ADDISON — Jacob Brown’s favorite event when he competes in boys track and field for Irving Cistercian is the 4 X 400 relay. The best time he has ever had in running that race, as well as his last as a competitive runner, happened Saturday.
Brown ran the anchor leg of a victorious 4 X 400 team that also made Cistercian school history, clinching the Class 3A boys team title at the Southwestern Preparatory Conference Track and Field Championships at the Greenhill School’s William A. Shirley Family Track. It’s Cistercian’s first boys track and field team SPC title, according to coach Dennis Harris.
Brown had a big smile on his face as he pulled away in the final 100 meters of the 4 X 400 race, capping the time made with Carter Kenny, his brother Matthew Brown and Bobby Quinn of 3 minutes 24.04 seconds to beat Austin St. Andrew’s (3:24.95). The win gave Cistercian 173 points to 151.5 for defending 3A champion Fort Worth Country Day.
“The last 100 meters of the 400 are my favorite. It’s the hardest. It shows who wants to run and who doesn’t,” Brown said. “I love being able to finish my senior year like that. This was my favorite race ever, and to do it with my brother in the race is the best.”
Brown had a similar smile when he ran the 400 meters, using a smooth, steady stride to win in 49.79 seconds ahead of Darrell Houston of Austin St. Stephen’s (50.46). Brown also won the high jump on Friday with a height of 6 feet, 2 inches, capping a big weekend after being bothered by a hip flexor last year. This weekend ended Brown’s athletic career as he will enroll at the University of Texas this fall as a student to study business and liberal arts.
Cistercian also got individual titles from Patrick Sporl in the 300 hurdles (40.11 seconds) on Saturday as well as from Ryan Sporl in the discus (168-9) on Friday. The team title was the culmination of three years of work by Harris, a former sprinter and jumper who helped Louisiana State and the defunct Blinn College program win national titles.
“We had a tough first day with our horizontal jumps, and the kids used that for motivation for a second-day performance,” Harris said. “We were prepared for this, to be honest with you. We worked hard the past three years, and we worked hard. That’s the only way we could have pulled this off.”
In the Class 4A girls, Hockaday was denied its third consecutive conference title despite two individual titles by distance runner Margaret Thompson. Bellaire Episcopal won the team title with 205.5 points while Hockaday was second with 127.
Fort Worth Country Day repeated as Class 3A girls champions, edging out cross-town rival Trinity Valley. Country Day finished with 175.5 points while Trinity Valley had 174, led by Courtney McCracken winning four individual titles.
Bellaire Episcopal repeated as Class 4A boys champions, rolling to 208.5 point to 147 for The Woodlands John Cooper. St. Mark’s had the top showing among area 4A boys, placing fifth with 79.5 points.
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