AUSTIN - Hightower’s reign as the dominant team in Texas track and field came to a resounding halt Saturday night.

Thanks to a sixth-place finish in one relay event and a disqualification in another, the Hurricanes could not defend its state championship at the 5A state track meet at the University of Texas at Austin. But senior Isaiah Sweeney helped the team not come away empty-handed.

Sweeney won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.32 seconds to win another gold medal. Sweeney also finished third in the long jump with a distance of 23 feet and 10 inches.

But the relay teams did not do well for Hightower. The 4-by-100 relay team – consisting of Sweeney and juniors Darius Johnson, Trayvion Jones and Lance Patterson – finished sixth with a time of 41.17, almost two seconds behind the winning team from Garland Rowlett.

And the 4-by-200 relay team was disqualified when Sweeney pulled up with an apparent leg injury that forced the baton exchange to be outside of the exchange zone.

Rowlett won the team title with 70 points; Hightower finished fourth with 26 points.

Senior Robert Simmons finished third in the 200 dash with a time of 21.16.

In other men’s events, Blake Shaw of Cy Falls won the 800 with a time of 1:52.17, while Matt Kosecki of Humble won the discus with a throw of 193-9. Katy Taylor’s David McKenzie won the pole vault with a distance of 15-6.

On the girls side, it was a banner day for Clear Brook’s Erica Alexander. The senior won three events on the day, giving her five state championships for her high school career.

Alexander won the long jump earlier in the day, jumping for a distance of 19-06.50. Then she won the 100 with a time of 11.40 seconds and the 200 in 23.53 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Elsik relay teams did exceptionally well, winning the 800 relay and finishing second in the 400 relay.

The 4-by-200 relay team of juniors Angelica Kotun and Ashley Idunoba, senior Amber Evans and freshman Alicia Perkins won the event with a time of 1:37.17. The same four runners finished second in the 4-by-100 relay with a time of 45.85, just behind Dallas Skyline, who had a time of 45.74.

That was enough to put Elsik ahead in the girl’s team standings, but a win by Skyline in the 4-by-400 relay gave them the state title, with the Rams finishing fourth with 40 points.

Pearland’s Jessica Flax won the 100 hurdles with a time of 13.99, and she finished fourth in the 300 hurdles. Teammate Whitney Rose won the triple jump with a distance of 41-10.75, a personal best.

Westside’s Tiffany Singleton won the 800 with a time of 2:10.85, while Westbury’s Okafor Ikeatu finished second in the shot put with a distance of 46-1.

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