The Mineola Lady Jackets put together a solid performance across the events to capture the 2023 District 13-3A track and field championship Friday in Mineola. They bested their county rivals, the Lady Bulldogs of Quitman, by 10 points.

As indicated all season, Mineola’s Raylie Peebles led the charge. She recorded blue ribbon finishes in the 800-meter run (2:25.84) and 400-meter dash (1:01.13). The Lady Jackets also leveraged first-place times in the 4x200 relay (Shylah Kratzmeyer, Tanner Hartzog, Abbie Dobbs, Carmen Carrasco) and the 4x400 relay (Peebles, Kratzmeyer, Hartzog and Carrasco). Caroline Castleberry won the 300-meter hurdles in 49.0.   

The Lady Bulldogs led with their distance runners. Madyson Pence, Braleigh Wood and Katelyn De Gorostiza swept the 3200-meter run.  Pence crossed the finish is 12:28.87. In the 1600-meter race, Pence again topped the field in 5:50.32, with de Gorostiza second and McKenna Wood finishing third. Braleigh Wood was also second in the 800 meters and Pence fourth.

The remainder of the points for both girls’ squads came from scoring throughout the events. Quitman added to their point total in all but the pole vault event, while Mineola missed scoring in the shot put, 100-meter dash and triple jump.

Tanner Hartzog placed 3rd in the 200 meters and the high jump for Mineola; Yareli Hernandez 4th in the 1600 meters, 5th in the 3200 and 6th in the 800; Allie Hooton was runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles with Caroline Castleberry 4th; Shylah Kratzmeyer was second in pole vault and Jaylee Nevarez 4th; and Paris Spigner took second in the discus.

For Quitman Jaycie Elkins placed 4th in the 100 and 200 meters, Isis Murlin 4th in the 400 meters, Savana Smith 3rd in the 100-meter hurdles, Sadie VanderSchaaf second in the high jump, Annabelle Popek 3rd and Kennedi Elmore 4th in the discus and Abigail Day 3rd in the shot out

The Quitman boys squad came in fourth of seven teams, while the Yellowjackets finished sixth. 

Top three finishers for the Bulldogs were Dakota Jimenez (800 meters), Dylan Eppars (400-meter dash), Bryan Hobbs (high jump) Brady Floyd (pole vault) and the 4x400 relay team of Hayden Breding, Dyan Eppars, Ethan Presley and Carter Smith.

Two Yellowjackets produced three blue ribbons. Hurdler J.J. Gandy bested the field in the 110-meter hurdles (15.14) and the 300-meter hurdles (39.20). Chance Williams flew 11’6” to win the district pole vault event.

Jimenez also placed 4th in the 1600 meters, Christian Plata 4th in the 3200 meters, Hobbs 4th in the 300-meter hurdles, the 800-meter relay team was 4th, Johnata Jones was 4th in the shot put and, Floyd placed 4th in the high jump.

Trey Rushing took 4th for Mineola in the discus.

The top four athletes in each event were scheduled to compete in Wednesday’s area meet in Atlanta, trying to qualify for the regional meet April 28-29 in Whitehouse.