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The 411: O.D. Wyatt's Lauren Brown
It is almost fitting that the DFW Girls Track Runner of the Year poll was a race to the finish!
The top two vote getters ended up racking up more than 150,000 of the more than 300,000 votes, so VYPE DFW decided to name co-winners and catch up with both of the track stars.
We start with Lauren Brown of O.D. Wyatt High School to learn more about the junior - who set a pair of personal records in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash this season - including how'd she get her start in track, what she does off the track and more.
VYPE: How long have you been running track and how did you get your start?
BROWN: "I started running track at the age of 7. My mother was a big influence on me wanting to be great at track. She's in the TCU record books. In our house we are a track family and my 4-year-old sister is next."
VYPE: What is your favorite thing about track?
BROWN: "My favorite thing about track is the opportunity that it gives me to show the gift that God has blessed me with. I like the fun times that I have with my teammates but I really enjoy stepping up to the line and competing at the highest levels. We have some of the fastest girls in the US right here in DFW. Working out with and competing with them is definitely a favorite of mine because it forces me to improve.
VYPE: Go-to pregame meal? Routine?
BROWN: "My pregame meal usually takes place the day before. My family and I go to Olive Garden. The morning of meet day, I eat oatmeal for breakfast, and fruit throughout the day. My favorite fruit is apples but I can't eat them right now because of #braces! I usually eat a sandwich too. I drink lots of water. LOTS OF WATER. My routine for the day involves a lot of mental preparations. I visualize my races for the day. I see myself going through all the phases of each of my races. I try to get focused way before I actually run. If your mind isn't in it you won't run your best. On the way to the meet my Dad turns on my meet day song, Kirk Franklin's God Like You... DO YOU WANT THAT BOUNCE!?! That's the last song I hear before I get out of the vehicle. We've been doing that for some years now. We do our father/daughter handshake and I go prepare to compete. I do put some "hype songs" on to get me pumped up during my warm up though!"
VYPE: Favorite subject in school?
BROWN: "English. I talk a lot so I write too much and get in trouble for it from my teacher. I'm usually the class example when my teacher says don't write as many sentences as Lauren even though my work IS good."
VYPE: What has been your biggest hurdle to overcome on succeeding on the track?
BROWN: "My biggest hurdle is running in the proper position at all times...especially while I'm tired. It's much improved now and my form is pretty good. Being consistent is the key. It's an ongoing thing that keeps getting better and better over time."
VYPE: Off the track, what is your favorite thing to do?
BROWN: "I like to play Spiderman and Fortnite on the PS4. I also play the flute and I am the drum major for my band.
VYPE: In all of your years of track, what is the one memory from the game you'll never forget?
BROWN: "I'll never forget when I finally made the finals at the AAU Junior Olympics when I was 12 years old. I wanted it so bad and worked really hard all summer. It showed me that hard work and dedication pays off."
Time to Defend: Klein Forest out to fast start in defense of Class 6A T&F Crown
HOUSTON – Defending Class 6A State Champion Klein Forest isn't wasting any time on stealing headlines to open the 2020 men's track & field season.
Beating Fort Bend Marshall in a relay race will do that.
This past weekend at the Generation Park Track & Field Invitational, hosted by Summer Creek, the 4X200 and 4x400-meter relay teams for Klein Forest were able to edge out the Buffs.
"I knew we had to work for it but I went into it with the mindset I have for any other race," Klein Forest senior Auhmad Robinson, a Stephen F. Austin-commit, said. "I was happy that each and every one of us executed."
The 4x200-meter relay race was ultra-exciting with the time difference between Klein Forest and Fort Bend Marshall being just 0.35 seconds. In the 4x400-meter relay, the difference was 1.92 seconds.
Klein Forest isn't just the best just in Texas though.
The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 1 in the country in the 4x200 (1:24.52) and in the 4x400 with their time of 3:14.81 from this past weekend. The last of the relays, Klein Forest is ranked No. 6 in Texas in the 4X100-meter relay (41.09), which is the best among Class 6A teams in Houston.
"I'm overall proud of our success and the reason we are getting these outcomes is because we're growing as a team, not only physically but mentally as well," Robinson said.
WATCH: Klein Forest defeat FB Marshall in 4x200-meter Relay
Even though relays do carry a ton of weight at the state track meet (20 points for a first-place finish), Klein Forest could get help in other areas.
One area is the throws.
Last year, Maurice Westmoreland's fourth place finish in the discus and fifth place showing in the shot put ended up being crucial points for Klein Forest. Compared to last year, Westmoreland has improved a ton with personal records in both events already in 2020.
"The biggest difference for me from last year to this year would be my focus and gaining trust in myself," Westmoreland said.
This past weekend, Westmoreland recorded his first-ever 200-plus foot throw in the discus with a mark of 204-feet- 6 inches (36-foot-6-inch improvement from state) – which is currently ranked No. 1 in Texas.
At the end of February, Westmoreland hit 61-feet-5.5 inches (1-foot-11-inch improvement from state) in the shot put – which is ranked only behind Katy Taylor Bryce Foster's mark of 61-feet-7.75 inches.
"It felt great to hit those marks because it shows that I am where I'm supposed to be," Westmoreland said.
With the relays going the way they are and the accession of Westmoreland's throws, Klein Forest looks like an early favorite to repeat as 6A boys track & field state champions come May.
"Knowing that we are one the better teams, we work harder than anyone else to achieve that greatness," Westmoreland said.
Photo by Bradley Collier/VYPE Media