The Yorktown Kitty Kat and Wildcat track teams made their presence known at the UIL Class 2A Region IV Track Meet held at Javelina Stadium on April 18–19. With strong performances across the board, Yorktown athletes brought home four medals, eight top-six finishes, and one coveted state qualification.
Junior Ryan Knostman kicked off the competition with a solid fourth-place finish in the shot put. Later in the day, junior Hayle Russell earned Yorktown's first medal of the meet with a thirdplace finish in the Girls Pole Vault.
In preliminary running events, both the Girls 4x100m and 4x200m relay teams advanced to the finals. The 4x100m squad featured Nina Villarreal, Laynie Boyd, Avery Martin, and Hayle Russell, while the 4x200m lineup included Claire Person, Avery Martin, Laynie Boyd, and Hayle Russell. Additionally, freshman Palyn Koopmann advanced to the finals in the 300m hurdles.
Saturday saw more standout performances, starting with Knostman rewriting the school record book in the discus—breaking his own record not once, but twice. He launched a throw of 153’10” to capture the bronze medal and cement his place among the region’s elite. In the Boys Pole Vault, freshman Aaron Luke finished sixth in a competitive field.
The Girls 4x100m relay team placed sixth, while the 4x200m relay secured a seventh-place finish. Koopmann delivered a gutsy effort in the 300m hurdles, clocking a personal best of 48.10 seconds to claim third place in a razor-thin race where just 0.34 seconds separated the top three finishers.
The triple jump proved to be a dramatic highlight for Yorktown. Freshman Trinity Flores entered the event as the fourth seed and jumped into second place with an opening mark of 34’2.5”. Meanwhile, sophomoreClaire Person overcame a slow start, leaping from 10th to fourth with her final jump of prelims to make the finals. On her second jump of the finals, Person soared to 34’6.25”, propelling her into second place—a spot she would hold to the end. That jump not only earned her a silver medal but also a ticket to the UIL State Track Meet in Austin. Flores, despite a strong showing, was edged out in the final round and finished fourth.
Claire Person will represent Yorktown at the State Track Meet in Austin on Friday, May 2, 2025.
