Breckenridge’s Lehr wins gold medal at State Track Meet; Buckaroo team places second overall
Breckenridge High School junior Chase Lehr won a gold medal at the UIL State Track and Field Meet in Austin on Thursday when he came in first in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:55.41, more than 2 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.
The Buckaroos 4×200 relay team, which includes Adrian Ruiz, Daniel Valdez, Sawyer Wimberley and Sean Cooksey, came in second with a time of 1:28.22. In the 100-meter dash, Cooksey placed third with a time of 10.68. In the 200-meter dash, Ruiz placed sixth with a time of 22.11.
Overall, the Buckaroo team came in second at the state meet, behind the Brock High School team. The Buckaroos qualified for the State meet with their wins at the district, area and regional meets.
“Proud is an understatement about how I feel about these boys!” Coach Mark Young said in a Facebook post. “The hard work and commitment these boys gave all year! I’m truly blessed to be their coach! I love them! Thanks for making my job so easy! Can’t wait til next year!!!”
Although other local athletes have won medals at state contests, Lehr is the first BHS athlete to win a gold medal at a state competition since Camille Blackerby was the state golf champion in 2003. The BHS girls golf team also placed first overall that year. Lehr’s gold medal is the first in state track meet since Mike Funderburg placed first in 1980.
At the Buckaroo Relays in March, Lehr broke a school record in the 1,600-meter run. With a time of 4:33.16, Lehr broke the 43-year-old school record set in 1979 by Johnny Dean, who ran the 1600 in 4:34.40. At the Regional contest earlier this year, Lehr broke a school record with his 800m time of 1:54.45; the previous record had been set in 1990 by Craig McCoy with a time of 1:55.5. Also at the Regionals, Lehr broke his personal record in the 1600m with a time of 4:31.52.
The 4×200 relay team of Ruiz, Valdez, Wimberley and Cooksey also broke the school record three times this track season: first, at the District meet where they came in first place with a time of 1:30.68; then, at the Area meet, where they came in second place with a time of 1:29.04; and finally at the State meet, where they came in first place with a time of 1:28:52. The previous record was set in 2006 with a time of 1:30.9.
Cutline, top photo: Members of the BHS track team pose for a photo with their coaches at the 2022 UIL State Track and Field Meet. Pictured, from left, are Coach Mark Young, Daniel Valdez, Sean Cooksey, Chase Lehr, Adrian Ruiz, Sawyer Wimberley and Assistant Coach Tanner Crain. Also traveling with the team was Anson Rodgers (not pictured), an alternate for the relay team. (Photo courtesy of Rob Durham)
Editor’s note: This story was updated at about 6:30 p.m. on May 13, 2022, with additional stats.
