Colby Huntress, from Anderson High School, wins the 1600-meter run at the UIL State 5A Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, May 15, 2026. Huntress won in a time of 4:20.46.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
The high school track and field season for Central Texas schools ended earlier this month with several Austin-area boys and girls athletes winning medals at the UIL state meet. Anderson’s Colby Huntress and Thorndale’s Bethany Preusse were big winners, each taking home a pair of gold medals, and there were strong performances from competitors at Lake Travis, Dripping Springs and LASA.
Here are the boys and girls athletes who were selected by the American-Statesman’s high school sports coverage staff for the 2026 All-Central Texas Track Team.
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Boys athlete of the year: Colby Huntress
Anderson’s Texas Longhorns-bound senior won state golds in the Class 5A 800- and 1,600-meters. By winning, he joined his older brother Kepler as his family’s gold medalists in the state track meet. Kepler won LASA’s first-ever state sports gold medal in the 800 in 2023.
Thorndale’s Bethany Preusse throws the discus while competing in the 2A UIL state meet May 3 of 2024 at Myers Stadium.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
Girls athlete of the year: Bethany Preusse
The Thorndale junior was one of the UIL state meet’s most impressive athlete. Preusse won both the Class 2A shot put and discus, setting a class record in both events. In the shot put, Preusse had a late burst of energy with a toss of 48 feet, 9.5 inches, three feet further than she had thrown earlier in the state meet.
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Louis Hickman Jr., from LBJ High School, crosses the line for a second place finish in the in the 100-meter dash at the UIL State 4A Track and Field Championship at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, May 14, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
All-Central Texas Boys Team
Eva Cragnolino, from LASA, runs in the 1600-meter run at the UIL State 5A Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, May 15, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Abram Reagan, left, from Lake Travis and Charvis Tubbs, from Humble, cross the line to finish the 400-meter run at the 6A UIL State Track and Field Championship at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, May 3, 2025. Reagan took third in the event.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
Dane Mignerey, from Wimberley High School, competes in the pole vault at the UIL State 4A Track and Field Championship at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, May 14, 2026. Mignerey won with a mark of 16-0.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Jayvonne Flores, sr., Johnson: Flores closed his prep career with a silver medal in the Class 6A long jump, finishing at 24 feet, 6.75 inches.
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Louis Hickman, sr., LBJ: He started his season with a gold medal in the 400 meters at the Texas Relays. At the state meet, he led the Jaguars to victory in the 400 relay and struck individual silver in the 100.
Colby Huntress, sr., Anderson: Our boys athlete of the year rallied late at the state meet to edge Frisco Lebanon Trail’s Andrew Malan by less than half a second in the 1,600 and won the 800 by less than half a second as well. He was our All-Central Texas boys cross-country male athlete of the year as well after winning gold at the state meet last fall.
Dane Mignerey, jr., Wimberley: In Class 4A, the Texan earned a gold medal in the boys pole vault, clearing the bar with a school-record jump of 16 feet.
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Abram Reagan, sr., Lake Travis: In his final high school meet, Reagan took second place in the Class 6A 400, less than a second behind Pearland’s Joshua Shelton. He will continue to run at Michigan.
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Hendrickson athlete Morgan Nelsen celebrates finishing second in the girls 3200-meter run during the UIL State Track & Field 2026 Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Friday, May 15, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
All-Central Texas Girls Team
Eva Cragnolino, sr., LASA: The future Washington Huskies runner won a pair of Class 5A state medals — silver in the 1,600 meters and bronze in the 3,200 meters. She earned a gold medal in cross-country in the fall, too.
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Isabel Crew, fresh., Dripping Springs: Competing in the UIL wheelchair division, Crew kept busy with three events at state. She won a gold medal and set a state record in the seated shot put and earned silver medals in the 100 and 400 meters.
Madison Cuplin, jr., Marble Falls: One year after winning a bronze in the Class 4A long jump, Cuplin returned to the state meet and improved her standing with a silver medal.
Morgan Nelsen, jr.., Hendrickson: Competing against Cragnolino at the state meet, Nelson earned a Class 5A silver medal in the 3,200 meters and a bronze in the 1,600.
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Bethany Preusse, jr., Thorndale: Her spring track season started when she won the discus and shot put at the Texas Relays in early April. As for state, she won the discus by 23 feet over her closest challenger.
Carleigh Roznovak, fresh., Thrall: Making her state meet debut, Roznovak took home a silver medal after finishing in second in the Class 2A 400 meters with a time of 57.44 seconds.