From the moment they first stepped foot on the track, a group of freshman girls from Abilene TLCA became molded into a competitive 4×100 relay team.

“A lot of the girls that we run against are either juniors or seniors and some of them are leaving this year so it’s better for us and since we’re already fast, we’ll be really fast once we’re seniors,” said Kymera Robertson

Their hard work paying off when qualifying for the regional championships, but the journey isn’t over yet.

Kiara Brown said, “I just stood there and watched them ran and I was like they better give 100 percent because I want to qualify.”

The state championships is now on the horizon, presenting an even greater challenge.

Janiah Pinson said, “It’s pretty exciting I didn’t really expect it, but I’m glad we made it this far.”

“It feels amazing I would’ve never thought I’d be here in this situation ,”said Brown.

Together they’re building the foundation of speed, strength, and teamwork needed to conquer the challenges that may lie ahead.

Head coach Ryan Ward said, “My expectation is that we run our best race at Austin and we let those results speak for themselves. And I think if we do what we’re capable of then we defiantly will give ourselves an opportunity to bring home a medal.”

As they prepare to go toe-to-toe with the best athletes in Texas, these girls are looking to rise above the odds and leave a mark on TLCA’s athletic history.

“It makes me feel really good because all the work has paid off and we’re going to do good,” said Symbri Miller.

The Class A girls sprint relay is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m.