West Plains High School made school history Thursday as senior Brycen Williams delivered a landmark performance at the UIL State Track and Field Meet, earning the program’s first gold medal since the school opened in fall 2022. Competing in the Class 4A high jump, Williams cleared 6-foot-7 to finish in a tie for first place, cementing his place in West Plains athletics history.
The moment carried added significance as it marked Williams’ fourth and final appearance at the state meet. Despite battling a bout of the flu just days earlier, the Lubbock Christian University signee looked sharp from the opening rounds, showing no visible signs of illness as the bar climbed higher.
Williams entered at 6-4 and cleared each of his first three heights—6-4, 6-6, and 6-7—on his initial attempts. His consistency quickly separated him from much of the field, leaving only Hamshire-Fannett’s Kobe Prejean as a final challenger among nine competitors. Prejean also delivered a clean progression through 6-7, setting up a tense finish.
Both athletes ultimately missed on three attempts at 6-8, resulting in a shared gold medal. Williams, who owns a personal best of 6-11 and recently cleared 6-10 at regionals, narrowly missed extending the bar even higher on his final attempts but held on for the top finish.
The result capped a decorated high school career defined by steady improvement on Texas’ biggest stage. Williams previously earned silver medals as a freshman and sophomore, placed sixth as a junior, and now finishes his journey at Mike A. Myers Stadium as a state champion.
