Thirteen Dripping Springs High School track and field athletes placed in the top four in their respective events at the 25/26 Area Meet on Wednesday, April 10 in Georgetown to qualify for the Region IV-6A Meet.
The boys’ 4x200-meter relay team of Cooper Reid, Jackson Mills, Kyle Koch and Croix DaCunha highlighted the competition with an area title by winning the event in a time of 1:29.24. DaCunha and Mills also qualified in the 4x400 relay with Beckham Kelly and Maddox Maher, timing 3:22.24 for third place.
The girls’ 4x400 relay consisting of Megan Hancock, Morgan Riley, Rylea Bernhard and Kaleigh Howell also qualified for the regional meet after finishing third with 4:01.95. Howell is a four-time regional qualifier.
In the shot put, Major Bettridge placed fourth with a throw of 50 feet six inches, tying a 46-year-old school record set by Randy Burke in 1978. Thrower Haiden Anderson also advanced with a fourth-place finish in the discus with a distance of 99 feet six inches.
In the high jump, Merrik Bloomgren won a tiebreaker over Round Rock’s Carson Griffin to claim the final regional qualifying spot with a height of five feet nine inches.
The Region IV-6A Meet will be held April 19-20 at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.
REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
Girls
Discus - Haiden Anderson
4x400-Meter Relay - Megan Hancock, Morgan Riley, Rylea Bernhard and Kaleigh Howell
Boys
High Jump - Merrik Bloomgren
Shot Put - Major Bettridge
4x200-Meter Relay - Cooper Reid, Jackson Mills, Kyle Koch and Croix DaCunha
4x400-Meter Relay - Beckham Kelly, Croix DaCunha, Maddox Maher and Jackson Mills