Hopes are high for area track and field athletes

Athletes look to defend their title while others look to make it a first
Houston area athletes will ground the University of Texas Campus Friday and Saturday for the UIL Track and Field Finals at Mike A. Myers Stadium.  
In search of gold, individual and team titles are at stake.  
Distance runners will set the stage in the early hours.  The Woodlands Madi McLellan, Cy-Fair’s Lauren Fritz, Sarah Pena and College Park’s Katie Jensen all will be in action Friday morning competing for the 3200 Meter Run Title.   The boys will follow with College Park’s Brian Gohike, Seven Lakes Alex LeRoux, Cy-Woods Craig Nowak and The Woodlands Phil Schneider. 
Three Houston Area Schools will battle in the boys 4×100 Meter Relay which includes Hightower, Klein Forest and North Shore.  Fort Bend Marshall, Klein Forest and North Shore will represent the area in the 4×200 Meter Relay.
A season ending leg injury has sidelined last season’s Boys 100 and 200 Meter Dash Champ, Sheroid Evans.   Jaylon Hicks who was runner up to Evans in the 100 Meter Dash is expected to compete for the gold along with Fort Bend Ridge Point’s Cameron Burrell.  Burrell was a part of the Hightower Hurricanes Track team but the opening of the new school (Ridge Point) forced all freshmen and sophomores living in the school boundaries to relocate.  
Katie Willard of The Woodlands posted the fastest time in the 800 Meter Run, at 2:11.66.  Alicia Perkins is headed to state in the girls 100 Hurdles after a season ending injury early last year.   She will face two other locals in Langham Creek’s Adrienne Mosby and Hightower’s Kayla Savoie.
 India Daniels, last year’s 100 Meter Girls Champ will have her hands full with Jennifer Madu of Plano East.  The race is loaded from top to bottom and figures to be one of the most competitive events of the day.  The Girls 200 Meter Dash looks to be equally as competitive or better with a studded line up.  Elkin’s Taylor Houston is last years (200 Meter Dash Champ).
In field events, Dickinson’s Lauryn Caldwell qualified for state with a Discus throw of 142-01, the second best toss of all the state competitors.  Oak Ridge’s Dalton Rowan will take his top toss of 182-07 to Austin. 
Alicia Perkins and Hightower’s Carissa Hill will enter a highly competitive long jump contest.
Spring’s Reese Watson hopes to bring home gold in the Boys Pole Vault.
The North Shore Boys will be seeking their second straight state title.  This year has been a bit of a surprise for the Mustangs after Tim Cornett, Larry Stephens and DeAndrew White were all lost to graduation.  But even with the void they have been steady all season, winning every meet they’ve competed in this year.  Jermaine Authorlee, Devante Davis and Jaylon Hicks lead the charge.  Both Authorlee and Hicks are a part of the 4×100, 4×200 Meter Relay.   Authorlee will also compete in the 200 Meter Dash.
Coach Cross believes that if the kids keep the focus on themselves everything will take care of its self.
Kingwood Park’s Mariam Amadu highlights the girls’ 4A action when she goes for her third 300-Meter Hurdles Title.
West Orange Stark, the winner four consecutive Class 3A Region III Titles will be looking for their third state title.