COMING SOON

MAY/JUNE JUMP TEXAS COVER

IRA CROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

KILLEEN — Ira Cross Elementary School students break from lunch to welcome law enforcement torch runners for the Special Olympics Texas Summer Games on Thursday, May 25.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

KILLEEN — Bell and McClennan County law enforcement officials passed the “Torch of Hope” in front of Ira Cross Elementary School on Thursday, May 25, to mark the coming of the Special Olympics Texas Summer Games (SOTSG).

The SOTSG will take place May 25-28 on the University of Texas at Arlington campus. For more information, please call 1-800-876-JOIN or visit www.sotx.org.

REGGIE WITHERSPOON

WACO — Baylor University quarter-miler Reggie Witherspoon produced the only sub-46 time in the finals of the university men’s 400 meters at the Big 12 Championships on Sunday, May 14, winning in a time of 45.90 seconds.

TIANCA MOTT

AUSTIN — Navasota High School scholar athlete Tianca Mott won the class 3A division of the long jump at the UIL state track and field meet on Friday, May 12.

Leaping 19-feet-3 to claim the gold medal, Mott outdistanced second-place competitor Janell Appelhans of Perryton by 1 ½ inches. Appelhans jumped 19-feet-1 ½.

DESS MEEK

AUSTIN — Newton scholar athlete Dess Meek won the class 2A high school girls high jump at the UIL state track and field meet on Friday, May 12. Meek cleared a height of 5-feet-9 for the victory.

DESTINEE HOOKER

WACO — UT Austin assistant track coach Rose Brimmer, [right], advises freshman high jumper Destinee Hooker, [left], at the Big 12 Championships, Sunday, May 14. Hooker cleared 6-feet-2 ¼ for the win.

THE O'HARES

WACO — Heavy thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain on the Hart-Patterson track and field complex Sunday, May 14, delaying field events, such as the university women’s and men’s triple jump, by more than two hours.

After field crews removed standing water from the infield, shot put rings and jumping pits, competition resumed in the horizontal discipline late afternoon on Mother’s Day.

Like many parents and grandparents with scholar athletes competing in the Big 12 Championships, the O’Hares [pictured above and left] rode out the lone star-sized storm to cheer on third-generation University of Texas at Austin Longhorn and grandson, Elliot, [right], a former class 4A UIL state [2005] and AAU Junior Olympics [2002] champion. He was AAU runner-up in the hop-step-jump in 2002 and placed fifth at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2005.

Making yet another major finals appearance, the younger O’Hare placed fifth with a distance of 14.90 meters [48-feet-10 ¾], to lead all Texas collegians [UT, Texas A&M and Texas Tech] appearing in the finals.

University of Nebraska triple jumper Daniel Roper won the event with a distance of 15.86 meters [52-feet-½]. No. 1 ranked NCAA Texas A&M long jumper Fabrice LaPierre finished sixth in 14.87 meters [48-feet-9 ½] and Joseph Davis of UT Austin placed seventh with 14.78 meters [48-feet-6].

BREANNA EVELAND

WACO — Kansas State University pole vaulter Breanna Eveland won the university women’s division of her specialty at the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, May 13.

Clearing a height of 4.40 meters [14-feet-5 ½], Eveland outdistanced her nearest competitor, Jenna Blubaugh [University of Nebraska], by 10 inches.

QUEITO TEASLEY

WACO — Only a freshman, Queito Teasley made a big splash in qualifying for the finals of the long jump at the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, May 13, finishing sixth in a field which included the no. 1 [Fabrice LaPierre, Texas A&M] and no. 3 [Chris Gillis, Baylor] ranked jumpers in the NCAA.

Teasley jumped 24-feet-8 ½, three and one-half inches off his best as a senior at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy and five and one-quarter inches off his personal best of 7.66 meters [25-feet-1 ¾], established this March. He is ranked no. 23 overall and no. 4 amongst college freshman.

GARY JONES

AUSTIN — Ranked the no. 1 high school boys indoors triple jump performer in 2006, with an impressive distance of 50-feet-1, Gary Jones of Webster-Schroeder High School in Webster, New York posted an impressive outdoors mark at the Texas Relays on Saturday, April 8.

Jones, 17, hopped, stepped and jumped 49-feet-5 on the fifth attempt in a series, which included efforts of 48-feet-4.75, 49-feet-3.25, 48-feet-3.75, 47-feet-11.75, 49-feet-5 and 49-feet-0.

