09-05-2025
Liberty-Eylau girls track brings home multiple titles from 3A state meet
TEXARKANA, TX (KTAL/KMSS) — In last week's 3A State Track Meet in Austin Texas, the Liberty-Eylau girls track team brough home medals in three events, placing in the top five in four.
'Pure relief of anxiety and stress and everything,' head coach Jarrick Farmer said.
Chloe Ward was the first to bring home a medal, placing in first in high jump with a height of 5'6″.
'I really wanted to cry. I'm not gonna lie. I was like 'oh my god I just won a state title,'' Ward said. 'At first it was nerve racking, I was a little nervous, I was real scared, there was a lot of tall, tall, tall girls and I was like oh they finna out jump me, but I was just thinking about getting explosive and getting up.'
The 4×200 meter relay made up of Lanijah Welch, Jada Stovall, Kaydence Stephens, and Z'Ryen Banks won first place in the event.
'Honestly it meant everything to me, especially as a sophomore,' Stovall said. 'Last year we came so close we didn't make it out of regionals and for us to go to state this year is amazing.'
Stephens, Stovall, Banks, and Brailey Stewart placed in second in the 4×100 meter relay.
Banks also came in fourth in the triple jump event.
'It feels good to me, through all the hard work days, all the rain,' Banks said.
And it took a lot of hard work from the Lady Leopards to achieve their goals.
'Like we say, winning knows your secrets,' Farmer said. 'Meaning that, the things you do up until that point allow winning to choose you. It's not you, it's what you do.'
Being such a young team of mostly sophomores with a first-year head track coach, the Lady Leopards are already excited to get back to work for next season.
'Next year, we're coming back and we going even harder, breaking records for real,' Stovall said.
And hope to make the Texarkana community proud once again.
'Things like this brings the community together in more ways than one, more than we can understand.,' Farmer said. 'You never know what that meant to each individual kid.'
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