UIL 6A Girls State Meet Preview

The team title race for the UIL 6A Girls State Track and Field meet should be a good one this year with Duncanville trying to repeat as champions while Shadow Creek will give them all they can handle.

Although those two teams look to be in the driver's seat toward the top of the awards stand, Flower Mound, Klein Forest, and Humble Summer Creek could still scratch and claw their way onto the podium.

Duncanville qualified all three of their relays for the meet and are expected to finish first or second in each. They own season best times of 45.27 in the 4x100m, 1:36.28 in the 4x200m and 3:41.65 in the 4x400m.

Only De'Kayla Simpson will be in an individual running event, the 400m, where she is the fourth seed. Alana Butler in the discus and Ashley Lister in the long jump are also expected to contribute points to the cause.

Shadow Creek will also be relying heavily upon their relays. They sport times of 45.63 in the 4x100m, 1:35.76 in the 4x200m and 3:44.22 in the 4x400m but are projected for 12 fewer points than Duncanville in the relays despite the time comparisons being close.

In Mackenzie Collins and Lailah Hudson they have two athletes who should score in the 300H and Tiffany Mugubi is one of the top half-milers and has a 2:09.66 time next to her name.

While Duncanville has a higher projected total the meet could go either way and it is likely to come down to the 4x400m relay.

There are two individuals who have qualified individually in three events this year.

San Juanita Leal and Faith Murphy run a pair of sub 2:10 runs at 2024 Region 4-6A Championships in the 800m

The first is Edinburg North's San Juanita Leal who won the 1600m and 3200m last year and has added the 800m to her repertoire this year. She enters the meet among the favorites in all three events and owns times of 2:08.64 in the 800m, 4:46.57 in the 1600m and 10:23.92 in the 3200m.

The second is Harlan's Iyanna Webb who nearly qualified in four events but had to settle for the long jump, triple jump and 100H. This is her third time at the State meet in the triple jump and second in the long jump. She has jumped over 20-feet in the long jump and 42-feet in the triple jump this year.

Leal and Tiffany Mugubi are two of the four girls who have run faster than 2:10 this year in the 800m. Last year's winning time was 2:08.55 and it would not be a surprise to see it lower this year since one of the runners who has not broken 2:10 this year is Brennan's Caila Lyons who finished as the runner-up last year in 2:09.82.

Flower Mound's Nicole Humphries owns the fastest time on the year, 2:07.03. Humphries is also the top seed in the 1600m but will have to deal with Leal who will be going for back-to-back State titles.

There are a total of six athletes back from last year's final but another person to keep an eye on is Denton Braswell's Macy Wingard who did not qualify as a freshman but is ranked third heading into this year's meet.

Wingard does own the fastest time in the State in the 3200m, 10:17.92. In addition to Leal, she will also have to deal with Flower Mound's Alexandra Fox who did not make the State meet last year but finished third in the 3200m in 2022. Those three are the favorites to hit the medal stand.

Celeste Robinson took the 2024 Region 2-6A 100m title

The 100m features five girls returning from last year's final, but the top two entering the meet are both newcomers, London Jackson Bray of Katy and Indya Mayberry of North Crowley.

Jackson Bray owns a season best of 11.19 while Mayberry has clocked 11.25. Cypress Ranch's Celeste Robinson is the reigning State champ and enters with the third best time on the season. Robinson has a chance to win both the 100m and 200m.

Mayberry enters the meet with the fastest 200m of 23.02 while Nasya Williams (DeSoto), Faith Franklin (Harlingen) and Taylor Jackson (Fort Bend Elkins) all return from last year's final.

Franklin is the top seed in the 400m and ran 53.15 in both the Regional prelims and finals. Northwest Nelson's Skylar Brazzell is the only other runner who has broken 54 seconds this year. Franklin was last season's 6A runner-up in the event.

This event figured to be a dazzling TX No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown between  Humble Summer Creek sophomore and top ranked Brooke Lloyd (52.76) and Franklin. However Lloyd was injured in the finals of Region 3-6A and unable to race in the 400m.

The 100H returns last year's champion in Rylee Hampton of Cypress Ridge but it is another returner from last year, Bridgeland's Lillian Harden who has the fastest time coming into the meet at 13.22. Harden was the runner-up a year ago.

Hampton has been sidelined this year until district championships due to injury. However, she has managed to run herself into hurdler rhythm. Two weeks out from her Region 3-6A win and we should see her closing in on last year's speed.

In Hampton's absence, Harden has been dominant. She has run amuck this year and has been undefeated outdoors.

Lillian Harden (4) wins 2024 Region 2-6A 100H

Reagan's Isabella Dagrosa is the only returner who competed in both the 100H and 300H last year. She enters the meet as the top seed in the 300H after finishing second last year. Dagrosa ran a season best time of 41.57 during the Regional prelims but will face stiff competition from Mackenzie Collins, Lillian Harden, Lailah Hudson and Krystan Bright of Cedar Hill.

The 4x100m relay features five teams that have posted times faster than 46 seconds led by Klein Forest's 45.06. They will be attempting to repeat as State champs in the event.

Shadow Creek and Duncanville have the top two times in the 4x200m while three others have also run faster than 1:37.00. Duncanville has the top 4x400m time on the season although it was Northwest Nelson that ran the best time at the Regional meets.

Despite not having TX No. 1 Humble Summer Creek at the state meet finals, this will be a hotly contested event, but knocking off the reigning and defending champs will be a tall task for anyone.

Midland Legacy has a pair of throwers who can contend for titles this year. Bolaji Subair has the best discus throw on the season at 161-0 while her teammate, Pamela Ouattara has thrown 46-5.75 in the shot put and is ranked right behind Janey Campbell of Katy Seven Lakes.

Skylynn Townsend will leap towards two more UIL 6A state jump titles 

In the discus, Jayden Kimble (Humble Atascocita), Jazmine Thompson (Harlingen) and Olivia Chamizo (Denton Guyer) have all thrown past 150-feet. Thompson will likely be a factor in the shot put as well.

Reagan's MacKenzie Dagrosa is the only athlete who has cleared 6-0 in the high jump this year and she was an indoor national champion as well. Savannah Byers of Kingwood, McCarley Gite of Oak Ridge and Brianna Rivers of Summer Creek have all cleared 5-10 and will challenge for the State title.

The horizontal jumps will feature Skylynn Townsend of Rock Hill who won the long jump and triple jump in 2023. She is one of five girls who have jumped past 20-feet in the long jump this year although it is Cypress Park's Sydnee Burr who has the top mark of 20-9.

In the triple jump, Townsend had an incredible jump of 44-5.5 at the Texas Relays but has been consistently around 42-feet. Burr and Iyanna Webb have each jumped 42-feet as well this year.

The pole vault is a difficult event to forecast this year. Only Royse City's Jacelyn Neighbors returns from last year's final and she has the best mark of the season, 12-10.25. However, there are four others who have cleared at least 12-3 this season.