“I started swimming when I was 7 years old, like everyone else in my family,” Hewett said. “But I really started doing competitive track in my freshman year of high school.”

For most of her life, Hewett’s only focus was swim, figuring it was the only thing she was going to do in her future. In middle school, Hewett continued her journey at Waterloo Swim,  however, a new found interest was slowly emerging. 

“Freshman year was really the year that I realized I really liked track, and was something I wanted to pursue,” Hewett said. “I knew that I was passionate about it and felt that I would if I worked at it, something really could happen.”

The past four years Hewett has been competing for the Leander Spartans Competitive Youth Track Club, while also competing for Westwood’s swim and track team. Between the club and school sports there’s never a free weekend for Hewett as she is always competing either locally or nationally.

“With competitive track there’s never really a break,” Hewett said. “There may be a week or two off during a transition period, but typically there are always races.”

Hewett specializes in the girl’s 100-meter dash and 60-meter indoor sprint,while also participating in Westwood’s sprint relay team. Other than sprinting Hewett also competes in the varsity girls 50 and 100 meter freestyle as well as the  200-meter relay for the swim team. Even with a busy schedule full of track and swim, Hewett works hard to ensure she can balance both school and sports. 

“Although it may seem like sports takes up a large part of your life right now, it doesn’t,” Hewett said. “For me, I always try to balance the two, because I don’t want to jeopardize one for the other.”

Madison Smith, Westwood volleyball and sprints coach, has watched Violet’s high school track journey from the start. Through hard work, dedication, and support from her coaches, Hewett will continue her track journey at Duke University under a track scholarship.  

“Violet is one of the most driven and motivated athletes I’ve ever coached,” Coach Smith said. “I mean her ability to balance school, nutrition, sleep and her performance is truly amazing.”

With eyes on a chance at state, in her final high school season. Hewett seeks to continue working hard and motivating others on and off the field.

“Yes, there are definitely ‘drought periods’, maybe you’re not getting a personal record (PR) or feel like you aren’t getting better,” Hewett said. “But don’t give up, because it will get better even if it doesn’t feel like it, so if you’re going through a phase where you’re lacking motivation don’t worry things will look up.”

The varsity boys emerged triumphant, claiming first place overall in the 3-mile race. Sivin Naik led the team with a time of 17:06, coming in 8th place. All the varsity boys gave strong performances, with five runners placing in the top twenty.

The varsity girls also did well, placing 6th overall. Leading the girls was Jacqueline Stone, who placed 10th with a time of 20:54.

“I thought the team had a really strong race and everyone placed very well individually,” said Theresa Bell ‘26.

This course was notable for its incredibly flat terrain, which is ideal for runners looking to set personal bests. The course wound around several soccer fields, looping twice for a total of three miles. However, there were no trees, a rarity for cross country courses, and therefore little shade for the runners, who suffered in the sticky heat. During the races, the humidity hovered between 65-75% and the temperature rose from 80 degrees to 92 degrees.

“It was very hot,” Coach Kim Payten said. “But everyone competed well and did well.”

The JV runners, who had to contend with the most brutal conditions, also showed out. The JV boys A team placed first, and the B team claimed fourth. The JV girls’ team unfortunately did not field enough athletes to receive a placement, but both runners performed well.

James Butler of Del Valle High School came in first for the varsity boys’ race with a time of 15:49; on the girls’ side, Micah Mizell won with a time of 18:03. Salado High School swept the varsity girls’ race, claiming first with five top-ten placements.

The Warrior cross country team’s next meet will be in two weeks at the McNeil Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23.

“The team surprised me because we haven’t had as much practice as we wanted to at this point in the year,” said Coach Kim Payten. “Our numbers are down and I am very proud of all of them.”

The race started just after sunrise, with the varsity girls setting off at 7:15 a.m. with the varsity boys following them at 7:45. Slightly cooler temperatures from the early start helped the runners achieve faster times. However, the JV teams were not given this advantage, as the girls race started at 9:05 a.m. and the boys at 9:35.

Over the 3.1-mile course at the meet, the varsity boys placed 8th overall in the 5A-6A division.Sivin Naik ‘26 ran the fastest time on the team, coming in at 17 minutes and 25 seconds and taking 27th place.

The varsity girls placed 10th overall for the meet.Jacqueline Stone ‘27 earned a medal for 16th place with a time of 20 minutes and 47 seconds. For Stone, it was her first high school 5K-distance meet, and previously she had run no longer than two miles in school competition.

“It was good,” Stone said. “The one extra mile makes it really challenging but it’s not that hard.”

Stone wasn’t the only runner to find the meet challenging, as many athletes struggled with the terrain. The course was covered in fine dust and mulch, which coated the runners’ throats as they ran and made it difficult to find stable footing. Furthermore, several runners mentioned rolling one or both of their ankles mid-race.

The course consisted of one shorter loop and two longer loops, each including a slightly hilly section. Minimal elevation gain like this is generally the perfect scenario for runners setting personal bests, and the team will race the next flat course of the season in five weeks at their Giddings meet.

Round Rock High School swept the meet, placing first in both the varsity boys and varsity girls categories. Gavin Chapa of Reagan High School in San Antonio was the fastest varsity boy, finishing in 15 minutes and 41 seconds. At the other end, Stony Point’s Micah Mizell won the varsity girls’ race by an enormous margin of over forty seconds, coming in at 18 minutes and 27 seconds.

The JV girls placed 12th, and the JV boys placed 14th overall.

For the majority of the female runners, this race was their first high school 5K meet, with three of the varsity runners being new to Westwood.

