Pantherettes win third consecutive State Track and Field Championship
IT’S A “3-Peat”! Bottom – left to right, Carly Land, Makennah Austin, Nelly Thiessen; top – left to right, Lexi Durst, Ell Robinson, Leah Land, Addison McCoid and Mallory Sides PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHANNA FLOYD/ https://shannafloyd.smugmug.com/
— By Ann Metcalf —
Carly Land takes flight in the 300 meter hurdles to win and set a new State Record.
Panhandle’s Girls Track Team was entered in five events at the 2025 UIL State Track Meet and came home with medals in all five events and won the State AA Girls’ Track Championship.
Last year, 2024, the Ettes tied for first place and in 2023, they won the champions … so this is three State Championships in three years, dubbed a “3-Peat.”
This team not only won the State Championship but set three new State Records.
The 4×100 meter relay team set a State as well as a new PHS record with a time of 47.34. Sophomore Ell Robinson started the race then handed off to Sophomore Carly Land, who handed off to Junior Lexi Durst, who passed the baton to anchor Leah Land, who brought the stick home in record time. Panhandle won this event in 2024 with a time of 47.98, but the state record for the 4×400 time of 47.89 was held by Dallas Gateway.
The next race was the 4×200 meter relay for the Ettes. They qualified third for the meet, but they earned the silver with a time of 1:42.65. Running the relay was Robinson, Makennah Austin, Lexi Durst and Leah Land. This team broke the school record of 1:43.43 in this event set in 2022-2023, by Austin, Sydney Adee, Grace Sims and L. Land.
Next on the schedule was the 300 meter hurdles. C. Land had the fastest qualifying time of 43.85. The gun sounded and the hurdlers were off. Those of us watching at
Nelly Thiessen tosses the shot put for a distance of 41 feet-4 inches for the bronze medal.
the Square House Museum heard the commentator say, “Land stumbled!”, but she quickly made up for that stumble and caught up and won the race in a record setting time of 42.78. She broke her own record of 43.43 set in 2023-2024, when she placed second at state.
Team point totals at this time were Panhandle 52 – Refugio 60, but Refugio, the team the Ettes tied with for state wins the 200 meter dash to take a 70-52 points lead with the 4×400 left to run.
The Ettes had the best qualifying time of 3:57.34, while Refugio qualified eighth with a time of 4:11.54. The gun sounded and Austin shot out of the blocks and handed off to C. Land, who then handed the baton to Junior Addi McCoid, who handed to anchor L. Land. She crossed the finish line in a time of 3:54.35 to gain another state record. This year’s Ettes broke the state record set by the 2021-2022 Pantherettes’ team of Avery Cathey, Sydney Adee, L. Land and Mackie Land. Meanwhile, Refugio came in 7th and Panhandle won the meet 72-70.
On Friday before the rain delay, which moved the running events to Saturday morning, Junior Nelly Thiessen took third place in the shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 4 inches that added 6 points going into the running events.
The Ettes went to Austin with a potential of 80 points and scored 72, that is awesome!
A big congratulations to Coach Corby Maurer, his staff and the Pantherettes Track and Field Team for a job that was exceedingly well done! The Panhandle community is so proud of you!
The Panthers 4×400 meter relay team of Wyatt Rocha, Cooper Treadwell, Dallas Pennington and Caiden Crook qualified ninth with a time of 3:29.15, and finished seventh overall with a time of 3:26.6. Crook placed fourth in the High Jump.
Congratulations to these young men!
