Port Neches-Groves freshman Morgan Campbell at the UIL state track and field championships in Austin.
Matt Faye/The EnterpriseThe University Interscholastic League state track and field championships can be overwhelming at first glance, especially for a freshman.
Morgan Campbell, a long distance runner from Port Neches-Groves, got her first state track experience Friday in what figures to be a successful high school career. She ran in the Class 5A girls 3200-meter run, finishing seventh with a time of 11 minutes, 16.82 seconds.
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Nerves may have played a factor for Campbell, but the Port Neches-Groves freshman was proud to compete against the state's best runners at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
"This was my first time here and I was a little bit nervous," Campbell said as she watched the medal ceremony after her race. "It's great to share the track with such great athletes."
Campbell was the most accomplished distance runner this season in Southeast Texas. Before the spring track season, she competed in November's state cross country meet in Round Rock.
Farther distances and more competitors make the cross country meet much different than an event like Friday's 3200-meter run, Campbell said.
"You have to approach and train a little differently," she said.
Campbell has plenty of time to reach her gold-medal aspirations. She hopes to stand on the medal podium sooner rather than later.
"Definitely getting back here and improving my time," Campbell said of her future goals.