Shelton wins gold at state track meet

By Sandy Anderberg, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon High School senior Audrey Shelton’s track career could have not had a better ending as she sprinted to a gold medal at the State Track Meet in Austin last week.

She not only won the gold in the 3200-meter run, she also annihilated the old record in that event. Shelton ran the race in 11:31.84, beating her personal best by 37 seconds according to coach Alton Gaines.

Shelton did not stop at one medal. She also went on to a third place finish in the 1600-meter with a time of 5:21.63 to add the bronze to her collection. Shelton bested the field by almost fifteen seconds in the 3200 and was a little over a second off the pace in the 1600.

She ran the 1600 on Saturday and knew it would be a tougher finish for her, so her strategy was to stay up with the pack. While at CHS, Shelton has posted many accomplishments in both cross country and track.

Fellow senior Jentry Shadle also participated in the state meet in the 100-meter hurdles finishing eighth with a time of 16.94.

“Wow, what a race,” Gaines said. “I am very proud of the girls. You have to understand that you are competing against the top eight athletes in your event in the state of Texas. That is big time. I’m so very proud of what these two young ladies accomplished their senior year. This is what you work so hard for in track or any other sport. Thank you for letting us be a part of it.”