For the first time since 2007, the Fort Stockton boys track team will have a relay team run at the state.

The Panthers 800-meter relay clocked it’s two best times of the season on back-to-back days to accomplish the feat. The group which features Eliazar Lopez, Miguel Trejo, A.J. Garcia, and Aryan Hernandez finished in second place at the Class 4A Region 1 track meet in Lubbock.

“These young men keep improving through their hard work each day,” Fort Stockton boys track head coach Vic Ivy said. “As coaches you always want to be able to coach the last day of the season and with this group of young men we have the opportunity to do”

The 800 relay squad posted a time of 1 minute 29.88 seconds on April 23 in the prelims before the unit crossed the finish line in 1:28.47 on April 24 in the finals.

The performance helped the Panthers finish in sixth place as a team with 28.

The 800 relay team’s time was the fifth fastest in the state in Class 4A out of all regional meets.

The Panthers 400 relay team narrowly missed out on an opportunity to run at state via a season-best time of 42.76 seconds, good enough for third place. The unit consisted of Trejo, Lopez, Garcia and Pedro Vasquez.

The Panthers 1,600 relay (Caleb Garcia, Jesus Hernandez, Garcia, Vasquez) would have needed to run their season-best time to make the finals, but unable to do so. The relay team placed 12th overall.

Individual performances included a ninth-place finish by Garcia in the triple jump with a jump of 41 feet 7 1/2 inches and Fabian Perez, who placed 10th in the 1,600 with a time 4:49.47.

The 800 relay team will run at the state meet in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus on May 6 at 6:25 p.m.

For the Prowlers, Ali Jackson led the way with a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash via a personal-best time (1:01.08). The freshman also had the second-highest finish on the team, placing eighth in the 800-meter run (2:26.21).

Leslie Esquivel placed 10th in the 3,200 with a time of 12:45.7

RosaMaria Hernandez, Serena Quiroz, Adriana Aguilar, Aislynn Robledo, and Gabriella Renteria competed on the 400 relay and 800 relay.

“We are proud of the team's performance. It was the first time for several of the girls to compete at this level,” Fort Stockton girls track coach Ella Gonzales said. “It was a great learning experience and we know the girls will be back next year stronger and ready to compete.”