional track meet thanks to finishing in the top four in their events.
Freshman Jake Diamond won the pole vault thanks to clearing 9 feet, 6 inches.
Berkman said the finish was impressive given the fact it marked the first time Diamond competed on the varsity level.
Junior Dylan Robichaux came in second in the shot put with a heave of 38-3 1/4, while junior Randy Burton was fourth with a throw of 35-9.
“Both have a great chance to move on to state,” Berkman said.
Senior Will Shipp advanced to regionals in two events: the discus and the 200-meter run. He finished second in the discus with a toss of 117-9 and third in the 200 in 23.97 seconds.
Berkman said he was especially happy for Shipp’s 200 performance.
“He missed it last year by one place,” the coach said. “He was able to get in this year. Will threw his personal best in district to move on to regionals.”
Senior Adrian Byrd placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 19-8.
The 4×100 relay team of Shipp, Diamond, freshman Brian Freeman and junior Zach McAnally finished fourth in 47.06 seconds.
The 4×200 relay team of Freeman, Burton, McAnally and Diamond came in third in 1:38.94.
The time equaled the relay team’s best of the year, Berkman said.
The 4×400 relay team of Robichaux, junior Travis Roeder, Diamond and Shipp finished third in 3:48, which was its best time of the season, the coach said.
“One of our biggest goals was to get our relay teams out of district and into regionals,” he said. “That was a big deal for us. For them to come out and perform was a big deal. We have at least two freshmen in each relay. We were able to do really well there and fight those guys off.”
Sophomore Casey Clendennen and McAnally each turned in their season best time in the 200 meters in 2:20 and 2:28, respectively. Roeder finished in 2:31.
Clendennen finished the 400 meters in 62.31 seconds, while Roeder was done in 63.34, and McAnally completed the race in 65.94 seconds.
McAnally turned in his best time of the season in the 300-meter hurdles in 47.34 seconds.
Freeman finished the 200 dash in 25.51 seconds, while junior Cyle Earwood completed the race in 27.09 seconds.
Diamond had a mark of 33-6 1/2 in the triple jump, while Freeman leaped 32-10 1/2.
Robichaux placed fifth in the discus with a throw of 97-4, while Burton was sixth with a toss of 97-4.
What made the finishes even better was the fact the Flames performed well despite the rain, Berkman said.
“It was just a nasty day for track,” he said. “Our kids are resilient. They stepped up, and it was definitely good to see them compete like that.”
The coach believes the results at district show how hard the athletes have trained throughout the season.
“For our boys, it’s quite an accomplishment,” he said. “I think it says a lot as far as competitiveness and just fighting to get after it. They worked week in and week out to improve themselves.”