Carl Albert boys break 5A state meet record in 4x200

Carl Albert boys break 5A state meet record in 4×200

The 2024 Oklahoma high school track and field state meet for Classes 6A and 5A began Friday in Western Heights.

Several championship events were held as well as preliminaries, and the competition will conclude on Saturday.

Here are some takeaways from day one.

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Carl Albert's Marcus James, right, congratulates teammate Trey Washington after his commitment to OU during a ceremony at Carl Albert in Midwest City on Nov. 2.

Carl Albert boys break Class 5A state meet record in 4×200

Carl Albert’s 4×200-meter relay team fell just 0.08 seconds short of reaching its goal last season.

Deontra Dukes, Byron Stubbs, Trystan Haynes and Trey Washington had a strong race at the Class 5A state meet, but John Marshall edged out the Titans for the title by finishing in 1:28.39.

This defeat was a motivation for Carl Albert’s four sprinters during the offseason.

“We told our coaches, ‘We don’t want to feel like this anymore,'” said Washington, an OU junior football player.

Carl Albert came into this year’s state meet with something to prove, and the Titans’ performance ended up landing them in the Oklahoma high school record books.

Carl Albert completed the relay in 1:26.60, winning the championship and breaking the Class 5A state meet record, which was 1:27.00 and set by Lawton MacArthur in 2015.

Carl Albert posted a time of 1:26.95 at the regional championships, but he was even better on Friday.

“We always come into the competition with hopes of winning first place, but just to see that happen after last year means the world to all of us,” Haynes said.

Like Washington, Haynes is a junior committed to OU football and plays both wide receiver and defensive back for the Titans.

Washington committed to the Sooners alongside teammate Marcus James in November, while Haynes announced his commitment this week.

They will focus on football at the next level, but there is no doubt that competing in track and field will allow them to become better players on the field.

“It helps me a lot because I focus heavily on speed, being that of a cornerback,” Haynes said. “So coming here competing with the people who are the fastest in the state, being able to improve while working on my speed to help my football talent, that’s just everything.”