UIL state track and field: Lincoln girls capture team title with strong finish in 4X400 relay

TL;DR

The Lincoln girls track team won the UIL 4A state title, tying with Canyon at 58 points. Their strong finish in the 4x400 relay secured this achievement, marking the first title for Lincoln girls track since 1997.

Key points

Lincoln girls track team won UIL 4A state title
Team tied with Canyon at 58 points
Strong finish in 4x400 relay contributed to victory
First title for Lincoln girls track since 1997
Event held at University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium

Mentioned in this story

University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium

LincolnCanyonUIL 4A state track and field

Lincoln logo.

AUSTIN — Naomi Jones didn’t quite believe it when her head coach Reginald Bell delivered the message.

The Lincoln junior leaned over the railing in the UIL podium tent and peered down at Bell, who repeated the good news. This time, Jones leapt away excited and rejoined her teammates.

Jones, Sanai Lewis, Kamarri Brown and Siani Simpson had just received their 4x400 third-place medals, but didn’t know that in doing so, they’d also accomplished something not done by Lincoln girls track since 1997. The Tigers shared the UIL 4A girls team state title at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium with Canyon, tying at 58 points.

The feeling after realizing they had won it?

“Excitement,” Jones said. “And I’m proud, very proud.”

Bell pointed to the message on the back of another Lincoln coach’s shirt: “start strong, finish strong.”

The motto stems from a year ago, Bell explained, when Lincoln put together a great first day at regionals before falling short on the critical second day.

“That’s what gave us our fuel, our drive, for this year,” Bell said.

That motivation along with a stacked schedule throughout the year where Lincoln faced top Dallas-area 5A and 6A competition, including Lancaster, DeSoto and Duncanville, set up the Tigers’ Thursday success. They took gold in the 4x100, then second in the 4x200 despite running a new 4A record. Jones’ 55.13 for a comfortable win in the 400 left Lincoln needing at least a third-place finish in the 4x400 to ensure a share of the state title.

It led before the final exchange before Canyon stormed to the lead. Still, Lincoln hung on to third to become co-champions.

“It’s a lot of excitement, nervousness, all that [watching the finish], but I was really just ready to get it over with to be honest with,” Jones said. “I feel like I did good, but honestly I felt I could have done [a] better [time].”

Carter junior’s perfect day: Charles Anderson walked down the stairs from the UIL podium tent with three gold medals hanging around his neck and a plaque to signify Carter’s third-place performance in the 4A boys team standings.

“[The day] might have been good so far, you know?” Anderson said with a deadpan delivery but a hint of a smile.

Anderson said he knew he needed to save energy in the 4A boys 400 and 800 to push himself in the 4x400, the final race of Thursday evening. That’s the one the Carter junior wanted because he’d run the 4x400 with these same teammates — juniors Kingston Williams, Trenton Levingston and Lamont Crayton — since middle school, he added.