The Texas A&M Open track meet is off and running, but it still has some hurdles in front of it.

The event at A&M's Gilliam Indoor Track was effectively a high school meet, but because of University Interscholastic League rules, it had to be an open event. Individuals ran unattached. Track clubs were the teams.

After the meet, the public address announcer encouraged the Saturday crowd of 2,559 (which included officials and participants) to tell the UIL that they would like to see a state indoor track meet.

That is the goal of Aggies track coach Pat Henry.

"That's what we're trying to help people understand, that this state has tremendous track and field," Henry said. "It deserves, and these young people deserve, to have a championship indoors. You have three facilities in the state that can handle the competition -- Houston, here and in Lubbock -- so you have some opportunities."

The efficiently-run A&M meet got a jump on the Carl Lewis Invitational, the University Houston's long-established meet that will be held next week at Yeoman Field House.

"We had right at 900 athletes here the first time," Henry said. "We're pleased with the way the competition went."

The meet drew mostly Texas participants, including Brazos Valley performers, along with one former area athlete.

Elydia Farwell won the Class 2A 100 meters at state as a freshman and sophomore in Lexington, and added the 200 state title in her second season. Farwell is now at Class 5A Cypress Springs.

She finished fifth in the 60 meters Saturday, running 7.68 seconds in the finals, and competed in her first-ever hurdle event, at 60 meters.

"That's my race, but I need to get in better shape," Farwell said. "By next Saturday, I'll be there. I like this track, though. It's great on my feet."

Farwell, who missed most of last spring's outdoor season with an injury, had the eight-best qualifying time, edged out in a photo finish in her preliminary heat by Fort Bend Marshall's Shahira Ehiemua, who ran 7.80 with Farwell at 7.81. Farwell also qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles.

"I'm a little disappointed, or really a lot disappointed in myself," said Farwell of her hurdle race, where she placed 16th. "For my first time I made it to the finals, but I couldn't do much."

Tiffani McReynolds, from Kansas City, won the girls' 60 hurdles at 7.66, beating out Lancaster's Kendall Hayes (7.92).

A&M Consolidated's Catherine Chenault cleared 10-6 in the pole vault and tied for third place with Fort Worth Country Day's Nicole Dory. Chaney Turney of Hays won by vaulting 11-33/4, to best her high school teammate, Meredith Driskell (10-113/4).

Lexington's Clint Hutson, the defending Class 2A state champion in the 110-meter hurdles, was timed in 8.45 to place ninth in the 60-meter hurdles Saturday. Sam Gagliano won the race in 7.89.

For Hutson, it was a quick step back on the track.

"Really, truly, I've prepared one day," said Hutson, whose only previous indoor meet was in Houston last year. "I came out of football and coaches wanted me to starting lifting weights, so I have really gotten into running. It's really nice having it so close to home."

Smaller-school athletes had their share of success. Shane Jones of 3A Van Alstyne won the boys' shot put with a 54-5 throw, which beat Celina sophomore Jordan Roos by one inch.

Junior Caitlin Jones from 2A Melissa won the first field event Saturday, leaping 5-5 to take the high jump. Houston Lutheran South's Lauren Rover was second at 5-3.

Brenham's Xzavien Raglin was a finalist in the boys' 60-meter dash, where he bettered his prelim time by .01 and ran 7.21. Killeen Ellison's Prezel Hardy won the race in 6.81, running away from his Eagle teammate Michael Bryant, who was second in 6.87.

Hardy finished third in the 200 in 22.05 behind Houston's Sherrold Evans (21.38) and Fort Worth's Clinton Collins (22.03).

It was the first indoor meet for Hardy, who won the 5A 100 meters last spring.

"I can't say I got everything I wanted," Hardy said. "I would have like to have gone home with two gold medals. I placed in both events, and since it was my first indoor track meet, I can't ask for too much."

Hardy ran a wind-aided 10.08 100-meter race at the UIL State meet. Wind was not a factor in A&M's indoor facility.

"I thought I ran a good race in the 60," Hardy said. "I got out like I wanted to and was able to pull away from the pack. I was able to run my race."

Cuero junior Paul Hansel IV (9:46.40) beat out Houston Westbury's Yonas Tesfai (9:50.48) to win the boys' two-mile Saturday morning. Nebraska's Rebekah Topham, who won the 1,500 and 3,000 in Junior Olympics competition last year, won the girls' two-mile in a time of 11:27.23. Magnolia West senior Rachel Melton was second in 11:33.38, but Melton won the mile run in 5:24.38.

Mesquite Poteet's Veronica Jones was clocked in a winning 24.40 in the girls' 200, giving her a spring sweep. She took the 60 in 7.59.

McAllen Memorial sophomore Jake Garza cleared 6-5 to win the boys' high jump. Corpus Christi Carroll junior Jonathan Turner (22-2 1/4) won the long jump by a quarter inch. Mesquite's Ngozi Onwumere won the girls long jump at 18-6.

Aldine MacArthur's Amber Jones started the competition Friday by winning the shot put with a throw of 41-5 1/2. Fort Worth Country Day's Nicole Dory won the triple jump at 36-6 1/2.

In opening-day boys' finals, Itasca's Greg Mason jumped 44-11 1/2 to take the triple. Lorena's Mark Thomas dominated the pole vault, winning at 16-2 3/4. Thomas is the nation's indoor pole vault leader. He cleared 16-6 in a December meet.