Track and Field athlete, Payton Stumbaugh can do what few sophomores can do. She can compete and win in several different varsity events, a skill that most athletes don’t acquire until their senior year.

“Being a sophomore and qualifying for that meet opened my eyes for what I will be doing as a senior in track,” said Stumbaugh.

The Texas Relays is a national track and field meet that is invintational only. This requires all athletes to receive an invitation, performance based, to be able to compete on the University of Texas Outdoor Track Complex in Austin, TX.

“I’ve been to Texas Relays two times before,” said senior runner Valerie Reina. “It’s a really fun meet because it’s such a big event and different from usual meets.”

The Wildcats had three track and field athletes receive invitations for this years’ Texas Relays (Mar. 28-31). The competitors for the Wildcats included sophomore Stumbaugh and seniors Reina and Jarred Sanders.

“Traveling that far for a meet was a great experience and a glimpse of how college track meets will be like,” said Stumbaugh. “Going to the University of Texas widened my views of colleges that I may want to go to on a future track scholarship.”

Stumbaugh competed in 100 meter Dash, 100 meter Hurdles, and Pole Vault. She placed 17th in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 14.79, 19th in the 100m Dash with a time of 12.28 (a personal best), and finished in the top 15 for Pole Vault. She qualified for the finals for Pole Vault, but failed to clear the opening height.

Reina was entered into the 1600m Dash (1 mile). This was her third appearance at the prestige Texas Relays. Reina showed her experience and finished with a time of 5:13:15.

Sanders was the only athlete who competed in a field event for the Wildcats, and he competed in Discuss. He had a very solid finish, 21st place, with a distance of 40.5m.