AUSTIN — Veribest’s Chloe Becker leaned through the finish line, knowing she finally caught the runner she had spent a year chasing Saturday, May 16, at the UIL state track and field meet at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.
After running the anchor leg for the bronze medal team in the 400 relay earlier, the junior sprinter was slated to compete in two more events — the 100 and 200. Becker was the defending state champion in the 200 and aimed to repeat. However, in the 100, she faced an uphill battle against three-time defending state champion Kamryn Dyck.
The senior from Loop bested Becker in the 100 last year and was the No. 1 seed this year. Becker was the second-seeded runner with her 12.37-second Region II meet time, though the junior sprinter posted faster times this season.
With Dyck one lane over, Becker lunged past the defending state champion in the final 20 meters, earning gold and setting a new state track meet record at 12.20 seconds.
“I was very nervous to begin with,” Becker said. “But then I said my prayers and trusted the Lord through it. And then knowing at the last couple of seconds I had beat (Dyck) — it was just amazing. After getting second (last year) — and second’s not bad, but gold is just amazing. It was just pure bliss for me.”
After the race, Dyck, who will run collegiate track at Lubbock-Christian University, had plenty of praise for Becker and her work ethic.
The 200 was Becker’s next and final event at the meet, in which she was heavily favored. Her top-seeded time was more than a half-second faster than second-place Hull-Daisetta’s Amaya Patterson.
Like many moments at the state track meet, Becker faced the unexpected.
The junior sprinter led coming out of the curve, but Gordon’s Gracie Lain and Bruni’s McKinlie Williams pushed right behind. The competition fueled Becker to a personal record and state all-conditions meet record of 24.78.
“(The 200 race) was definitely difficult,” Becker said. “Because I had somebody pushing me this time. And when I had looked up on the screen and saw that I had PR’d, it was so amazing and heartwarming. … I knew that I needed to run faster. That’s what I needed to do, and I ended up doing it.”
Becker left this year’s state meet amazed and proud of her accomplishments — a stark contrast from the feelings she had after being disqualified for a false start in her first state meet.
“(I’ve learned) to trust the process,” Becker said. “And I get told it all the time by my coach and he is definitely right. The first meet is never the best, but once you train and work hard, and get back to this spot, you just trust the process.”
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@gosanangelo.com. Follow him on X @Paul_Witwer, Instagram and TikTok at pwitwer_sast.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Veribest’s Chloe Becker ‘trusted the process’ to become the fastest in the state
Reporting by Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
