The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX

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April 2, 2010

Gilbert advances to 100-meter finals at Texas Relays

Huntsville’s relay teams finish back in pack

The Huntsville Item

HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville senior Justin Gilbert booked a spot in the main event. With a sizzling showing in the prelims for the 100-meter dash, Gilbert earned a place in the finals of the Texas Relays this afternoon in Austin.

Hopefully, he will have some company as some of his teammates try this morning to advance to the finals at Mike Myers Stadium at the University of Texas.

Gilbert ran a 10.79-second time, which was the sixth-fastest time of more than 60 sprinters in the high school Division II race. Prezel Hardy of Killeen Ellison ran the best time, a 10.57, and his teammate, Michael Bryan (10.58) was not far behind.

A three-sport star at Huntsville High who will be heading off to play football at Oklahoma State this fall, Gilbert is finishing his Hornet career with a bang. He helped Huntsville win its first playoff football game in 18 years last season, then he played a key role in the Hornets’ run back to the Region III basketball tournament last month.

On Friday, Gilbert proved he was far from finished with high school sports. He wants to make it to the state track meet this spring, and this weekend’s experience at the Texas Relays should help him as he tries to reach that goal.

Gilbert runs in the 100-meter finals at about 4 p.m. today.

Three relay teams from Huntsville High competed Friday, but none of them advanced to the finals.

The Lady Hornets fell short in both the 4-by-200-meter relay and the 4-by-400-meter relay. Huntsville’s 4-by-200 team of Jamie Brown, Shan Moring, Jasmine Williams and Kaylynne Wright ran a 1:44.78, which placed them 30th in the prelims out of 59 teams.

Houston Westbury (1:37.37) ran the best preliminary time in the 4-by-200 relay, followed by Mansfield Timberview (1:39.21), The Woodlands (1:39.72) and Lancaster (1:39.77).

Huntsville’s 4-by-400 team of Moring, Briana McCall, Sierra Wagner and Wright turned in a time of 4:10.20, which placed them 74th out of more than 90 teams in the Division II (or big school) event.

Again, Westbury ran the fastest time, a 3:46.19, which was nearly a second better than the next-best time turned in by Mansfield Timberview (3:47.16). DeSoto posted the third-best time, a 3:47.43, and Houston Lamar was fourth (3:48.80).

The Huntsville boys team of Dimitri Collier, Cameron Simmons, Henry Ford and Gilbert ran a 1:29.97 time in the 4-by-200 relay. That put them 31st of 59 teams.

This morning at 9:30, the Lady Hornets and Hornets will be back on the track, trying to earn a spot in the finals of the 4-by-100 relays.

Sophomore RaKira Turner will also compete in the girls discus for Huntsville at 9 a.m. Before she left for Austin, Turner said she hoped to record a personal-best throw of 130 feet at the Texas Relays, then she bettered that goal not once or twice, but thrice at the Wildkat Relays in Willis on Thursday afternoon.

“All three of her throws were over 130 (feet),” Huntsville discus coach David Cooper said with a smile.

Turner won both the shot put and discus events at the Wildkat Relays.

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