With Wylie, Wylie East and Sachse competing at the Region I-6A championships in Waco, two athletes were able to earn state qualifications for their efforts at the meet.

Wylie’s Jacob Smith finished third (15-00) in the boys 6A pole vault, earning qualification as the top third-place finisher across all four regions in the state. Smith’s 15-foot vault was his third best finish of the season, as he’s finished top three in seven of the eight meets he’s competed in this season.

Smith finished just behind Rockwall Heath’s Dyson Wicker (15-06) and Conroe Grand Oaks Silas Zimmerman (16-00) for the regional championship. Wylie’s Ethan McGillen also placed tied for fifth (14-06) in the same event.

Along with Smith, Sachse High School’s Hannah Lowe also qualified for the state championship in the girls 6A 100-meter dash. She ran a personal and school record 11.34 in the final heat to finish third, less than one-hundredth of a second off of a top-two finish. She placed behind Houston Cypress Ranch’s Celeste Robinson (11.34) and Conroe Grand Oaks’ Jordyn Price (11.27) for the championship.

Among other competitors, Caden Biltz finished third in the 3200-meter race for the Wylie Pirates (9:19.04), missing out on state by tiebreaker. Hunter Jackson placed fourth in the same event (9:21.13), while the duo also finished top five in the 1600. Jackson placed fourth in the one mile race (4:25.63), while Biltz placed fifth (4:26.55).

Sachse’s Favor Anyanwu placed third in the shot put (41-08) and seventh in the discus (129-06), missing out by just an inch from competing for a second consecutive state title. It was Anyanwu’s shortest throw in the shot put for the season, nearly three feet short of her yearly average. She’ll get a chance next season as a senior to compete for another state championship.

Wylie East’s Luis Ainsworth placed 11th in the preliminary meets in the 400 (50.19), unable to qualify for the final meet. The Raiders had seven competitors at the regional meet overall.

Qualifiers will compete at the state championships on Saturday, May 13th in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

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