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Eleventh heaven: Plano ISD sends handful of runners to state meet
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Plano ISD will be represented in full force for the latest edition of the Class 5A Track and Field State Championships.
The athletes from Plano East, Plano Senior and Plano West assured as much by totaling 11 qualifications Saturday in Lubbock at the Region I Meet.
"This city has definitely gotten faster in multiple events," said Gene Cahill, Plano head coach. "The people that we have to race against on the East and West side have helped us all get faster."
While the state meet will feature athletes looking to defend titles or capture ones that eluded them previously, there are also those enjoying their first trip to varsity track's grand finale.
Such is the case with Plano sophomore Taylor Pegram, who is assured a spot in Austin after placing second in the 100-meter hurdles (14.49).
"It's very, very exciting," Cahill said. "[Pegram has] gotten faster and faster with each meet and really hit her stride in workouts about a month ago, so we knew this was a definite possibility."
Pegram fell a mere seven-hundredths of a second shy of a regional championship, edged by Saginaw's Lyric Lawrence (14.42).
"There was actually a little drama to it," Cahill said. "The day before, we thought [Pegram] false-started and it was actually a double-click on the gun. In the finals, she was leading going into the eighth hurdle and she clipped a little bit, just enough for [Lawrence] to get by her."
It also required edging the same runner who topped Pegram two weeks prior at the District 8-5A Meet as East senior Madison Hansen placed third (14.97). All was not lost though as Hansen too will be making the trek to Austin for the first time after placing second in the 300 hurdles (43.63).
Joining her will be teammate and state meet regular, senior Jennifer Madu.
In prime position to defend her state crown in the 100 and triple jump, Madu may be in line to add two more events to her mantle after placing first at regionals in both the 200 (23.66) and long jump (19-0 1/2), in addition to the 100 (11.46) and triple jump (41-0 3/4).
The Lady Panthers also advanced their 4x100 relay unit of Milaun Mack, Judith Ijomah, Hansen and Madu to state after placing first (46.74).
Similar success was garnered in the East boys 400 relay with the quartet of seniors Nathan Meadors, Corey Bassett, Tre Jones and Dante Taylor qualifying for state with a second-place finish (40.96). Bassett will also be in action in the 100 after scampering to second (10.76).
West will enjoy some activity in Austin as well.
Senior Carlos Wiggins punched his ticket to state for the first time after posting second in the 200 (21.11) and lending a hand in the Wolves' 4x200 relay alongside Jason Stephens, Matt Owoseni and Oshen Matheson, which finished second -- albeit by the slimmest of margins after Duncanville and West were separated by four-thousandths of a second (1:26.676 for the Panthers and 1:26.680 for the Wolves).
This is the third time in four years all three PISD schools have qualified someone for the state meet, which is slated for May 11-12 from Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
"[Pegram is] a sophomore and usually the winners for these are upperclassmen," Cahill said. "It's almost always a senior, so this will be a learning experience where we go down and hope she can place.
"If she brings back a medal, that's just a cherry on top of this great season."
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