TAPPS State Track: Grace boys finish second, Lady Cougars’ Jo Murray high point; Gorman’s Crumpton sets 100-meter mark

Published 5:41 pm Sunday, May 5, 2019

Courtesy Grace Community Athletics

The Grace Community tracksters put on a good show this weekend in the TAPPS 5A Track & Field Championships at Waco Midway High School’s Panther Stadium.

The Cougars scored 72 points to finish second in the meet of 25 schools and the Lady Cougars, behind high point of the meet Jo Murray, also scored 72 points to placed third. Bishop Gorman’s Chase Crumpton set a state record in the 100-meter dash.

The championships were held Friday and Saturday.

TAPPS 5A BOYS

With gold medals from Joshua Murray and Uchenna Uduma in the hurdles, plus silvers in two relays, the Grace Community Cougars dashed to the overall silver in the team race.



Murray, a sophomore, won the 110-meter hurdles in a clocking of 15.45 seconds, out-running Fort Worth Southwest Christian senior Samuel Corley (15.47) to the finish line.

Uduma, a senior, had the third-best seeding time, but in the final he was the best, racing to a time of 40.85. Houston Lutheran South’s Adam Zimmerman was runner-up at 41.11.

The Cougars were second in the 4×200 with senior Wes Tolleson, junior Luke Smith, Uduma and junior Alvin Skipworth dashing to a time of 1 minute and 31.13 seconds. San Antonio Christian won at 1:28.77.

In the 4×400 it was silver for the Grace team of Murray, Smith, Tolleson and Skipworth in a time of 3:30.51. Austin St. Michael’s won at 3:25.60.

Grace freshman Braden Shaw took the silver in the pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches. San Antonio Christian junior Adam Craig won at 13-0. 

Uduma was sixth in the long jump (19-4¼). Corley won at 23-5½ to break the state mark of 23-1 set by Houston St. Pius X’s Mark Venric in 2010.

Gorman’s Crumpton and Brook Hill junior Khalan Griffin were 1-2 in the 100-meter dash. Crumpton, a senior, won the gold in 10.72 seconds to break the state mark set by N. Arnette of Dallas Bishop Lynch in 1997 of 10.80. Griffin took the silver at 11.06.

BG’s Charles Ifeadi, a sophomore, was second in the 200-meter dash at 21.93. Brandon Richard of San Antonio Christian set the state mark at 21.86, breaking the record of Dallas Episcopal’s Alex Henderson of 21.88 set in 2008.

The Crusaders also ran to the gold in the 4×100 in a time of 42.85. Relay members are senior Joseph Martins, junior Jeremiah Milton, Ifeadi and Crumpton. The Grace team of Tolleson, Smith, Uduma and Skipworth were seventh (44.44).

Gorman senior Cameron Weldon was fifth in the triple jump (42-½). San Antonio Christian’s Caleb Durham-Honer, a senior, won at 46-5.

Brook Hill senior Garrett Davis tied for fourth in the high jump (6-0). Peyton Soderstrom of Houston Lutheran South won at 6-0 with fewer misses.

Guard junior Nico Flores was sixth in the discus throw (131-3). Pablo Zolezzi, a senior at Brownsville St. Joseph, won at 159-5.

In the team race, San Antonio Christian won with 108 points, followed by Grace (72), Victoria St. Joseph (62.5), Austin St. Michael’s (62) and Houston Westbury Christian. Bishop Gorman was seventh (42) and Bullard Brook Hill was 17th (15.5). Twenty-eight schools scored in the meet.

TAPPS 5A Girls

Murray, a senior, was high point of the meet with 46 points, which included two golds, two silvers and a fourth-place finish with her teammates in the 4×400 meter relay.

Murray captured first placed in the high jump and triple jump.

In the high jump she rose to a height of 5 feet, 6 inches. Abigail Hirth of Houston Cypress Christian was runner-up with 5-4. Bullard Brook Hill’s Grace Brasher, a senior, took the bronze at 5-2. Bishop Gorman’s Merritt Dial, a freshman, placed sixth at 4-10.

Murray won the TJ with a distance of 37-¾. Carrollton Prince of Peace’s Shelby Stark was second at 36-2. Grace teammate, sophomore Maddie Rutherford, was fifth at 34-3½.

Murray was runner-up in both the 100-meter hurdles (15.24 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (47.27). Houston Second Baptist’s Madelein Johnson won the 100 hurdles (14.98) and Gorman junior Maria Danly was eighth (21.29).

In the 300s, Austin St. Michael’s runner Jennifer Thomson was first (46.04) and Danly was fourth (47.74).

Grace’s Jordan Tauscher, who is headed to Kansas State University on a track scholarship, took double gold in the shot and discus.

Tauscher claimed first in the shot with a distance of 37 feet, 7¼ inches. Fort Bend Christian’s Jacquelyn Jessup was runner-up at 36-4¾.

In the discus, Tauscher won easily by almost 17 feet. She claimed the top spot with a throw of 125-7. Anna Riach of Grapevine Faith Christian was second at 108-10. 

In the pole vault, Brook Hill freshman Leah Rogers placed runner-up at 10-6. San Antonio Christian’s Abigail Craig was first 11-0. Grace sophomore Cassidy Tolleson was seventh (8-6).

Brook Hill freshman Katlyn Jasper was seventh in the long jump at 15-7¾. Frisco Legacy Christian’s Ale Rtenis won at 16-9.

In the 800-meter dash, Gorman sophomore Victoria Burnette claimed the silver with 2:28.44. Austin St. Michael’s senior Kinga Parrish won at 2:23.81.

Bishop Gorman sophomore Elayna Metzger won silver (1600-meters) and bronze (3200-meters) in the distance races. St. Michael’s senior Mary Hodapp won both races (5:32.20 in the 1600) and (11:54.12 in the 3200). Metzger was runner-up in the 1600-meters at 5:35.50 with teammate Burnette second at 5:36.45.

Metzger was third in the 3200 with a clocking of 12:02.71. Bishop Gorman’s Mia Behm still holds the state record of 10:54.90 set in 2008.

Gorman’s Dial was fifth in the 200-meter dash at 27.03 seconds. San Antonio Christian’s Craig won at 25.09.

The Lady Crusaders were seventh in the 4×100 relay at 52.94. Relay members were junior Valerie Macedo, freshman Christine Ifeadi, sophomore Sloane Salitore and Dial. San Antonio Christian won at 51.00.

In the 4×400, Grace placed fourth at 4:19.96 with freshman Macy Smith, senior Sierra Benner, sophomore Cate Craddock and Murray. Gorman was seventh at 4:28.22 with Metzger, senior Katherine Watts, senior Elise Pritchard and Danly.

In the team race, San Antonio Christian won with 124.5 points, followed by Austin St. Michael’s (100), the Grace Lady Cougars (72), Victoria St. Joseph (52), Houston Cypress Christian (51) and Bishop Gorman Lady Crusaders (49). Brook Hill’s Lady Guard were 14th at 16. Twenty-six schools scored in the meet.

TAPPS 4A BOYS

All Saints Episcopal School’s DeKerryan White, a junior, placed fourth in the long jump with a distance of 18-7¼. Lubbock Trinity Christian’s Daniel Wheeler won with a 22-3.5.

All Saints was 24th with five points. Colleyville Covenant Christian won the meet with 119 points, followed The Woodlands Christian (96.5), League City Bay Area (67.5), Lubbock Christian (64) and Willow Park Trinity Christian (59). Twenty-six schools scored in the meet.