Track and Field News magazine recognized Jones in the June 2006 edition, ranking him no. 4 on the U.S. high school outdoors leaders list. An accomplished jumper, Jones recently embarked on an independent editorial career, launching an online field events blog, Jump New York, which reports on jumpers and pole vaulters from the northeastern tri-state area: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Please click here to visit JUMP NEW YORK

MARSHEVET HOOKER

WACO — Taking only two of six attempts in the long jump at the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, May 13, UT Austin superwoman Marshevet Hooker won gold with an effort of 21-feet-11.75.

Hooker finished five and three-quarters-of-an-inch ahead of University of Kansas silver medalist Charisse Bacchus, who jumped 21-feet-6.

CHRIS GILLIS

BIG 12 LONG JUMP CHAMPION

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

26-FEET-1.75

WACO — Baylor University senior Chris Gillis won the university men's division of the Big 12 long jump on Saturday, May 13. Ranked no. 3 by the NCAA, Gillis leapt 26-feet-1.75 in his specialty for the victory.

MADRY - WALKER - GIPSON

AUSTIN — El Paso Parkland senior Tina Madry, [left], and Ellison High School senior Alesha Walker, [center], put on a high-flying aerial show in the long jump at the University Interscholastic League state meet on Friday, May 12, posting identical distances of 19-feet-7.75 in the finals.

Once the sand cleared at midday in the sweltering Texas heat, meet officials declared Walker the gold medalist, based on her second-furthest attempt of 19-feet-4.5.

After the competition, awaiting the medal ceremony, Madry, Walker and Birdville High School bronze-medalist Whitney Gipson (18-feet-9.75) sat beneath a water-mist cooled awards tent, laughing and exchanging stories.

PARRISH COX

AUSTIN — Waco University High School Trojan Parrish Cox won gold in the long jump (24-feet-7.5) and bronze in the triple jump (46-feet-11.5) at the University Interscholastic League state meet on Friday, May 12.

ARMANDO ESTEÑOZ

ELGIN — Eighty-six years old, Mr. Armando Esteñoz of Cuerna Vaca, Mexico, won the gold medal in the long jump during the Lions Club 14th Annual Track and Field Championships on May 6. Esteñoz jumped more than seven feet to win the event.

ELGIN, TEJAS, LOS EEUU — Ochenta y seis años de edad, el Sr. Armando Esteñoz de Cuerna Vaca, Mexico, se ganó la medalla de oro en el salto largo durante una competición del atletismo [The Lions Club 14th Annual Track and Field Championships] el 6 de Mayo. Esteñoz saltó más de dos metros para ganar el evento.

HEAD OF THE CLASS

Ranking amongst the top 25 high school athletes in the Central Texas area for the 100 meters and the long jump, Lache (pronounced L-A-K-E) Seastrunk — dubbed “The Great Lache” on the cover of the March edition of Jump Texas — is an up-and-coming track star. A three-sport letterman at Travis Middle School in Temple, where, this year, he dazzled Mustang fans with lightning speed in football; high-flying dunks in basketball and a combination of quickness, endurance and “ups” in track and field, Seastrunk, 13, made a lasting impression on the junior high athletics circuit and record books.

Jump Texas: How do you feel about Lache’s performance at the Central Texas track and field district meet?

Coach Butch Olsen: Well, I’ve been coaching Lache since football [season ’05]. Knew he had a lot of talent and in track season we had to get Lache convinced … to trust his [long jump] mark instead of trying to guess…. Last year, he had a hard time hitting his mark. This year, we concentrated on getting his steps down so he could hit the board just right and use his speed to carry him (into the pit). His first track meet, we didn’t have a lot of success. By the middle of the season and going into the Cen-Tex, I knew if he could be confident in him self and trust his mark … he’d get a good jump. I was hoping he could break 21 [feet]; I knew he was going to break 20. He hit 21 one other time, lost his balance, and it knocked him back to 18, but he still won the meet. I was really excited. What’s great about Lache is that he listens to what his coaches tell him. That’s hard these days: finding kids that’ll listen to you. It’s just been a pleasure to coach him.

Jump Texas: Would you say Lache is one of the most talented athletes you’ve ever coached, or is he the most talented? Where does he rank on the scale?

Coach Butch Olsen: I’ve coached both boys and girls … and I’d say, in 13 years, he’s probably one of the most talented boys I’ve coached, especially at his age level. At 13 years old, most of the time you don’t find this kind of talent [especially] in the eighth grade. You might find it … in the sophomore year — or maybe in the junior year, but I think it’s very uncommon to find it at this age. He performs well on the football field and on the basketball court. He always tells me I get really excited when he is performing. I tell him, ‘You didn’t see me on the sidelines, shaking my fist, going, YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!?!’ That’s just the way I am: I get excited when he plays football or plays basketball, or when he’s jumping for me. I’m really get excited about the kids. I get into the game.

