Stratford junior Ben Pearce capped off his impressive 2024 Track season on Saturday night at the UIL State Track & Field Meet on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin.

Ben was one of only nine boys in all of Class 6A to qualify for the 1600m final, and he finished seventh in an exciting race that unfolded over the last 500 meters. For two and a half laps, the pack remained extremely tight as the runners worked together to move the train along and did their best to avoid getting boxed in or tripped up. The entire group came through the first 800m in 2:08, but as the pace ramped up at the 600m mark, the pack began to break, and Ben just wasn’t able to go with the breakaway.

Four guys ran the final 800 meters in 2:01 and crossed the finish line within less than one second of each other. In order were Justin Leonard of Southlake Carroll (4:09.39), Gavin Chapa of San Antonio Reagan (4:09.64), Joaquin De La Cruz (4:09.72) and Chris Creedon of League City Clear Creek (4:09.77).

Ben’s time of 4:23 was short of the 4:15 PR he set at the Region III Meet a few weeks back, but he gave it everything he had on the day and competed very well! Stratford was well-represented!

A big support crew of family, friends, teammates, coaches, and administrators were in the stands to cheer Ben on, and he made all of us very proud. He had a big smile on his face during the meetup with his fan club after the race, and great memories were made for all.

After a short break from training, it will be time for Ben to start preparing for the upcoming fall Cross Country season, and he’ll be one of the top guys in Texas heading into his final season at Stratford. We look forward to cheering him on!

WAY TO GO, BEN!