San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
New Braunfels’ Morrow wins surprise silver
‘Excited’ Unicorns junior clears 5-8 in high jump to tie her personal best
AUSTIN — New Braunfels junior Abigail Morrow received the best surprise Saturday morning — a silver medal.
Morrow cleared 5-feet-8 to finish second in the Class 6A girls high jump at the UIL state championships at Myers Stadium.
“I’m very excited,” Morrow said. “I did not expect to get silver today.”
Morrow qualified to state with a height of 5-6. Her personal best is 5-8, and with four competitors who had qualified at that height, she figured she’d be a long shot.
“Really, my goal was to jump 5-8 so I could be in the running with everyone, and it just worked out really well and I’m really excited,” Morrow said.
Morrow made her first attempt at 5-2, 5-4, 5-6 and 5-8 before bowing out at 5-9.
Kennedy Doakes of The Woodlands won with a 5-9. Claire Lowry of Rockwall also cleared 5-8, but Morrow won the silver with fewer misses.
“Competitions like this really help me because the more pressure I’m on, I feel the better I perform because there’s more pressure to do better,” Morrow said. “I think that pushed me to do better than I ever had before.”
East Central senior Anston Bryant-Kelly had to cast away his competitive side to appreciate his first and last state appearance.
Bryant-Kelly hoped to snag gold in the boys 6A high jump,
but earning a bronze with a 6-8 was not a bad way to go.
“I was a tad bit disappointed to lose, but to be on the podium is something that I will always cherish.” Bryant-Kelly said.
Bryant-Kelly was so close to gold. He and Turey Stoudemire each cleared 6-8. Stoudemire was awarded silver because of fewer misses. Both were one inch behind winner Jalen Rivers of Humble Summer Creek.
Bryant-Kelly missed his first attempts at 6-4, 6-6 and 6-8, and he thought that got him as he tried to remain in the competition at 6-9.
“In the beginning, it was real bad,” Bryant-Kelly said. “I wasn’t getting the height that I needed to peak, and it started getting a little rough-and-tumble. When it got a little higher, I was able to plant and go vertical more, but as the height got higher, my legs got tired.”
Brandeis senior Sophia Haberer capped her high school career by finishing third in the girls 6A shot put with a personal-best 44-4¼.
Pearland Dawson’s Chrystal Herpin also marked 44-4¼, but Haberer was awarded the bronze medal with fewer fouls. Amelia Flynt of Katy Cinco Ranch was the winner (46-5) followed by Conroe’s Lilly Rodel (45-8).
“It feels awesome to be able to have a PR in my last meet,” said Haberer, who will play basketball at Texas A&M-International in Laredo. “I worked real hard all season, and it’s real exciting to see that result in a meet.”