Stephens, Patterson Qualify for State
Highland Park’s qualifiers for the Class 5A state track and field meet include, from left, Elle Thompson, Ella Patterson, Maddy Stephens, and Mary Warriner Kemp.
Maddy Stephens, Ella Patterson, and a few of their teammates will represent Highland Park at the Class 5A state track and field meet on May 10 in Austin.
Stephens was the runner-up in the 800 meters and Patterson finished second in the 400 at the Region II meet on Saturday in Arlington, qualifying them for state.
Stephens and Patterson — along with Mary Warriner Kemp and Elle Thompson — also are part of the school’s 4×400 relay team, which also secured a spot at state with a silver medal at regionals. As a team, the Lady Scots placed third at the regional meet.
Stephens, a senior University of Texas signee, took second place at state a year ago. Her time of 2 minutes, 16.13 seconds at regionals was less than a half-second behind regional champion Nissi Kabongo of Frisco Liberty.
Patterson, a sophomore, will make her second appearance at the state meet after recording a regional time of 56.45 seconds. That was only 0.06 seconds back of West Mesquite’s Kayla Ford for gold.
On the boys side, Sam Sloan recorded the top regional finish for the Scots with a bronze-medal time of 1:58.12 in the 800, narrowly missing out on a state berth.
