The girls relay team won its two events again last week in Coppell as the Farmers now set their sights on the Regional meet at the University of Arlington from April 28-29. As teams, the girls placed fifth with 59 points, while the boys placed 12th with 21 points. 

The girls relay team, consisting of senior Bre’Anna Harlin, senior Te’Anna Harlin, junior Ryan “Paislie” Allen and junior Sydnee Wilson (freshman Janiya Strambler and senior Britney Orafunam as alternates), was responsible for two of the Farmers’ three first place finishes. The team ran a 45.77 second 4×100 relay, the second fastest time in the state in 2023. Similarly, the 1:38.66 minute finish is the third fastest time for the 4×200 relay in 2023. 

“Hopefully we can win both of our relays at Region,” Bre’Anna Harlin said. “It’s going to be a good race at State, and I feel like we actually have a chance of winning.”

The same four girls made up the relay team last year and managed to make it to the State meet. They placed fourth in the 4×200 relay at State with a time of 1 minute and 36.94 seconds.

“I feel like that helps a lot,” Bre’Anna said about running with the same team. “It’s familiar to us. We have a lot of chemistry and we’ve been here before, so it’s like we want it more than ever.”

Te’Anna Harlin also placed first as an individual, winning the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.19 seconds. Bre’Anna Harlin placed second in the 200 meter dash, so she will run the event at the Regional meet as well. 

The boys didn’t place first in any championship, but had three athletes advancing as individuals: Rendell Carter and Devin Love placed second and third respectively in the shot put, while Xavier Lewis placed third in the 100 meter dash. 

“I’m confident we’ll be able to compete,” Love said. “They’re only taking the top two or three, so I feel like me and [Rendell Carter] could get up there. [Not yet] but realistically speaking, we could get [to State] and place in the top 10 or top five.”

At the Area meet, both Carter and Love threw over 50 yards, extending Carter’s streak to six consecutive meets surpassing 50 feet. However, getting the number up isn’t the focus at practice.

“It’s really a technique type of thing,” Love said. “I’m not looking for distance, cause distance will come. It’s really just critiquing little things and mistakes I probably made the week before.”

Four of the Farmers attending Region have also found success in other sports; Lewis, Carter, and Love were starters on the varsity football team which also made the equivalent of Region. Allen, meanwhile, runs both on the relay team and on the bases for the varsity softball team; she leads the team in runs (33) and hits (38) this season.

“It might help with recruiting,” Love said about being a multi-sport athlete. “Coaches and scouts will see you doing multiple things.” 

Athletes are heating up as the cut whittles down; only the top two finishers from each event –in contrast to four in the other meets–will advance to the state championships in Austin.