Ashton Torns storms back for Westlake, earns one more state gold in Class 6A long jump
Westlake senior Ashton Torns did not perform his best in the long jump competition until his chief competitor was about to steal the gold medal. That's when the University of Miami signee got serious.
On his fifth of sixth jumps, Torns had a leap of 25 feet, 3 inches, enough to offset a challenge from Marquis Johnson of Dickinson, who settled for silver at 25-¾.
Torns said this Class 6A gold medal is special because he had to perform at his best to win.
"I like competition, to be honest," Torns said. "When he had that first jump that put him in the lead, it made me think it was time to wake up. It was almost like my first three jumps were relaxed. But whenever I got my feet under me, it was time to compete."
Torns was among a few Central Texas competitors who earned medals Saturday in the early portion of the UIL state track and field meet at Myers Stadium. The final day of the meet was delayed nearly four hours by rain.
Torns' gold complements the gold he won as a sophomore and the silver he earned as a junior. He said he got some words from his dad before Saturday's meet: "One step at a time," Anthony Torns texted.
After a quick interview with the media, Torns met with his Westlake teammates and coaches to prepare for two more events. He ended up with a silver medal in the 100 meters but his 4x100 relay team failed to medal.
More: Mckenzie Bailey of Georgetown wins 5A gold
Another senior making his encore performance at the state meet was Vandegrift's Kevin Sanchez. The Notre Dame-bound runner earned his sixth state medal — two are cross-country golds — by finishing with a silver in the 3,200 meters. About four hours later, Sanchez earned a bronze medal in the 1,600 meters.
The 3,200-meter race was memorable because Strake Jesuit's Reese Vannerson won it with a state-record time of 8 minutes, 49.10 seconds.
Sanchez said the meet was "bittersweet" because he was putting the final touches on a successful high school career.
"I've enjoyed every moment here," he said. "I've enjoyed representing Vandegrift and the city of Austin. Now I get to that at a higher level. ... Winning never gets old. Every win is a gift. You can never take it for granted. Every time I win a race, I celebrate with my team. I get to show them how much they mean to me."
Late Saturday, Round Rock's Xavier Drumgoole struck gold with a first-place finish in the 6A triple jump. Saving his best for last, he leaped 49 feet, 6.75 inches on his sixth and final attempt to overtake Arlington Martin's Jeremiah Charles, who had taken the lead at 49 feet, 2.5 inches.
"I wanted to put on a show and I wanted to bring a medal home," the Dragon junior said. "That's all I wanted. I wanted to jump the best I could but I just wanted to win."
Bowie senior Evan MacGregor earned a silver medal late Saturday in the 6A 800 meters with a time of 1:52.15.
Westlake senior David Sowell earned a bronze medal in the Class 6A shot put with a toss of 61-2½ inches. San Antonio East Central's Michael Pinones won the event with 65-11½ while David Wilson III of Hurst Bell earned silver at 62-11.
Photos: Day 2 of UIL track and field meet
The most spectacular athlete of the three-day meet was Taytum Goodman, a junior from Class 1A Earth Springlake. She won the 1,600 meters, 800 meters and 3,200 meters and broke the 1A record in all three events.
As Goodman rounded the final turn in her final event, the 1,600 meters, the crowd stood and roared as the public address announcer said she could break a record. Goodman stared at the stadium clock during her final kick and threw up her arms when she realized the record was hers.
Goodman already is a seven-time gold medal winner at the UIL state meet. She also has won the Class 1A cross country championship in each of her three years in high school.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Better late than never! Westlake's Ashton Torns wins long jump gold
