Faith Academy girls finish third at state track meet, boys are 11th
CAPTION: The Faith Academy of Marble Falls Lady Flames and their coaches with their bronze medals for earning third place at the Class 3A state meet. Courtesy photo
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls track and field teams competed at the Class 3A state meet of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools May 5-6.
The Lady Flames finished third in the team standings by scoring 68 points, one point more than fourth-place finisher Fort Worth Covenant. A total of 26 schools competed.
The Flames were 11th with 27 schools competing.
“I am proud of our girls for finding a way to the podium and fighting for every point,” head coach Steve McCannon said. “Once again, one point is the difference. When you are having a bad day or conditions are not ideal, you can’t feel sorry for yourself and must continue to compete.”
Faith Murphy led all Faith athletes thanks to taking triple gold in the 400, 800 and 1,600 meters. Her time of 2 minutes and 15.45 seconds in the 800 meters set a new state record.
“Faith had a huge day at the Oval Office,” McCannon said. “Three state titles, one state record that was over 30 years old, two near misses for state records in the other events, and clutch performance with high expectations. I could not be more proud of her. She is a force, and her future is as bright as it can be.”
Morgan Weems took double silver in the discus and shot put.
“Morgan was winning until the last throw in discus and was nipped by three inches,” the coach said. “She started slow in shot but ended up in second place by a quarter of inch, which ended up being the difference for team standings. I think she is going to come back her senior year looking for gold.”
Kara Kwan was the bronze medalist in the triple jump and earned valuable points in the long jump and as a member of the 1,600-meter relay team.
“Kara set a personal best in triple jump and helped us get off to a good start on day one,” McCannon said. “We will miss her dearly both in track and cross country. She was a five-event athlete and a joy to be around.”
William Eppler led the Flames by earning a bronze medal in the 800 meters, while Beau Steele was fifth. Jett Murphy and Brock Davis each finished fourth in the 1,600 meters high jump, respectively.
“William was able to get in top three in windy conditions,” McCannon said. “He has improved each year. He will be in the hunt for the title next year.“
He noted the Flames 400-meter state record set in 2022 was broken this year, illustrating the challenges facing the Faith athletes.
“It was a very competitive state meet,” he said. “In the relays, many of our school record times would not have won, so you can see the higher level of competition. I think track reveals character, and competition puts the heart of the athlete in a position to decide whether to compete or not. I enjoy watching our athletes progress physically, mentally and most of all, learning to compete as a team and being part of something bigger than themselves.”
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RESULTS
BOYS
800 — 3, William Eppler, 2:08.46, 5, Beau Steele, 2:10.93; 1,600 — 4, Jett Murphy, 4:42.19; high jump — 4, Brock Davis, 5-10
GIRLS
200 — 7, Charlee Ehrig, 29.29; 400 — 1, Faith Murphy, 57.16, 7, Haley Kruger, 1:05.94; 800 — 1, Faith Murphy, 2:15.45 (new state record); 1,600 — 1, Faith Murphy, 5:15.76; 4×400 — 6, Faith Academy (Anabelle Merlick, Kara Kwan, Carly Owens, Haley Kruger), 4:29.59; shot put — 2, Morgan Weems, 33-7.25; discus — 2, Morgan Weems, 108-11; long jump — 5, Kara Kwan, 15-6.25; triple jump — 3, Kara Kwan, 33-3.5; pole vault — 7, Claire Poage, 8-0
CAPTION: Faith Murphy runs to the finish line to earn a gold medal at the Class 3A state meet of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Courtesy photo
