Smyer’s Burriss claims state triple jump gold with personal best
The Smyer senior recorded a leap of 39 feet, 1 inch to vault from third into first place at the UIL state track and field meet in Texas.
Ashtyn Burriss, a senior at Smyer High School, secured the Class 2A girls triple jump title at the UIL state track and field meet in Texas on Friday. Burriss recorded a personal best leap of 39 feet, 1 inch on her final attempt, a performance that elevated her from third place to first. The victory followed the withdrawal of previous leader Jamia Birmingham of Linden-Kildare, who scratched from the competition after reaching 39 feet on her opening attempt.
Burriss faced a critical moment during the competition when she fouled on her penultimate attempt. Describing the pressure of the situation, Burriss noted she was "freaking out" due to her intense desire to win. To correct her form for the final jump, she followed her coach’s advice to shorten her runway. This adjustment allowed her to execute the winning leap, overcoming the anxiety of a tired state and the need to deliver a peak performance.
The win marks a significant improvement from Burriss’s third-place finish in the previous year’s state meet, where she recorded a mark of 36 feet, 8 inches. The field this year proved more competitive, with Burriss improving her personal best by approximately one foot over the course of her senior season. She had trailed Birmingham and Chilton’s Zanoviah Coleman from the second round, as each competitor had reached 39 feet on their first attempts.
Burriss credited her training success to her coaches and her father, who acted as a gym partner throughout the process. She stated that her hunger for a state gold medal fueled her preparation, which she began intensifying one month after leaving Austin. Burriss expressed that she wanted to leave high school with no regrets and to validate the effort she had invested over four years.
Looking ahead, Burriss is set to join the track program at Lubbock Christian University. She acknowledged that the transition to college athletics will present new challenges, noting that she aims to prove her worth to new coaches and teammates. Burriss indicated that she intends to continue training hard over the summer to ensure she earns her place in the collegiate program. This report is based on coverage originally published by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