Jump Texas: Did Lache break the school record?

Coach Butch Olsen: He set three school records this year. He broke the 100-meter dash record. The old record was 11.21. He set a new record at 10.89. He set a new record in the long jump. The old record was 20 feet, 7 inches. His jump is 20 feet, 9 ½ inches. So that’s a new record. He also set a new record in the 400-meter run. The old record was 54.02 and … he ran a 52.25. So he set three new records, this year, all by himself. He also runs the sprint relay, and the sprint relay set a new record this year. The time on that was 45.57, and the old one was 46.02. They beat it by five-hundredths of a second. Our mile relay won first place (at district). We were only three seconds off … the record. In that one, he ran a 52.59 for his quarter in the mile relay. He performed real well there, too.

Lache Seastrunk: We were down by a little bit. I was on the curve and [the other runner] was already on the straightaway. I remembered Coach Olsen saying, ‘Never give up. Push.’ I just kept pushing, and I got him at the end.

Jump Texas: Coming into the Cen-Tex championships, how did you feel about the possibility of your performances — the potential to jump far and run fast?

Lache Seastrunk: The day of the meet I was just sitting at the back of the bus, y’know, praying, ‘Hopefully, I’m blessed — I’ll do good.’ God gave me this talent to go ahead and use it for him. The coaches — it’s just a blessing to have them around. They believe in me. They’re always helping me, working with me in everything. They never set low expectations. It’s always high. So, I was pushing [my self at district]. I knew … Coach [Olsen] was shocked [during the long jump] ‘cause I jumped out there — finally got my mark down. So, I thank him the most, because he always knows what to do. If I overshoot [the board] a little bit, he’ll scoot me back. I thank Coach Olsen, always, for never giving up on me and believing in me.

Jump Texas: What is your favorite subject?

Lache Seastrunk: … probably (career connections) and English.

Coach Butch Olsen: (In career connections), we talk about how (the kids) should dress — how they should talk when they go in to interviews.

Jump Texas: For what reason is English a favorite subject?

Lache Seastrunk: On my last test, I had a 90.

Jump Texas: Is there any area in terms of the TAKS test that you’re good at?

Lache Seastrunk: English, science, social studies, uh, math — kind of off, but I’m good in that. Those are the four I like.

Jump Texas: How do you feel you’re going to represent in the long jump, over the next four years, at the high school level?

Lache Seastrunk: Only thing I can do is work hard — put forth more effort than I did in middle school.

Jump Texas: Who do you think is the greatest high jumper, long jumper, triple jumper or pole vaulter?

Lache Seastrunk: Can it be a runner?

Jump Texas: It can be a runner.

Lache Seastrunk: Jacob Norman and Michael Johnson.

Coach Butch Olsen: If it were a long jumper, I’d say Carl Lewis. I’d have to put him right up there at the top. He always impressed me. As far as runners go, I’d have to say Michael Johnson.

Jump Texas: What is something you’d like to tell aspiring athletes?

Lache Seastrunk: If you’re struggling, never give up. At the end of the day, you’ll be successful.

BRITANY PARKER

AUSTIN — McKinney High School senior Britany Parker finished second in the high school girls “A” section of the pole vault at the Texas Relays on Friday, April 7. Parker cleared a height of 12-feet-10.

Her best clearance this year, 14-feet-0, leads all high school girls state competitors and ranks her amongst the best in the United States.

ATHLETES POST IMPRESSIVE TIMES, DISTANCES

THE CENTROPLEX — Waco High School half-lapper and long sprinter LeJerald Betters leads an all-star area cast of national-caliber athletes from Central Texas. Heading into the final weeks of his senior year and preparing to enroll at Baylor University in the fall, Betters ranks no. 1 on the U.S. high school boys list at 400 meters (46.84); no. 1 in Texas at 200 meters (20.81); and no. 1 in the Central Texas area in the triple jump (47-feet-10 ½). Track & Field News ranks Betters no. 20 on the U.S. men’s 400 meters list. Other nationally- and state-ranked area scholar athletes include:

KILLEEN HIGH SCHOOL

University Interscholastic League class 4A state track meet, Amateur Athletics Union and Texas Relays finalist at 100 meters, Killeen High junior Tiffany Townsend won the 100 meters at the Kangaroo Relays on Friday, March 31, running a school and city record, as well as area-leading time in the 200 meters (23.77). During the preliminaries of the short sprints at the District 16-4A Championships, Townsend lowered the KHS and city records in the 100 (11.38) and 200 (23.72), respectively, narrowly missing the all-time Central Texas area record held by Nanceen Perry in the 100 (11.30) and 200 (23.30). Townsend ranks no. 2 on the all-time area list in both sprints. Her 100-meter preliminary time qualified her in the no. 1 position for the girls’ finals and in the no. 8 position on the boys’ district list. For the 100 meters, high school boys and girls, Townsend is third fastest in the city of Killeen behind James Bivens (10.62) and Justin Harkness (10.99).

