Marble Falls, Burnet track athletes advance to regionals

CAPTION: Seniors Victor Aviles of Burnet (middle) and Tyler Hamblin of Marble Falls run their way back to the Class 4A Region III meet thanks to finishing in the top four of the middle-distance races at the District 23 and 24-4A area meet. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

Several Burnet and Marble Falls high school track and field athletes extended their seasons thanks to finishing in the top four of the District 23 and 24-4A area meet April 9 hosted by Jarrell High School.

As a group, the middle-distance runners shined.

Burnet senior Victor Aviles won the 800 meters in 1 minute and 59.28 seconds, the 1,600 meters in 4:30.34, and the 3,200 meters in 9:44. But not far behind were Marble Falls senior Tyler Hamblin and freshman Graham Goggans.

Hamblin took silver in the 3,200 meters and bronze in the 1,600, while Goggans earned bronze in the 800.

Goggans’ finish was especially gratifying since he wasn’t feeling his best, middle-distance running coach Brenda Gonzalez said.

“I’m really proud of Graham,” she said. “He still ran a solid race and qualified in the 800. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do at regionals when he’s back to full strength. It’s impressive what he’s accomplishing already as a freshman.”

Simply, Hamblin performed like a seasoned veteran, she said.

“Tyler is hitting his stride at the perfect time,” the coach said. “His runner-up finish in the 3,200 looked smooth and was a season best — a very well-executed race. The 1,600 was a bit more of a battle with top talent from District 24 in the mix once again, but Tyler stayed composed and finished strong.”

The truth, Gonzalez said, is that District 24-4A is among the most competitive in the state and showed that once again. Salado’s pair of Andersons — freshman Seth and senior Luke — finished third and fourth in the 3,200 meters, while Salado junior Coulson Boyd was second in the 1,600 and Luke Anderson took fourth.

All will face off again at the Class 4A Region III meet Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, at Bullard High School. The top two in each event advance to the Class 4A state meet.

“Our district is incredibly deep with runners like Victor, Luke, Coulson and newcomer Seth and Tyler himself,” the coach said. “They push each other to be better every time they race. There’s a healthy respect among them, and it’s exciting to watch that level of competition unfold.”

Meanwhile, Burnet junior Asah Roy finished fourth in the 800 meters in 2:29.24 and joined the 800-meter relay featuring Cali Eason, Brianne Smith and Camryn Courtney to finish third in 4:07.99.

“Asah stepped up in a big way for her team by running the 4×4 relay,” head coach Crystal Shipley said. “Adriana Briggs is normally our first leg, and she has been out sick all week. We are so proud of Asah for being a great teammate and getting the job done.”

CAPTION: Marble Falls sophomore Madison Cuplin and her four gold medals from the area meet. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

Individually, no one had a better day than Marble Falls sophomore Madison Cuplin, who earned gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters, the long jump and the triple jump.

Her time of 12.13 seconds in the 100 meters and 24.96 seconds in the 200 meters set new personal bests.

“This was the first time she faced tight competition, and she stepped up, competing at a high level and delivering her best performances yet,” said Gonzalez, who is the Lady Mustangs head coach.

Cuplin’s mark of 39 feet and 1 inch in the triple jump is among the top 25 in the state and her leap of 19-0.25 is in the top 50 in the state.

“Maddie continues to dominate in the horizontal jumps,” Gonzalez said. “She knows exactly what she’s capable of and makes smart adjustments during competition. She’s incredibly coachable. She’s a true competitor who fights hard for her victories. I’m excited to continue seeing her growth across all her events. What also plays a big role in her success is the consistent support she receives from her parents and coaches.”

CAPTION: Junior Joaquin Aguilar is headed to the regional meet thanks to finishing fourth in the long jump. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

In the field events, senior thrower Kylie Roberts won gold in the discus with a toss of 113-3 and finished fourth in the shot put with a heave of 33-10 and junior Joaquin Aguilar was fourth in the long jump with mark of 20-3.5.

Roberts was ranked No. 1 in the region in the discus.

“Kylie is performing well when it counts and staying confident in her abilities,” Gonzalez said. “In discus, she was consistent from start to finish, leading the event and taking first place. In shot put, she may not have had her best throw, but she did what she needed to do to advance. This is her first time qualifying for regionals in shot put, which is a huge accomplishment. It was an all-around strong day for her. I’m proud of the way she continues to thrive during her senior season, and like Maddie, she benefits from the strong support of her parents and coaches.”

CAPTION: Kylie Roberts is a regional qualifier in both throwing events for the first time. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

RESULTS

District 23 and 24-4A area meet at Jarrell High School

BOYS (top four advance to regionals)

100 – 6, Derek Gonzalez (Marble Falls), 11.23 (personal record); 400 – 5, Isaias Zarate (Burnet), 51.98 (personal record), 8, Hector Vega (Burnet), 54.21; 800 – 1, Victor Aviles (Burnet), 1:59.28, 4, Graham Goggans (Marble Falls), 2:00.29; 1,600 – 1, Victor Aviles (Burnet), 4:30.34, 3, Tyler Hamblin (Marble Falls), 4:32.93; 3,200 – 1, Victor Aviles (Burnet), 9:44, 2, Tyler Hamblin (Marble Falls), 9:44.46; 110 hurdles – 4, Anthony Griffin (Marble Falls); 300 hurdles – 8, Cason O’Hair (Burnet), 43.77; 4×100 – 4, Burnet (Matthew Williams, Brody Danson, Braxton Ringstaff, Clay Lamb), 43.37, 7, Marble Falls (Kaden Langbein, Branson Bunting, Joaquin Aguilar, Derek Gonzalez), 43.77; 4×200 – 6, Burnet (Matthew Williams, Brody Danson, Lyndon Harycki, Clay Lamb), 1:33.20; long jump – 2, David Prather (Burnet), 20-9.75, 4, Joaquin Aguilar (Marble Falls), 20-3.5; discus – 8, Nathan Torres (Burnet), 111-9; shot put – 5, David Prather (Burnet), 40-11

GIRLS (top four advance to regionals)

100 – 1, Madison Cuplin (Marble Falls), 12.13 (personal record); 200 – 1, Madison Cuplin (Marble Falls), 24.96 (personal record), 8, Brooklynn Daniel (Burnet), 26.94; 800 – 4, Asah Roy (Burnet), 2:29.44; 100 hurdles – 6, Wrigley Mulhollan (Burnet), 16.56 (personal record), 7, Brooklynn Daniel (Burnet), 16.70; 300 hurdles – 6, Wrigley Mulhollan (Burnet), 48.93; 4×200 – 7, Burnet (Brooklynn Daniel, Cali Eason, Brogan Fox, Brianne Smith), 1:48.72; 4×400 – 3, Burnet (Asah Roy, Cali Eason, Brianne Smith, Camryn Courtney), 4:07.83; long jump – 1, Madison Cuplin (Marble Falls), 19-0.25 (personal record and Texas top 50); triple jump – 1, Madison Cuplin (Marble Falls), 39-1 (Texas top 25); high jump – 6, Brooklynn Daniel (Burnet), 5-0; pole vault – 5, Lacie Lewis (Burnet), 8-0; discus – 1, Kylie Roberts (Marble Falls), 113-3; shot put – 4, Kylie Roberts (Marble Falls), 33-10