Last month, MacArthur High School senior Mikayla Douglas competed in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles at the UIL Area Regional Track Meet. While she finished in fourth place in the 100-meter hurdles, she managed to qualify for state in the 300-meter hurdles.
This weekend, Douglas will travel to Austin where she will represent her school at the 2023 UIL Track & Field State Meet. She will compete in the 300-meter hurdles on Saturday, May 13, at 7:10 PM.
“Oh my goodness, I get chills just thinking about it,” says Douglas. “I remember crossing the line, looking at the scoreboard and thinking, ‘this is it!’ It was just an awesome feeling, especially since I had been working toward it for so long and finally accomplished my big goal. I’m very grateful for it.”
Growing up, Douglas was involved in dance and competitive cheerleading. But when that started to get more and more expensive, her parents decided to try a different sport. At the age of 12, she started running track and fell in love with it.
“I love the culture, meeting new people, creating unique experiences and competing against other great athletes,” says Douglas.
As she heads to the State Meet, Douglas is mentally prepared for success, even though her pre-race strategy may not necessarily play out the way she envisioned.
“I always go into a race thinking I want to do this in the beginning, or I want to do this at the end, but when the gun goes off, your mind goes blank and you throw everything out the window,” says Douglas. “At the end of the day, you’re running your own race, so it comes down to staying in your own lane.”
Douglas has committed to attend the University of Louisiana Monroe, where she will continue running track. Her biggest piece of advice to future Irving ISD track stars is to stay consistent.
“If you know that you want it, you can go get it,” says Douglas. “If you work hard enough, you will see the results.“
Irving ISD wishes you the best of luck at the State Meet this weekend, Mikayla!
