'I kind of did this for Bre.' With injured sister watching, Canyon's Hannah Stuart claims Region I-4A title

She wasn't quite sure where, but Hannah Stuart knew her big sister Breanna was up in the Lowrey Field/PlainsCapital Park stands cheering her on.

Hannah, the younger of the two sisters, made light work of the 3,200-meter run in the Region I-4A track & field meet on Friday morning. She assumed her spot at the front of the line by the third lap and never looked back, finishing in 11:04.36.

After crossing the finish line, Hannah took a few short steps onto the infield, sat down and watched teammate Avery Brown finish second for a Canyon 1-2 punch, both runners punching their ticket to the state UIL meet in a few short weeks.

The Lady Eagle sophomore was hoping for a faster time, but was satisfied with the end result, even if her big sister couldn't be on the track with her.

"I think I kind of did this for Bre," Hannah said.

Breanna Stuart was the state champion in the 3,200 as a junior. She and Hannah both competed in the 1,600. Breanna will likely be going back to Austin but as a spectator rather than a competitor.

The elder Stuart dealt with a nagging foot injury throughout the track season. About a week before the district meet, with her college track career at Florida on the horizon, Breanna finally shut it down, giving up the rest of her high school career.

"She wasn't getting any better," Canyon head coach Ray Baca said of Breanna, "and she was probably just going to make the injury worse by continuing to do it."

Hannah had lost her running buddy, the one that helped push her to her limits in practices. Breanna, though, hasn't stopped being there for her sis. She's still lifting her up when she needs it. Even if she can't see her, she knows Breanna is there for her.

"It's kind of tough when she's not out there, but I know she still cares about me," Hannah said.

Hannah's region-title 3,200 run helped the Canyon girls track team get off to a good start. The Lady Eagles, who took second in last year's state meet, are the heavy favorite to take the Region I crown. Getting 19 points from Stuart, Brown and Katie Shepherd (who took sixth) should be just the beginning.

"We're extremely happy with the way that went," Baca said of the 3,200.

With such a big cushion in the race, Hannah said she had a tough time pushing herself to the time she hoped for. She wound up with her second-best time of the season and knows she can be better.

"I wanted to try to go for kind of a faster time and I just wanted to create as much space as possible," Hannah said, "because I feel comfortable when there's a lot of space between me and the next runner."

Baca thought Hannah looked strong and that she and Brown — who will be competing in the 800 and 1,600 runs — weren't as good as they could've been.

"I feel like in two weeks both of those girls are going to be significantly faster," Baca said.

Region I-4A Track & Field Meet

Thursday's Finals

• Top 2 finishers in each region and the top third-place finisher in the state advance to the state meet

• Girls High Jump — 1. Niomi Wines, Big Spring, 5-5; 2. Keirstyn Carlston, Stephenville, 5-4; 3. Shelby Reed, Argyle, 5-4; 4. Makayla Ramsay, Mineral Wells, 5-2; 5. Nickilah Whatley, Hereford, 5-2; 6. Barrett Boyd, Gatesville, 5-2.

• Boys Pole Vault — 1. Ben Kirbo, Stephenville, 15-6; 2. Mitchell Thompson, Argyle, 15-3; 3. Eli Barnes, Argyle, 14-6; 4. Jude Edwards, Seminole, 14-0; 5. Shawn Parker, Andrews, 13-6; 6. Cuyler Feger, Perryton, 13-0.

• Girls 3,200 Run — 1. Hannah Stuart, Canyon, 11:04.42; 2. Avery Brown, Canyon, 11:26.67; 3. Vania Martinez, Gatesville, 11:38.32; 4. Lexi Maul, Pampa, 11:51.76; 5. Kallie Bullard, Pecos, 12:04.80; 6. Kate Shepherd, Canyon, 12:16.78.

• Boys 3,200 Run — 1. Christopher Moreno, San Elizario, 9:29.76; 2. Angel Sanchez, Dunbar, 9:31.94; 3. Carlo Martinez, Gatesville, 9:42.75; 4. Brian Woolums, Argyle, 9:57.94; 5. Roman Perez, Big Spring, 10:04.00; 6. Fabian Perez, Fort Stockton, 10:10.17.

• Boys Triple Jump — 1. Angel Munoz, El Paso Riverside, 45-10.25; 2. mark Fulkerson, Lake Worth, 45-3.00; 3. Zane Hodges, Fort Stockton, 45-1.75; 4. Jaydon Southard, Iowa Park, 44-10.75; 5. Jewel Fletcher, Wichita Falls Hirschi, 44-7.0; 6. Rylan Stringfellow, Burkburnett, 44-3.25.

• Girls Triple Jump — 1. Makenzie Flaugher, Springtown, 38-4.5; 2. Kylie Frush, Glen Rose, 38-0.75; 3. Tania Lee, Burkburnett, 37-9.25; 4. Ashlynn Evans, Andrews, 37-2.75; 5. Chloe Bagley, Iowa Park, 36-5.50; 6. Whitney Willeford, Canyon, 36-3.50.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: High School track: Canyon's Hannah Stuart wins Region I-4A 3,200 meter