Over 20 Deep East Texas Athletes Earn Medals at UIL State Meet

Over 20 track & field high school athletes from Deep East Texas brought home medals from the recent UIL Texas State Meet in Austin.

When Did the UIL State Track & Field Meet Take Place?

The 3-day competition was held May 1st through May 3rd at the Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas. Athletes representing schools from the Class 1A to the 6A level showed off their skills.

The threat of storms caused the postponement of the Class 2A and Class 5A running events on Friday evening. They were rescheduled for Saturday morning, which made for a crazy day due to Class 6A and Class 1A events already being held on the same day.

The Top Performances at the UIL State Meet

Max Garvin, a junior from Joaquin, set a new Class 2A state record with his pole vault of 17 feet, 1 inch. The girls' track squad from Timpson won 3rd-place team honors in Class 2A.

Timpson Athletics FB page

There were many superlatives at this year's meet, however, the biggest of them all had to be the performance of Tate Taylor. The junior from Northside Harlan in San Antonio blazed to a time of 9.92 in the 100-meter dash, setting a new, wind-legal NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RECORD.

It's also the 2nd fastest time in the world by anyone under 20 years old.

How To Qualify for the UIL State Meet in Austin?

It's a difficult process just to make it to the UIL State Championships. Athletes must finish in the top 4 of their district and area meets. Then, at the regional meet, only the top 2 advance to the state meet.

Over 40 high school athletes from the Pineywoods qualified for the 'big time' in Austin.