Track and field athletes impress at state championships

May 16, 2011— CFISD track and field athletes claimed one state championship and six top-three finishes at the UIL State Track and Field Championships, held May 13-15 at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

Cypress Woods High School junior Craig Nowak won the state title in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:08.67.

“I am real proud of Craig and how he battled the whole way in winning the 1,600. It was a gutsy race and one that took a lot of willpower to finish the way that it did,” said Greg Zarate, Cypress Woods distance coach. “I do not think that the field could have been any stronger seeing that the top four runners were all under 4:10. That is amazing in itself and to have Craig go out there and just take it to another level was real special.  I am extremely proud of Craig and the will to win that he showed on Saturday afternoon. He certainly has made Cypress Woods High School very proud.”

Nowak was followed closely by Cypress Ranch High School senior Cale Wallace, who won the silver medal in the 1,600 with a time of 4:09.30.

“Cale’s work ethic and his drive paid off at the state meet. He was disappointed that he did not win, but he has no regrets,” said Cypress Ranch head track coach Chris Hoffpauir. “He said that he left everything on the track, and that is all we ask of our athletes. I truly believe that Cale had nothing left in the tank at the end of the race. 

“Having two kids going 1-2 in the 1,600 shows the strength of our distance programs in CFISD. CFISD as a whole had a strong showing this year,” Hoffpauir said.

Two other CFISD athletes placed in the top three in boys’ events:

• Cy-Fair High School senior Christian Cook placed third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.87; and

• Cy-Fair junior Kaleb Moore placed third in the high jump with a height of 6 feet, 8 inches.

The remaining CFISD male athletes finishing in the top nine are as follows:

• Cypress Falls High School senior Armon Owens placed fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.37;

• Nowak placed sixth in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:14.87; and

• The Cypress Falls 4x400-meter relay team placed ninth in 3:19.95. Team members are Owens, Brice Christian, Shaun Vanderwalt and Darius Moore.

In the girls’ events, Cypress Creek High School junior Leslie Schilsky provided a highlight by placing third in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.11.

Cypress Springs High School junior Kiersten Duncan also took home a bronze medal, placing third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.89.

Other girls’ top-nine finishes were as follows:

• Langham Creek High School sophomore Skylar Ross-Ransom placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.04;

• Schilsky tied for fifth place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:16.43;

• Cy-Fair sophomore Lauren Fritz placed fifth in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:04.40;

• Cy-Fair senior Sarah Peña placed seventh in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:19.12; and

• Cypress Woods sophomore Alyssa Gullo placed ninth in the pole vault with a height of 10 feet.