Chapel Hill freshman Aryssa Cooper races to the finish line of the Class 4A girls 200 meters on Thursday in the UIL State Track & Field Meet in Austin. She finished fourth. (Travis Harsch/Tyler Morning Telegraph correspondent)

Staff Reports

AUSTIN — Defending champion Gilmer earned a share of a second straight title on Thursday, tying Iowa Colony for the Class 4A boys team championship at the University Interscholastic League Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium.

The Buckeyes’ Will Henderson also defended his 100-meter dash title with a clocking of 10.4 seconds.

Gilmer entered the final event of the day with an eight-point lead (58-50) on Iowa Colony, but the Pioneers placed second in the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes and 14.03 seconds to earn 16 points. The Buckeyes (Ta’Erik Tate, Trillyon Butler, Mykah Easley, Connor Dodd) placed fourth in the event at 3:18.03 to gather in eight more points and leave the two teams tied at 58-58.

Aubrey won the 1,600-relay with a 3:13.10 clocking, and Lindale (Clint Thurman, Hayes Brooks, David Lindig, Colter Maya) brought home the bronze medal with a time of 3:17.27.

Aubrey placed third with 52 points, followed by Canyon (32) and Lindale (22).

Rounding out the top 10 were: 6, (tie) Palestine, 20; Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis (20); 8, Kilgore (19); 9, Kingsville King (18); and 10, Brownwood (17).

Gilmer’s 400 relay foursome of Butler, Easley, Tate and Henderson clocked in at 40.56 to win the gold in the boys 400 relay. Iowa Colony was second at 40.97, and Palestine (Reese Hargers, Dreylon Spurlock, S’Vioarean Martin, Jon Denman) placed fifth with a time of 41.34.

The Buckeyes (Butler, Easley, Tate, Henderson) also won the 800 relay with a time of 1:24.71. Palestine (Denman, Ja’ron Johnson, Hargers, Spurlock) finished second at 1:26.13.

Lindale’s Colter Maya won gold in the 400-meter run (46.58). It was his second consecutive gold medal finish after taking silver as a freshmen in 2022. Wharton’s Jacorric Allen was second at 47.09, followed by Snyder’s (48.04).

East Texas won gold, silver and bronze, plus dominating in the boys 4A discus throw.

Kilgore’s Braydon Nelson, who earlier in the day earned a silver medal in the 4A shot put, struck gold in the discus with a toss of 188 feet, 1 inch. Lucas Cano of Gilmer finished second in the event with a best of 182-5.

McCager Smith of Athens made it a sweep in the event for East Texas with a throw of 180-3, and Demetris Dean of Jasper placed fourth at 177-4.

Kilgore’s Nelson earned the silver medal with a runner-up finish in the 4A boys shot put. He had a best throw of 56-4.50. Creece Brister of Stephenville won gold with a toss of 57-3.75.

Brownsboro’s Gekyle Baker was third (6-6), Kilgore’s Jacory Walton sixth (6-4) and Gilmer’s Brendan Webb seventh (6-2) in the boys 4A high jump. Aislee Bynum of Bridgeport went 6-8 to win the event.

Wills Point’s Joseph Rolland joined Baker’s bronze with a third-place finish in the triple jump (46-7.5). Brownwood’s Ike Hall won at 48-11.75.

Gilmer’s Dodd clocked in at 39.48 to finish eighth in the boys 4A 300 hurdles. Jasiah Rivera of Kingsville King won the event with a time of 37.12.

Taking silver in the 800-meter run was Mabank’s Korban Murphy (1:53.50), while Bullard’s Brayden Vining was fourth (1:55.16). Alex Niemniec, of Canyon, won the event (1:53.08).

Chapel Hill’s Jaylon Smith was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.13 seconds). Swayde Griffin, of Lago Vista, won the event (13.75).

Pittsburg’s Jaylen Holloway was seventh in the 200-meter dash (22.06).

Hudson’s Connor Graves was seventh in the 1600-meter run (4:26.93).

GIRLS

The Gilmer Lady Buckeyes’ 800 relay team of Alondria Nelson, Evelyn Applegate, Tasyiah Lewis and Alexis Kemp placed sixth at 1:42.20. Paris won the gold at 1:39.34.

Chapel Hill’s Aryssa Cooper, a freshman, took the bronze in the triple jump (39-7.25). Hannah Forde, of Frisco Panther Creek, finished first at 40-0.

The Lady Bulldogs were sixth in the 4×100 relay with a time of 48.37. The Chapel Hill relay included Debani Oblitas, R’Nyah Tomlinson, Ilaysha McGregor and Cooper. Paris won the gold (47.32).

Later, Cooper was fourth in the 200-meters (24.75). Jasmine Franklin, of Paris, won the 200 (24.18).

Carthage’s Sanaa Allison finished tied for sixth in the girls 4A high jump with a best of 5-4. Kendall Lemm of Boerne won the event at 5-8.

Bullard’s Carly Tucker was seventh in the long jump (17-4.5). Falyn Lott, of Frisco Panther Creek, won the event (19-0.25).

Sulphur Springs’ Jaicee Jasmer won the pole vault (13-0).

Mabank’s Trista Etheridge was third in the 800-meters (2:13.30). She was ninth in the 1600 (5:40.17).