West holds ‘Triple Crown’ title

The Lockhart Boys Track and Field team finished an outstanding 6th at the 2005 UIL State Championships held Friday, May l3, in Austin.
A record setting crowd of over 30,000 gathered on a near perfect outdoor evening to witness the competition.
Senior Chris West began the day at 10:00 a.m. with a State Championship in the 3200-meter run. West followed Senior Jerem

y Effis from Friendswood High School for seven and a half laps before using a devastating kick over the last 200 meters to win the race by nearly seven full seconds. West ran a final time of 9:25.06.
In the evening session West lined up once again to run the 1600-meter run with teammate and fellow senior Mason Larkin.
“When the gun sounded West quickly went to the front and led the first lap in 64 seconds,” Coach Scott Hippensteel. “However, as West started down the backstretch on the second lap he slowed to let the other runners in the race take the lead so that they could block the wind.”
West and Larkin remained in third and fourth through 800 meters in approximately 2:12. Both Lockhart runners came through the 1200-meter mark third and fourth as well with times of 3:18 and 3:21 respectively.
On the final lap West made his move to the front at the 200-meter mark, where he put on a strong kick to win the race with a time of 4:20.46. Larkin gave a tremendous effort as well on the last lap but slipped one place to 5th as he was passed in the final meters just before the finish line. Larkin ended up running a very respectable time of 4:28.11, which was his personal best time of the season.
With the two State Titles on the track for West and the State Title he won last fall in Cross Country, he becomes the second athlete in over 22 years to accomplish the feat of winning cross country, 1600, and 3200 meters State Championships all in the same school year.
Freshman Alyson Daily placed sixth the girls pole vault with a jump of 10 feet 6 inches. Daily had a tremendous year where she won both the District and Regional Championships in the pole-vault.
The Track and Field / Cross Country Program at Lockhart High School has been a dominant force at the state meets (cross country/track and field) for the past 13 years. Since 1992, Lockhart has scored a point in numerous events for an astounding 60 times. Lockhart has brought home the gold medal eight times, 16 silver medals, five bronze medals, 16 fourth place finishes, five place finishes and 10 sixth place finishes.
“Lockhart continues to press on and move forward training and competing harder than ever. State championships are already being talked about. Team accomplishments and personal records are always on the minds of the maroon and white. When there is a title on the line… Lockhart will be there and they will be ready,” Hippensteel said.