Local athlete Terry Tran heads to state meet

Plano East seniors Caitlyn Tran and Malachi Terry competed in the Class 6A state track and field meet in Austin on Saturday, May 16, after qualifying through the Region I-6A meet earlier this month. Murphy Monitor reported on May 21 that Tran finished fifth in the girls 100-meter hurdles and Terry placed eighth in the boys 200-meter dash. The University Interscholastic League held the 2026 state meet from May 14 through May 16 at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium in Austin. ### Who were the local athletes at the state meet? Caitlyn Tran and Malachi Terry were the two Plano East athletes who reached the Class 6A state meet. Murphy Monitor identified Tran as a senior competing in the girls 100-meter hurdles and Terry as a senior entered in the boys 200-meter dash. (murphymonitor.com) Plano East sent both athletes to Austin after strong regional performances. Murphy Monitor said Tran qualified by finishing second in the high hurdles at the Region I-6A meet in Arlington, while Terry earned his berth by taking second in the 200-meter final at regionals. ### How did Caitlyn Tran perform in Austin? (murphymonitor.com) Caitlyn Tran placed fifth in the girls 100-meter hurdles at the Class 6A state meet with a wind-aided time of 13.90, according to Murphy Monitor. The May 21 report said she closed her senior season after reaching the state final in one of Texas’ top classifications. (murphymonitor.com) Tran entered the state meet after a postseason that included an area title and repeated school-record performances. Murphy Monitor reported that she was the Area 5-6A/6-6A champion and broke the school record in the high hurdles three times during her senior season. ### What did Malachi Terry do to reach state and how did he finish? (murphymonitor.com) Malachi Terry finished eighth in the boys 200-meter dash at state with a time of 21.05, Murphy Monitor reported. The same report said Terry had qualified for Austin after taking second at the Region I-6A meet in 21.06. (murphymonitor.com) At the regional meet in Arlington, Terry ran 21.1 in the preliminaries before improving in the final. Murphy Monitor said he also placed fourth in the 100 meters at regionals, but the 200 was the event that carried him to the state championships. ### What stands out from their seasons? (murphymonitor.com) Murphy Monitor reported that both seniors arrived at state after record-setting seasons for Plano East. Tran broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles three times, and Terry broke the school record in the 200 twice. On May 7, Murphy Monitor also reported that Tran had announced a verbal commitment to compete in track and field for Southern Methodist University. (murphymonitor.com) That commitment came during the same week she secured her state berth at the Region I-6A meet. ### When and where was the state meet held? (murphymonitor.com) The University Interscholastic League scheduled the 2026 Track & Field State Meet for May 14-16 at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium in Austin. UIL’s posted schedule showed Class 6A competition on Saturday, May 16, with field events and the 3,200 meters beginning at 9 a.m. and running events starting at 5 p.m. (murphymonitor.com) Murphy Monitor’s May 21 story said Plano East had two runners compete at the Class 6A meet in Austin last Saturday, matching the UIL schedule for the 6A session. The local outlet’s report provides the latest published account of how the two seniors finished their seasons. ### What comes next for the athletes? (uiltexas.org) Caitlyn Tran has signed to continue her track career at Southern Methodist University, according to Murphy Monitor’s May 7 report. Malachi Terry’s state finish ended his senior season for Plano East, while Tran’s fifth-place result closed a year in which she won an area title, qualified through Region I-6A and set the school hurdles record three times. (murphymonitor.com) (murphymonitor.com)