It was May 9, 2019. The Track & Field crowd held its breath as on the track, Ja’Era Griffin, Jayla Hollis, Taylor Armstrong, and Rosaline Effiong lined up, knowing they had a shot at something special under the bright Texas sky. The teenagers from DeSoto ISD Lady Eagles had been dominant all season, but at the 2019 Texas 6A Region 1 meet, they were about to leave an indelible mark in high school track history. The teenagers burned 4x100m, stopping the clock at 44.44 seconds as they made history. They realized their dreams. Long Beach Poly’s 2004 (44.50) mark was gone. The celebration was deafening. And well, fast forward to March 13, 2024. The record books need an update. History has been rewritten—again!

The Lancaster girls had done the impossible! When their clock froze at 43.84. No high school girls’ team had dipped under the fabled 44-second barrier for nearly five years. DeSoto’s 44.44 had stood strong, a mark that once seemed untouchable. But on a warm Texas evening at the Donnie Conner Panther Relays, Datavia Hunter, Lily Pierrot, Milan Lathan, and Saniyah Miller didn’t shatter it. Their 43.84 wasn’t just fast. It was history. It was the kind of performance that makes track purists pause, the kind that forces the record books to be rewritten in real-time. To put it in perspective?

A TikTok track and field user shared the snippet of the race a few days before the national record-breaking race with the caption, “Lancaster girls 4×1 ran with the boys and got the #1 time in the country 44.84 (Lane 6).” But what was said in the caption was just so amazing! The caption read, “Lancaster High Girls 4×100 ran with the Boys and placed 3rd. Came close to breaking the National Record of 44.44.” Well, just wow! They were only a couple of strides away from catching some boys’ relay teams (probably of the same age bracket). Can’t believe it?

If you don’t know, the boys’ relay team, in general, typically clocks around the 40-42 second range. For example, just consider the time clocked by the top seven teams of the Men’s 4×400 Meter Relay for the age bracket of 17-18 years old in the finals of the AAU Junior Olympic Games in 2024. It is hosted by the University of North Carolina and saw a top-seven time range between 39.92 and 42.15. And thus, it may be possible the boys’ relay team was a bit slow on that day. But that being said, we cannot discredit what the Lancaster girls did!

And Lancaster isn’t done yet. A year ago, they were 5A state champions, running 46.08. But that’s not all in track & field. What does this performance really say? A group of high school girls, average age of just 17, has thrown down the gauntlet, forcing the track world to take notice. A 43.84-second 4x100m relay isn’t just a high school record, but they’re knocking on the door of elite company.

Let’s put this into perspective. The world record? A jaw-dropping 40.82, set by an all-star U.S. squad of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Carmelita Jeter at the 2012 London Olympics. The Lancaster girls are just three seconds off that mark, a gap, yes, but not an unthinkable one when you consider the context. Felix and Jeter were global superstars, and Olympians with years of experience. These are still teenagers!

And yet, they’ve already outrun NCAA teams and edged past professional marks from just a decade ago. Even elite professional teams outside of major championships hover in the 42–43-second range. These high schoolers are already in striking distance. and landed in a territory where only the best of the best roam.

The Rising Stars of Track & Field in Texas

Four athletes may be teaming up for the 4x100m relay, but they’ve been making serious waves in their individual events too. Each of them has been lighting up the track, proving they’re not just relay specialists but stars in their own right. Milan Lathan, a 10th grader, is already one of the fastest sophomores in Texas. In 2024, she clocked a 26.90 in the 200m—her season record—and she’s only getting faster. What about the other three?

Datavia Hunter, an 18-year-old 12th grader, is a force in the 400m. She showed up big at the Galleria Games with a season record of 56.00 in the 400 meters on December 21, 2024. But her biggest flex? Anchoring the 60 m dash, she clocked a jaw-dropping 7.64 to set her personal record at the Galleria Games. Lily Peirrot, an 11th grader on the rise, is proving she’s got elite-level speed. On January 18, she clocked a season-best 24.34 in the 200m, but her REAL breakout? A 7.48 in the 60m dash in 2025. Is she the next big sprinter to watch? Saniyah Miller, in 10th grade, has had a SCORCHING 2024 season. At the TX UIL 5A State Championships, she dropped a stunning 23.52 in the 200m.

Are these athletes ready to take over? Let us know in the comments down below!