AAU Junior Olympic gold medalist and KHS freshman Omar Craddock jumped 47-feet-9 ¾ at the Ellison High School Eagle Relays on Friday, March 10, to lead all class 4A triple jumpers in Texas for six consecutive weeks. Texas Track & Field News officially recognized the outstanding distance in a late March edition of its publication. The winning triple jump distance at the Eagle Relays eclipsed the previous city of Killeen record (45-feet-6) set by Ellison High School all-around scholar athlete Tobyn Rucker in 1992. Holding the distinction of furthest distance ever jumped by a ninth-grader and 14-year-old attending a Texas high school, Craddock established a state class and age-group record. His best attempt this year fell seven and one-half inches short of the national age-group record (48-feet-4 ¼) set in 1997 by North Carolinian Greg Yeldell. He is ranked no. 1 in the Central Texas area; no. 3 in class 4A and no. 5 for the entire state of Texas in the triple jump.

Senior KHS jumpers Andrew Gumbs and Keith Ladson lead the Central Texas area in the long jump, respectively, with distances of 23-feet-5 and 24-feet-0. Gumbs ranks amongst area leaders in the triple jump (47-feet-3) and Ladson, who placed fourth in the long jump at the AAU Jr. Olympics (’05), ranks in the high jump (6-feet-8). Four consecutive weeks, Ladson held the no. 1 position in the state for the class 4A boys’ long jump; he now ranks no. 5 amongst all competitors, classes 1 through 5A.

KHS high jumper Anthony Hemmingway, the 2006 Texas Relays champion, cleared 7-feet-0 twice in competitions this year for a no. 1 area ranking. A consistent and fluid jumper, Hemingway ranks no. 6 in the state of Texas.

KHS senior Amanda McHaney set a school record in the girls’ pole vault with a 10-feet-6 victory at the Kangaroo Relays. Other top KHS performers include: Zac Davis in the 800 meters (1:59.9) and Stephen Smith (6-feet-6).

ELLISON HIGH SCHOOL

EHS senior Alesha Walker garnered a state ranking in the long (19-feet-0 ¾) and 200 meters (24.39). Walker leads all long jumpers and ranks no. 2 in the half lap for area girls. She ranks no. 6 in the long jump and no. 9 in the 200 meters for the entire state.

EHS junior triple jumper Samantha Hamilton leads the state in the triple jump (39-feet-9). Hamilton won the Texas Relays and District 13-5A track and field championships. Other top EHS performers include: Jaravise Donald in the triple jump (45-feet-7 ½) and 300 hurdles (39.16); and Brittany Clarke in the long jump (18-feet-5).

COPPERAS COVE HIGH SCHOOL

CCHS scholar athlete and junior Robert Griffin ranks in several events. A multitalented competitor and AAU Junior Olympian, Griffin is amongst the best in the area, ranking no. 1 in 110-meter hurdles (13.67); no. 2 in the 400 meters (48.49); no. 5 in the long jump (22-feet-7) and no. 7 in the high jump (6-feet-2). His 110-meter time, in fact, leads all Texans and garnered Griffin a position on the most recent Track & Field News list.

Alphonso Powell ranks amongst the best all-around athletes in the Central Texas area. The CCHS senior holds the no. 3 position in the 110-meter hurdles (14.2); no. 4 position in the long jump (22-feet-7) and no. 5 position in the triple jump (46-feet-0 ¼). Other top performers include: Samaura Jacquot in the triple jump (38-feet-5) and Valerie Hancock in the 100 hurdles (14.68).

HARKER HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL

HHHS junior Brittani Simmons ran 11.66 seconds early in the season to establish a school record. She lowered her time once more at the District 13-5A track and field championships, running 11.50 seconds for a victory and trip to the regional meet. Other top performers include: Isaac Murphy in the pole vault (14-feet-0) and Nyesha Davis in the triple jump (38-feeet-9).

TRAVIS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Thirteen-year-old Travis Middle School eighth-grader Lache Seastrunk is the only non-high school athlete on the area leaders list. Jumping 20-feet-9 ¼ at the Central Texas District track and field championships, Seastrunk claims the no. 19 position in the area, inches ahead of high school jumpers from Corsicana, Killeen and Waco.

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