Albany High School athletes wrapped up the 2026 UIL Class 2A state track and field meet with three solid performances against some of the top competitors in Texas, highlighted by a bronze-medal finish from senior pole vaulter Breylon Billington.
Competing Friday, May 15, at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Billington placed third in the pole vault, freshman Jakobi Roberson competed in the triple jump and senior Chance Stewart ran in the 800-meter run.
The Albany Lions saw their season come to an end Thursday with a 3-1 loss to Ropes in a one-game regional semifinal playoff at Ira Athletic Complex.
The defeat ended a postseason run that saw Albany advance to the third round of the playoffs and finish the year one game shy of the regional finals.
Coach David Fairchild said afterward that the loss was especially difficult because of how well Albany played.
The Albany Lions are headed to the regional semifinals after bouncing back from an opening loss to win two straight games against Eldorado in their Class 2A Division II area playoff series last week in Hermleigh.
Albany dropped the opener 2-1 despite a dominant outing from Brody Oliver, who struck out eight batters and allowed only one hit across seven innings. The Lions stranded 12 runners in the loss, including leaving the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Aiden Vickers led Albany at the plate by going 3-for-4.
Albany High School wrapped up the 2026 UIL state tennis tournament with a third-place finish in mixed doubles as Mimi Ivy and Cade Fairchild earned another bronze medal at the Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio on May 7-8.
The Albany mixed doubles pair advanced to the semifinals after opening the tournament Thursday with a win over Tyler Hemphill and Kylynn Ramirez of Shiner. Ivy and Fairchild followed with another victory against Hank Wheeler and Sofia Tenti of Cushing to secure a spot in the final four.
One of the most accomplished athletes to ever come out of Albany is now part of the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame, as Kami Norton Richey was inducted during last week’s annual banquet in Abilene.
Richey’s career, which began with a dominant run at Albany High School and carried through to national championships at the collegiate level, made her a clear choice for the honor.
“It was definitely a trip back down memory lane,” Richey said. “Coming back to the Big Country and getting to share that with my family was really special.”
The Albany Lions closed out district play last week with an 11-4 loss to Hawley, a result that secured the district championship for the Bearcats and left Albany finishing as the runner-up.
The Lions wrapped up district with a 7-3 record and stand at 12-4 overall heading into the postseason. Despite the loss, Albany remains in strong position as it shifts its attention to the playoffs.
A former Albany Lion received a surprise honor recently when a newly improved girls softball field in Sundown was named after him, recognizing years of work in the community and local athletics.
Ron Holson, a 1988 Albany High School graduate, said the recognition was unexpected.
“It caught me completely off guard,” Holson said. “I’m very honored to have received that.”
Two Albany doubles teams punched their tickets to the state tennis tournament with runner-up finishes at the rain-delayed Region II-2A meet April 20-21 in North Richland Hills.
Coach M.J. Reneau said the boys doubles team of Woods Peterson and Jaxson Street and the mixed doubles pair of Mimi Ivy and Cade Fairchild both secured state berths by advancing to their respective championship matches, finishing as regional runners-up.
The state tournament is scheduled for May 7-8 at the Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio.
Nine Albany High School athletes qualified for the regional track meet following competition at the area meet held Friday, April 17, in Graham. The regional meet is scheduled for May 1-2 in Springtown.
The Albany Lions wrapped up a strong and successful golf season this week, finishing fifth at the UIL Region 2-2A tournament held April 13-14 and narrowly missing a trip to the state tournament in one of the toughest regions in Texas.
Albany posted rounds of 324 and 319 for a two-day total of 643, improving by five strokes on the second day and moving up from sixth to fifth in the final standings.
