By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
The public announcer at Mike A. Myers Stadium called Eva Cragnolio’s gold medal performance in the Class 5A girls 3,200 meter run an “upset.”
The LASA junior agreed.
Cragnolio blew by the competition Friday at the UIL track and field state championship at Mike A. Myers Stadium, besting her qualifying time and the top time heading into the event.
Cragnolio ran nearly 45 seconds faster than her qualifying time and beat all eight other runners to the finish line in 10 minutes, 30.45 seconds. Her time was 13 seconds faster than the qualifying time of the gold medal favorite, Smithson Valley’s Lilly Koenig. Cragnolio edged out Koenig for the gold by one second.
She entered Friday’s final with the eighth overall fastest qualifying time of among the nine finalists heading into Friday’s race.
“I thought I could win days before the race,” she said. “When we hit the 800, I had a good feeling about my pace and where I was. I didn’t get out to a good start and had to make up some distance, but I was able to calm down and get into a rhythm.”
Dripping Springs’ Crew named athlete of the meet in wheelchair events
For the 11th year, the UIL has held wheelchair events for the 100-meter dash, 400 and shot put. In her first year competing in the events, Dripping Springs Izzy Crew took home medals in all of them and was named the athlete of the meet.
Crew, a freshman, won silver medals in both the girls shot put and 100 and took home gold in the 400.
She finished behind Cisco’s Lilian Fought in the 100 with a time of 18.20 seconds. Fought and Crew switched places in the 400 as Crew finished the race three-seconds faster than her fellow freshman with a time of 1 minute, 05.51 seconds.
She finished behind Canyon Randall’s Tahlie Brandt in the girls shot put with a throw of 18-3.25, just three-fourths of an inch shorter than Bandt’s gold medal-winning throw.
“I was close to my personal records, which is what I set out to do, so that feels good,” Crew said.
Thorndale’s Preusse wins silver in discus
Bethany Preusse is only a sophomore but can already call herself a two-time state medalist in the discus.
Thorndale’s star thrower took home the silver medal Friday in the Class 2A girls discus with a best throw of 144-8. It was her second silver medal in as many years in her short high school career.
Preusse didn’t hit her medal-winning distance until her fourth attempt. She was sitting in fifth place after her first three throws, which included a scratch on her third attempt. Preusse scratched again on her fifth attempt, but couldn’t overtake Refugio’s Clara Tilley, who won the event with a throw of 150-1.
“My fourth throw felt better, it felt faster and like everything came together better,” she said. “I really happy with my performance. There’s a lot of people here supporting me and I’m happy I get to perform for them. It means a lot to me.
For the second straight year, Preusse competed in both the discus and the shot put. She finished fifth in the shot put with a best throw of 39-1.6 on her fourth attempt.
Friday’s Austin-area medalists
- Zayden Sharp, Anderson: The senior won silver in the Class 5A boys long jump with a best distance of 24-7.25.
- Caden O’Hara, Rouse: The senior was a co-silver medalist in the Class 5A boys pole vault along with Montgomery Long Creek’s Connor Skopik. Both vaulters cleared 16-0.
- Caroline Peterson, Pieper: The senior took home bronze in the Class 5A girls high jump, clearing 5-6.
- Ethan Palmer, Pieper: The senior won the bronze in the Class 5A boys triple jump with a distance of 47-5.5 on his third attempt.
See more photos from Friday’s action
Click image to make slideshow full screen.
Notable finishes
- Endia Stigall, Hays: Finished fifth in the Class 5A girls long jump and the triple jump.
- Parker Brown, Rouse: Finished fourth in the Class 5A boys pole vault.
- DJ Seaborn, Liberty Hill: Finished fifth in the Class 5A boys triple jump.
- Sofia Mitschke, Smithson Valley: Finished fourth in the Class 5A girls pole vault.
- Justin Bordelon, Liberty Hill: Finishef sixth in the Class 5A boys discus.
Support Local Journalism
Your voluntary donation helps us keep Austin Sports Journal free and local, while supporting our mission of providing community-focused sports coverage.