Eyes on Austin: Lake Creek working on state meet aspirations

Members of the Lake Creek girls track and field teams have spent the past month or two fine tuning some things on the indoor circuit.

From meets at Texas A&M, Texas Tech and snowy Provo, Utah (BYU), the Lions are gearing up with dreams of running in May at the University of Texas and the University Interscholastic League Class 5A state meet.

Senior Hailey Johnson has been there. Three times, to be exact. Not only is she hoping for a four-peat visit to Mike A. Myers Stadium, she’s hoping for some friends to join her.

Anything is possible.

“We came close to having a few more last year,” Lake Creek fifth-year coach Kevin Spruill explained in an interview before Christmas. “Hopefully we change that this year. That’s the plan.”

Let’s start with Johnson, who Spruill coined as a ‘cornerstone’ to the program. Johnson was in good hands looking up to distance extraordinaire Emma Little when she first got to Lake Creek. Little blazed a path and ended up running at Texas A&M.

Earlier in January, Johnson committed to Oklahoma State University. But before she becomes a Cowgirl this summer, there is plenty of goals to meet before leaving Lake Creek. 

Her senior year started strong as Johnsonf qualified for the UIL State Cross Country Championship for the first time back in November and, most notably for the outdoor program, is a three-time state qualifier in the 800-meter run.

“She’s just phenomenal,” Spruill said. “It’s amazing to have an athlete like that. She’s super smart and a really good person. Comes from a great family. She’s someone that every coach wishes they could have in their program to build around.”

Johnson earned bronze, respectively, at the state meet (2:10.29) as a junior and as a sophomore (2:11.88). Johnson was ninth (2:21.03) in her first state meet experience as a freshman.

“This year, I really am hoping to climb up,” Johnson said. “I would love to get second, maybe even first. But really I just want to be there. Not as much as the placing, but the time. I’m hoping for a PR and it would be awesome if it happened at state. If I placed better, it would just be extra.”

Johnson won the Region III-5A gold medal a couple weeks prior to state on an impressive 2:10.97 run on a poor weather day at Turner Stadium in Humble. She was named the program’s Athlete of the Year with other distinctions such as the 800 area meet gold medal as well as gold medals in the 800, 400 and 1,600 relay at the district meet.

As Humble was hit with spring storms at the region meet, Johnson was the lone qualifier after a long day. The fact that the program had two other individuals place third and the 1,600 relay also taking bronze gives Spruill hope.

Junior Addie Micklos is one state hopeful after she finished third in the regional meet at 2:19.94, two spots behind Johnson. Unfortunately, her time wasn’t quite there for a wild card spot at state.

“State is the goal,” Spruill said. “Her and Hailey train with each other and feed off each other. They’re best friends. We had Nicole (Smithers) last year and they were the trio of those 800 runners.”

Regional was a frustrating experience.

“It was like a 10-hour day,” Micklos recalled.

Micklos described a warm up process for the 800 just kept getting delayed and the mental part of that was something to fight through.

“I think that I just want to make it past regionals this year,” Micklos said. “I want to have a better race because the past few seasons haven’t been the best at regionals, and that’s when it really counts. Everything leading up to that just prepares you for that.”

Another bronze medalist that day was now-senior sprinter Sydney Spikerman, who came across the line in 12.01 (which was also short of a wild card selection).

“My goal in the 100 is to stay consistent,” Spikerman explained. “I ran sub 12 (seconds) twice last season, so I’m hoping to run that again. I have expectations for myself, but I like to keep it realistic as well.”

Spruill leans heavily on Spikerman and her athleticism. Spikerman also high jumps (she finished ninth at the regional meet), runs the 1,600 and 400 relays (occasionally the 800 relay).

“She is a two-year captain,” Spruill said. “We call her the fastest woman in Montgomery County. She is in the 100 and I think this year, she’s going to open a lot of eyes in the 200. We really focused on the 100 last year. That was the goal, trying to get her to state.”

Spikerman, Nicole Smithers (a 2024 graduate), Micklos and Johnson were less than a second off of qualifying for state in the 1,600 with a time of 3:56.62, just behind champion Fort Bend Marshall and silver-winning Manvel.

Another sprinter to keep an eye on is junior Maggie Ogorchock.

This winter during indoor meets, Ogorchock set the school record in the 200 (25.71) at Texas Tech and was fourth in the 60 and 11th in the 200 at BYU.

“She’s come a long way this last year and was an area qualifier,” Spruill said.

Spruill is also looking forward to the continued development of senior distance runner Brooke Marshall, a two-time state qualifier in cross country. Marshall finished 47th last fall in Round Rock.

Spruill also had a pair of pole vaulters to be excited about.

There’s senior Maria Ceballos, a former gymnast who came on last year after giving the event a try.

“She just started pole vaulting last year and she was fourth in Region III, which is phenomenal,” Spruill said. “She’s a hard worker and a team favorite. Just an awesome young lady. We want to go 1-2 at regional and have two girls go to state.”

Senior four-year letterwinner and school record-holder (11-6¼) Lucy DeWolf is a part of that equation.

DeWolf’s junior year was mostly sour due to an injury.

“Last season, I was doing really well and then I had a big letdown,” DeWolf said. “I broke my foot. So I only got to compete in like two meets.”

DeWolf is healthy again and raring to go and has dreams of pole vaulting for a northern university in the future.

“I’ve gotten back to where I was before my injury,” DeWolf said. “So my goal for the upcoming season is PR again. I have the school record right now and I hope to raise it. Hopefully 12 (feet) would be my goal.”

Spruill is excited to see DeWolf pick things up.

“I think she had the opportunity to go to state, just how she was vaulting,” Spruill said. “She’s healthy this year and also looking to vault at the next level. She’s a team captain as well and she’s going to be a big part of what we do.”

The outdoor schedule starts Feb. 15 at the Katy ISD Bubba Fife Relays.

From there, Lake Creek will take part in eight more meets before the District 17-5A meet begins the postseason stretch on April 3-4. College Station hosts as the Lions will face the Cougars, A&M Consolidated, Brehnam, Bryan Rudder, Huntsville and, of course, rival Montgomery.

“College Station’s program is phenomenal,” Spruill said. “They do such a great job over there. Two regional championships, two district championships. Obviously, the goal is to match up with them and A&M Consolidated.”

The area meet will be held April 9 at Splendora and there’s a scene change for the Region III-5A meet this year as Clear Creek ISD hosts at Challenger Stadium.

Lake Creek runners (from left) Sydney Spikerman, Maggie Ogorchock, Hailey Johnson and Addie Micklos are seen at a team media day back in December. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)