Taylor takes sixth at Congress

Published Wednesday, May 23, 2012
By Richard Greene

In his final high-school race, Northwest’s Troy Taylor stayed in the lead pack until the end Saturday at the Congress Avenue Mile in Austin.

The Northwest senior finished sixth in 4:14.

“With 200 meters to go, he was 15 meters out of the lead,” said Northwest coach George Lutkenhaus. “He was right there until the end.”

Cypress Woods’ Craig Nowak won the annual event for the state’s top distance runners in 4:08. Humble Kingwood’s Justin Brinkley took second in 4:09. Michael Lindberg of Kingwood Park was third in 4:12.

Taylor ran the prestigious race one week after earning a Class 5A silver medal in the 3,200 at the state meet. He also finished third in the 1,600.

“It’s hard to top what he did last week,” Lutkenhaus said about the runner who is now headed to the University of North Texas.

Northwest sophomore Zack Kirkland finished 23rd in 4:22.

In the girls race, Northwest freshman Katherine Chavez ran 5:04 to finish 20th. Sophomore Kellee McCann was 39th in 5:16.

“For the younger ones it takes a lot to make it to the end of the year,” Lutkenhaus said. “They competed well, and it was a good experience. It’s to a point where they are ready for some time off.”

College Park’s Katie Jensen won the girls race in 4:44. Arin Rice of Canyon took second in 4:46. Rachel Jones of Hebron was third in 4:48.

Runners faced a strong headwind during their trip south from the state capitol to the Congress Avenue Bridge.

“The wind was not horrible, but it did negate some of the downhill,” Lutkenhaus said. “It was also humid and warm.”