SMHS TRACK AND FIELD
San Marcos High School is set to host the first ever Allex Austin Invitational, marking the first time in several years the Rattlers will host a track meet on campus.
First-year Head Coach Michelle Washington is excited to be hosting the track meet which both serves as a way to fund the program and as a platform for several San Marcos track athletes.
“It’s a fundraiser for our program,” Washington said. “What is going to help fund our program are these track meets. But we want to put San Marcos High School Track on the map. We want to highlight it because we feel like they haven’t had the exposure and we have a lot of talented athletes. They absolutely deserve to be recognized and this is a great location to have a meet.
“We have San Antonio down south, and then Austin, and so there’s been a lot of interest in schools wanting to come and attend.”
Austin is a two-time state champion at San Marcos High School, winning gold in the high jump competition. Since graduating from San Marcos High School, Austin has been a big supporter of the community and the Rattler athletics.
For Austin, having a track meet named after him is not only an honor but also a chance to further his connection with his father Charles Austin, a Texas State graduate and 1996 Olympic gold medalist in the high jump, who also has a track meet named after him, which will be run later this month at Texas State.
“It’s an absolute blessing,” Austin said. “I never even thought about it being a possibility. So when I got approached with it coming to fruition, I was so excited. I was thankful to all the people who chose me. It’s super exciting just because it’s another connection for me and my pop as well, you know, away from high jump. Now we actually share our own track meets in the same month.
“A lot of times people go through life without getting flowers but San Marcos has always done a great job giving me my flowers, and this might be the absolute best one.”
For Washington, naming the track meet after Austin was a no-brainer considering his work with the community and the Rattler athletic program.
“He’s a huge supporter of Rattler Athletics,” Washington said. “He comes and volunteers in our schools and of course he’s a phenomenal athlete. He still has the high jump record at the high school and then the connection with his father that has a track meet named after him at Texas State.”
Austin also stressed the importance of both having a home track meet at San Marcos High School but also showcasing a platform for the hometown athletes.
“It’s super important that we are able to host these things,” Austin said. “Besides the amazing facilities that we have, we also have tons of great athletes. Being able to put them on the map in our own home court, our home turf but also being able to highlight our location. We’re in the sweet spot where we can bring in athletes from all over and have that common ground. Luckily we have one of the top facilities for sure to do it at.”
The Allex Austin Invitational is set for this Thursday at San Marcos High School.
The Rattlers are set to host their first track meet on campus for the first time in several years. Photo submitted by Michelle Washington