“I feel this was a really good first meet to see where we stand,” Coach Jamie Coy said. “During practice next week, we can adjust and work out the kinks.”

Next, both the boys and girls will head to the Pro-Fit Invitational in Temple, Texas on Friday, Sept. 1.

Those who signed were Priya Gangadharan ‘23, Will Murray ‘23, and Preston Sanderville ‘23. Gangadharan will be continuing her cross country career at Yale University, Murray at Samford University, and Sanderville at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“I feel so grateful to have made it this far. I was able to sign earlier in the season but this one’s extra special because I was able to do it with some of my two closest friends, Will and Preston,” Gangadharan ‘23 said. “I’ve been training and racing with them for many years now, and they’ve just supported me so much. It feels great to be able to do this with them by my side.”

The event began with heartfelt speeches by the team’s coaching staff, acknowledging their hard work and dedication, followed by a few words from the players, the signing, and ended with picture opportunities for players with their family members and teammates.

The following are the results from the meet:

Triple Jump

Kenzie McElroy ‘24- sixth place

Violet Hewett ‘25- seventh place

Long Jump

Hewett- seventh place

4×100 Meter Relay– seventh place

Hewett

Addy Sanderville ‘24

McElroy

Jackson Bowen ‘26

200 Meter Dash

Hewett- third place

800 Meter

Priya Gangadharan ‘23- first place

In addition to placing at the regional meet, three athletes also broke school records. The following athletes set new school records for their events:

800 Meter Dash

Gangadharan- with a time of 2:12.96

Triple Jump

McElroy- with a jump of 37 feet 7 inches

200 Meter Dash

Hewett- with a time of 24.41 seconds

Gangadharan will compete on Saturday, May 13, at the state meet at the Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium. More information regarding the state meet can be found here.

On Wednesday, April 19, eight track athletes competed at the area track meet at Georgetown High School. The top four athletes in each event qualified for the regionals meet. Field events started at 9 a.m., and the running events started at 6 p.m. following the conclusion of the national anthem.

In total, the varsity girls team racked up 67 points and the varsity boys team racked up two points. Five athletes advanced to the regionals meet.

The results of the meet can be found here.

On Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12, the track and field athletes competed at the district meet at Vandegrift. Tuesday consisted of all field events, short-distance, mid-distance, and hurdle events, and Wednesday consisted of all long-distance and relay events. The top eight varsity athletes in each running event (excluding long distance) also competed in the finals on Wednesday.

In total, eight athletes advanced to the area meet. Additionally, the varsity girls’ team took home a second-place overall plaque. The results can be found here.

The area meet took place at Georgetown High School on Wednesday, April 19. The results of the area meet can be found here.

The track and field team concluded the first half of their season with five meets prior to spring break. The team competed at Hays, Belton, Bastrop, Round Rock, and Westlake, competing and improving for the district meet on Tuesday, April 11, and Wednesday, April 12.

Over the past few meets, several athletes have established new personal records, and a few have broken previous school records. Preston Sanderville ‘23 set a new school record in the 3200-meter with a time of 9:30.65, breaking the previous record set in 1998. Priya Gangadharan ‘23 set a new school record in the 3200-meter, with a time of 10:55.70, breaking the old one set in 2008. Gangadharan also broke the 1600-meter record with a time of 4:55, breaking the old record set in 2006.

The results for the first four meets can be found below:

Hays Hawks Relays 

Belton Relays 

Bastrop Bear Relays

Round Rock Invitational  

The next track meet will be on Friday, March 24, at Vista Ridge, with events starting at 2:30 P.M. For more information about the track program and upcoming meets, visit this link.

For the first time in Westwood history, the varsity boys cross-country team qualified for the state meet on Sunday, Oct. 24. Finishing in fourth place just behind New Braunfels, they are one of four teams who will be advancing to state.

Marking a successful season, Korban Murphy ‘24 and Ganesh Kumarappan ‘23 earned 26th and 27th place, with William Murray ‘23 and James Robinson ‘23 right behind them. The four athletes have led the team with several victories and contributed to the overall scores.

Priya Gangadharan ‘23 was the sole representative of the varsity girls team at the regional meet, finishing in 20th place. She had extremely competitive times but did not qualify for the state meet.

The varsity boys will conclude their season with the ultimate challenge at the state meet on Friday, Nov. 4.

For the first time since 1992, the varsity boys’ cross-country team qualified for the regional meet on Thursday, Oct. 13. Korban Murphy ’24 and William Murray ‘23 led the team in 10th and 12th place, respectively. With an average time of 16:28 on the 3200-meter dash, the boys placed just behind Round Rock and Vandegrift.

“I feel like it is the first time I have started training seriously and it is paying off,” varsity member Ganesh Kumarappan ‘23 said. “I feel that the rest of the season will go well individually and as a team if everyone is healthy.”

The girls’ team finished in eighth place overall, with Priya Gangadharan ‘23 qualifying for regionals in eighth place. The 3200-meter dash was a close race, and Isabel Sainz ‘23 and Theresa Bell ‘26 finished in 23rd and 25th, respectively. 

“The guys’ team absolutely crushed the challenging course and the girls came out with so many personal records,” Gangadharan said. “I’m so glad I get to be a part of such a driven team.”

The freshman boys’ team saw massive success with their first-place finish. Sivin Naik ‘26 finished in first place, with teammates Kelan Hogan ‘26, Richard Xue ‘26, and Sundar Carey ‘26 rounding out the top ten.

 “I am very proud of myself and the team,” Naik said. “We all worked very hard all season.”

The varsity boys and Gangadharan will compete next at the regional meet on Monday, Oct. 24.