BISD sending three to State Championship track meet

April 24, 2025

By Clay Whittington

Belton Journal

A state title is within the reach of three Belton ISD athletes.

Weeks of postseason competition will come to a conclusion May 2, when hundreds converge at Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium for the annual University Interscholastic League Track & Field State Championships.

Among the contingency will be two Belton standouts and a Lady Broncos pole vaulter.

At last weekend’s Region II-5A meet, Lady Tigers senior Olivia Brillhart and Lake Belton senior Abigail Rydberg captured gold medals in their respective events, and as a result, also qualified for the state meet.

Brillhart, a distance runner, was first to finish the 3,200-meter run, completing the race in 10 minutes, 55.68 seconds, while Rydberg cleared 11 feet, 6 inches to win the pole vault.

Along with placing first or second in an event, participants also advanced by having the next best showing from across the four regional meets, which is how Belton junior Christian Porter earned his state berth.

Porter was third in the 400 at the regional meet, posting a time of 47.85, and he will enter the event with the field’s third fastest seed time. At state, Porter will compete at 7 p.m.

Brillhart, who is the fourth seed, will start at 9:30 a.m., and Rydberg will begin at 3 p.m. She is tied for the sixth seed.

While the season ended for all but three individuals, both Belton and Lake Belton experienced additional success at the regional meet.

During the course of two days at Arlington’s Maverick Stadium, the Lady Tigers amassed 17 points to place 12th in the final standings.

Along with her win in the 3,200, Brillhart placed third in the 1,600 with a time of 5:10.55, and the outings were complemented by a pair of teammates.

Damauria Nolan-Hemphill, a sophomore, delivered a sixth-place finish in the 200 (24.83), and she was 10th (16-8½) in the long jump, while Belton junior Laila Page placed eighth (9-6) in the pole vault.

Lake Belton landed just three spots back after scoring a dozen points to finish in a three-way tie with Carrollton Smith and Melissa for 15th overall.

Kiely Camacho, a junior, complemented Rydberg by delivering a fifth-place time of 15.54 in the 100 hurdles, while the 800 relay quartet of Chelsie Miller, Aleya Russell, Nylah Berrian and Bella Garcia was seventh (1:41.60).

Sophomore high jumper Dannika Kelley (12th, 5-0) completed the Lady Broncos’ performance.

Red Oak emerged with the team title, scoring 78 points to beat out McKinney North (2nd, 76) and Lucas Lovejoy (3rd, 56).

In the boys division, McKinney North easily claimed the championship with 88 points – 35 more than second-place Lovejoy (53). Frisco Heritage was third (52).

With 11 points, the Tigers tied Frisco Lebanon Trail and Frisco Emerson for 14th place as four more were among the top 10 of their respective events.

Logan Lamberte, a senior, was fourth (14-0) in the pole vault, Porter was sixth (22.11) in the 200, sophomore Graham Chambley was seventh (14.85) in the 110 hurdles, and senior Joshua Roberts was 10th (12-6) in the pole vault.

Senior distance runner John Zachary Moehlenbrock was 12th (2:01.10) in the 800.

Julian Walker had the Broncos’ top finish, placing third (22-6½) in the long jump, while fellow seniors Michael Frazier and Travellis Harrison were seventh (triple jump, 44-1¼) and 13th (discus, 137-11), respectively.

Additionally, sophomore Michael Lockett was part of the high jump competition, but he did not produce a mark.

Lake Belton scored six points and finished in a tie for 23rd with Dallas Hillcrest, Hallsville, Terrell and Frisco Wakeland.