The 2023–24 track season has come to a close, with the girls’ team securing 3rd place in both the district and area meets. A standout moment of the season belongs to Junior Savannah Byers. Savannah achieved her personal best high jump of 5’10’’, earning her a spot in the state meet where she finished 6th, solidifying her as one of the state’s top female high jumpers.

Seniors Mary van Dyke and Julia Shimel both had very impressive seasons as distance runners. Mary van Dyke ran a 2:21.454 800 meter dash at the area meet, securing 2nd place overall, Mary also won first in the area meet 1600-meter race with a time of 5:07.196, then ran a 4:56.66 at the region meet, placing third. Julia Shimel placed first in the 3200-meter race with a time of 11:37.554; she then ran an 11:27.41 in the regional meet. Julia also placed second in the 1600-meter race, with a time of 5:14.425. Another notable distance performance at the area meet came from sophomore Clara Dye, who ran 11:41.584; she then ran an 11:18.97 at the regional meet. At the area meet, all eleven female competitors from Kingwood High School placed in the top four in their respective events. An impressive mid-distance performance comes from senior Evalyn Abdmoulaie, who ran a season best of 57.5 seconds in the 400-meter dash.

Seniors who will continue their athletic careers in college include Mary Van Dyke (Oklahoma University), Julia Shimel (University of Houston), Evalyn Abdmoulaie (University of Louisiana), and Nita Koumdadzie (University of Texas). Each of these athletes is now part of the 2% of high school athletes who play Division 1 sports in college. We wish them the best of luck as they take the next step in their athletic careers.

Congratulations to every one of these track and field athletes who have put in an immense amount of hard work and dedication to get to where they are today. Congrats to the girls’ track team for another great season! We are excited to see what is in store for next year.