3 Heights track stars, Lady Eagle honored by the TGCA
Posted On: Thursday, Jun. 18 2009 02:06 AM
By Jason Chlapek
Killeen Daily HeraldA quartet of area athletes were recently recognized by the Texas Girls Coaches Association for their efforts in track and field.
Ellison graduate Tiesha Beasley and Harker Heights graduate Monique McMichael were named to the all-star team, while a pair of Heights seniors, Aliese Hyde and Melissa Mays, earned all-state honors.
While there is no all-star track and field meet similar to the TGCA all-star basketball, softball or volleyball contests, Beasley and McMichael still have opportunities to showcase their talents as they will participate in demonstration drills at the TGCA clinic July 13-17 in Austin.
"It's an honor to be selected as an all-star," McMichael said. "I am really excited about the whole thing and I am ready to learn the new drills."
Beasley qualified for the Region II-Class 5A meet in the 400-meter run and 1,600 relay this season.
"Tiesha had an excellent year and her performances at the district and region meets earned her my vote," said Ellison coach Halle Pauuw. "She'll be a valuable asset to any team she runs for. Tiesha's a hard worker and enjoys what she does."
In order to qualify for the all-star team, athletes must be nominated by their coaches and selected by the TGCA all-star committee.
Beasley is the third Lady Eagle in four years to earn an all-star nomination. Alisha Walker in 2006 and Samantha Hamilton in 2007 were the other two.
Beasley has yet to select a college, but has been contacted by several schools, including Prairie View A&M.
McMichael also qualified for the region meet. She participated in the 800 run and 1,600 relay. She will attend Sam Houston State and will run the 800 during track and field season and will also run cross country in the fall.
According to Heights coach Michelle Womack, McMichael is the third Lady Knight in the last five years to become a TGCA all-star. Latasha Watson was the first in 2005, and Jasmine Tucker earned the honor in 2008.
"Monique is a fierce competitor who hates to get beat," Womack said. "She was one of our team leaders in both cross country and track, and she'll do great things at Sam Houston."
Perhaps it was a mild case of senioritis, but McMichael did something during her final year of high school for the first time – participate on the wrestling team. McMichael qualified for the Region IV wrestling meet in her only season on the mat.
The thing McMichael remembered most about wrestling was not something that happened off the mat, not on it.
"One time I ran into Coach Womack as I was leaving (wrestling) practice and she had a look of shock on her face," McMichael said. "She wasn't mad, though.
"Wrestling helped me improve my conditioning as well as my mental toughness."
Hyde, who qualified for her second state meet in as many seasons as a junior, became the first Lady Knight track and field athlete to be named to the TGCA all-state team twice. She won district and region championships in the 800 before finishing eighth in the state meet.
Mays, the district and region champion in the triple jump as well as the state runner-up in the event, earned her first all-state honor. Mays jumped a distance of 40 feet, 3 inches in the state meet – a distance which set both personal and school records.
Contact Jason Chlapek at
jchlapek@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7565.