Belton ISD track headed to Austin

 May 1, 2025

Three Belton ISD products have an opportunity to make history today.

After each experienced wildly successful seasons, Lady Tigers senior Olivia Brillhart, Tigers junior Christian Porter and Lake Belton senior Abigail Rydberg are set to compete on the ultimate stage, taking part in the University Interscholastic League Class 5A Track & Field State Championships.

The event takes place at Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium on The University of Texas campus.

Brillhart will be the first to compete, taking to the track at 9:30 a.m. for the 3,200-meter run.

The distance runner enters with the nineperson field’s fourth-best seed time after winning the Region II championship in 10 minutes, 55.68 seconds.

Comal Smithson Valley junior Lilly Koenig owns the fastest seed time at 10:43.03, while McAllen senior Dana Rojas Vazquez (10:51.25) and Lubbock senior Reese Peña (10:52.89) follow.

Also a regional champion, Rydberg is situated in a tie with Humble Kingwood Park junior Emilee Smith for the sixth best seed mark in the pole vault. Each cleared 11 feet, 6 inches at regionals.

Gregory Portland junior Tristen Grimes is the field’s favorite with a mark of 12-6, which is three inches better than second-seed Peyton Berry. The Argyle senior cleared 12-3 to qualify.

The girls pole vault is set to start at 3 p.m.

With a victory, Rydberg would earn Lake Belton’s fourth state championship in three years.

Two seasons ago, as a freshman, Kendrick Jones Jr. was adorned with the gold medal in the 200, and he followed by repeating as state champion in the event last year while also adding a first-place finish in the long jump to his already glowing resume.

Rounding out Belton ISD’s trio of representatives, Porter is a third seed in the 400.

The sprinter earned his state berth as a wild card, meaning he had the top time from the four regional meets excluding each event’s top two finishers.

Nevertheless, he is considered a favorite for the gold medal along with Marshall senior De’Trevyon Goudeau (1st, 47.50) and McKinney North senior Dakalon Tyler (2nd, 47.60).

Porter will race at 7 p.m.

Ayanna Jones won the long jump gold medal in 2022 to account for the last time Belton won a state championship.

For the Tigers, however, the stretch extends much further.

Ramonce Taylor was responsible for state gold in the long jump in 2004, defending the championship he won a year earlier.

Prior to Taylor, David Moreland was the Tigers’ last state champion, winning the pole vault in 1994.