Mustang track and field athletes head into district meet finals

MARBLE FALLS — Though the Marble Falls High School track and field teams have three runners with the best times headed into the April 12 finals of the District 25-4A meet, head coach Kyle Futrell said don’t count out the other Mustangs.

That’s because he has witnessed a runner with the eighth-best qualifying time finish in the top three to advance to the regional meet.

“We’re certainly glad about the people who qualified,” Futrell said. “We’ve qualified more than we have the last couple of years.”

But runners with the best times are favorites for a reason and in the case of sophomore Sarah Stripling (800 meters) and junior Cody Schulz (100 meters and 200 meters), those Mustangs simply need to run consistent races with no mistakes to move on, Futrell said.

The Mustangs won’t win a division because they don’t have enough athletes in each event to earn enough points, he said.

“But we’re going to win as many events as other schools,” he said. “Our depth has improved. The kids have been real resilient all year. The kids have had a fun, fun season.”

The running events begin at 5 p.m. April 12 at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive.

Mustangs in the finals

800 – Sarah Stripling and Darby Hibbs

100 – Whitney Ulbricht; Cody Schulz

200 – Schulz

400 –  Maddie Johnson and Stripling (Haley Stephens is the first alternate); Johnny Garcia

300 hurdles – Sarah Lewis; Austin Bird

1,600 – Hibbs; Anjel Guerrero