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Track and field notebook: Celina wins first state title in 18 years

AUSTIN — Celina cruised to its first boys track championship in nearly two decades, winning the Class 3A team title by 22 points.

Middle-distance runner Zack Bilderback said the championship — the school’s first since 1994 — was years in the making, built by year-round hard work.

“Our sophomore year, we came down as a team just to watch,” Zack Bilderback said. “We made a goal that by our senior year, we’d be here breaking records.”

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Ben Thiel won the 300 hurdles, Bilderback won the 400 and ran the anchor leg for Celina’s winning 4x400-meter relay team and thrower Jordan Roos won the shot put and discus.

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Roos, still recovering from an ACL tear that occurred during football season, is a four-time medalist in shot put, with three straight state titles.

“It’s really cool, considering that two of the times I won I wasn’t healthy,” Roos said.

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Garland nearly wins 5A title: The Garland girls were entered in only three events, but they nearly pulled off a 5A title by winning the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. Chasity Clark, Bianca Jackson, Chellane Jones and Quetta Mapps won the 4x100, and Clark, Jackson and Mapps were joined by Candace Coleman in the 4x200 win.

“We were nervous coming in,” said Mapps, who anchored both victories. “But we were really determined to win.”

The team finished second for the second straight year, just four points behind champions DeSoto.

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Argyle's teams shine: While Celina was the Class 3A boys champion, fellow area 3A Argyle had a banner day with its boys and girls teams, with Top 10 team finishes for both. Jessie Johnson finished her high school career in style, winning the Class 3A pole vault with a conference-record effort of 13-1. It was Johnson's third consecutive state pole vault title. Argyle's girls mile relay had its best finish in school history, winning silver just ahead of Frisco Lone Star. Argyle's Spencer McCloud won the 3A boys high jump by clearing 6-8. In 2011, McCloud finished in a five-way tie in the event, winning the silver on tiebreakers.

Briefly: Twins Kaitlyn and Kristyn Williams helped Mansfield Timberview to the 5A girls 1600-meter relay title. Kristyn Williams' anchor leg was 53.50 seconds, nearly half a second faster than her silver-medal winning time in the 400. … Justin Northwest sophomore Desiree Freier won the 5A girls pole vault with a vault of 12-9. Freier finished second at state as a freshman. … Richard Gary's strong anchor leg gave Duncanville the 5A boys 1,600-meter relay title. … Southlake Carroll's Courtney Kriegshauser beat The Woodlands' Madi McLellan at the tape of the 5A girls 1,600, winning by seven-hundredths of a second. … Carrollton Ranchview's girls 4x100 relay won gold in Class 3A.