Cuero's Abby Sheppard who was favored to win, crashed on the first hurdle and never could make up the difference, finishing in fifth place for the 300-meter hurdles at the state track meet on Friday.
Goliad's Perry, Cuero's Hansel win gold medals
Originally published May 13, 2011 at 11:57 p.m., updated May 13, 2011 at 11:57 p.m.
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FRANK TILLEY/FTILLEY@VICAD.COM
Amber Perry won first place in the 400 meter dash, repeating her performance from 2010. Perry's time was 55.65.
FRANK TILLEY/FTILLEY@VICAD.COM
East Bernard's Ty Slanina as he leaped a distance of 23-feet 9.25-inch on the last long jump of the day to win first place.
FRANK TILLEY/FTILLEY@VICAD.COM
Kelsi Kutac gets mouth full of sand as she flies into the pit during the long jump. Kutac placed sixth in the event for 1A girls.
FRANK TILLEY/FTILLEY@VICAD.COM
Yoakum's Dustin Kremling made it to the finals in the pole vault event at Mike Myers Stadium on Friday. Kemling finished fourth with a height of 4.57 meters.
MEDALISTSGoldAmber Perry, Goliad, 3A Girls 400
Buster Hansel, Cuero, 3A Boys 1,600
Ty Slanina, East Bernard, 2A Boys Long Jump
SilverMonte Green-Avery, Cuero, 3A Boys 200
BronzeNick Guerra, East Bernard, 2A Boys 3,200
AUSTIN - Goliad's Amber Perry and Cuero's Buster Hansel not only love to win, they hate to lose.
The seniors' determination and competitive desire served them well as they completed their high school careers by winning gold medals before a crowd of 17,715 at the UIL State Track and Field Championships on Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Perry won the Class 3A girls 400-meter dash for the second consecutive year. Hansel won the Class 3A boys 1,600 run to bring home his first medal in his final race at the state meet.
"I'll enjoy the moment tonight and tomorrow I'll get to wear this shirt that says champion on it," Hansel said. "It's a great way to end it. I'm pleased."
Hansel and Perry weren't the only area athletes to reach the medal stand. East Bernard's Ty Slanina won a gold medal in the Class 2A boys long jump, Cuero's Monte Green-Avery earned a silver medal in the Class 3A 200 after finishing fourth in the 100. East Bernard's Nick Guerra captured a bronze medal in the Class 2A boys 3,200 after winning a silver medal in the event last year.
Perry had more energy for this year's 400. She didn't run in the 800 relay like she did at last year's meet.
"It helped a lot," Perry said. "I was fully energized and I improved my time from last year."
Perry led the entire race and held off Waco Connally's Paula Smith as she did in last year's race to win in a time of 55.65 seconds.
"I just wanted to get out of there," Perry said. "I knew I had a good start when I caught the girls right there on the corner."
Smith made a move down the stretch, but Perry refused to yield.
"She said it best when she said it's all heart the last 100," said Goliad coach Stacy Zamzow. "She ran the 300 as fast as she could and it's all heart at the end."
Hansel took the lead at the 800-meter mark. He surrendered it briefly to Huffman-Hargrave's Harvinder Singh on the final lap before taking it back with about 150 meters left and won in a time of 4:20.37.
"That was part of the plan the whole time," Hansel said. "We went out in 2:15, I was planning to go out 2:09 or 2:10 so at the end I knew I had enough to go. I was just trying to crank as fast as I could and trying to run away from everybody."
Hansel wasn't surprised he was challenged by Singh, who won the 3,200 in the morning.
"I knew it was going to one of the four," Hansel said. "I just didn't know which one it was going to be and it happened to be him. I was waiting on it. I knew they weren't going to give it to me."
Hansel earned his gold medal after missing out on the opportunity to run the 3,200 for the second straight year after getting sick at the regional meet.
"I knew there was a reason I didn't make it in the two mile and the mile and I guess this was the reason," Hansel said. "I guess it all works out."
Green-Avery was able to come home with a medal in his third appearance at the state meet, but not in the race he expected.
Green-Avery got off to good starts in both the 100 and 200, but was able to finish stronger in the 200.
"I had to be because fourth place was totally unexpected for me," Green-Avery said. "I was expecting to get a medal so I had to come out and get a medal in the 200."
Green-Avery finished in a personal-best time of 21.34, while Justin Thomas of West Orange-Stark won the race in 21.29.
"I went from a 21.9 to a 21.3," Green-Avery said. "I knew I could do it but I just had to come out and show everybody. I wasn't going home without a medal. That's what the difference was."
Slanina, the grandson of former Refugio coach George Harris, took the lead in the high jump when he leaped 23 feet 1/4 inch on his first attempt.
The lead held until the final round when Tywan Scott of Arm jumped 23-4. But Slanina responded to the challenge by leaping 23-9 1/4 to earn his first gold medal.
"I hit the board good and I hadn't done that all day," Slanina said. "It was everything I had left and that's all I could give. I was able to come out on top and that's all I could ask for."
Victoria East's Steven Martinez came to the state meet with a goal of jumping 47 feet. He came ever so close, going 46-11 3/4 on his final attempt.
"All my phases were working pretty well," Martinez said. "The best phases were probably my second and my last phases. My second phase wasn't a quick step, it was an actual jump so that helped."
Martinez finished fifth and completed his high school with his best jump.
"I'm never going to be satisfied with not medaling and not getting first," Martinez said. "But I'm OK with not doing my best. I'm not going to be mad about it."
NOTES: West Orange-Stark won the boys Class 3A team title with 64 points, and Liberty Eylau won the girls title with 56 points.Lancaster won the boys Class 4A team title with 54 points, and Beaumont Ozen won the girls team title with 60 points.
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