Jamie Klander has been working for this moment through her entire high school career.

Klander has pushed to make her mark on the district and state since her freshman year and this year as a junior, she has broken through. Klander has dominated the Houston area and pushed herself to new heights and on Thursday, the junior saw that hard work pay off in a big way, claiming the individual title at the District 19-6A girls track meet and helping lead Mayde Creek to the Region III-6A meet.

“It was really exciting and pretty rewarding,” Klander said. “It’s the first meet of the championship season so of course you want to do well, and to come out here and win was a great start. But it’s also the first step for my team to reach its goal, we qualified for regionals, I got a pr (personal record) today so it was just exciting for all of us.”

Klander was a huge part of Mayde Creek finishing second overall at the meet, with 61 points, and for her even above individual success comes team success. Her goal isn’t just to reach the state meet for herself, but for Mayde Creek to find a way to reach state for the first time in 40 years. It is the standard the team set for itself this year, it’s the goal they set out and believe they can reach and it’s what drives them as they try to make history for the school. Even Jamie’s twin sister, Claudia, who narrowly finished outside the top 10 of the race, are excited because they know they have another chance to compete and prove themselves at the regional meet.

“Not everyone hit their goals today, but that’s the great thing about this being a team sport as well. We pick each other up and when someone has a bad day, someone else makes up for it,” Klander said. “But we did what we needed to today, we have another chance in the championship season and we have a great shot at making state if we put together the kind of performance we can. We’re all just so excited to have another opportunity.”

Klander showed great promise as the season progressed last year, finishing fourth overall at the district meet, sixth at the regional meet and 21^st at the state meet. But she’s reached new heights this year and started off the championship season with a win.

“It’s been so much work, but I’m so happy it’s paying off,” Klander said. “There’s been some insecurity, I’ve had doubts at times the expectations were raised for me and that can be scary, but I looked at myself and told myself, ‘this is an opportunity to elevate my performance and standards.’ It’s just been a lot of work, a lot of early mornings, but that’s helped all of us reach that next level I think.”

Klander and a Mayde Creek team consisting of Claudia Klander, Ava Gonzalez, Sophia Ilagan, Denise Perez and Marianna Contreras will compete at the Region III-6A meet on Oct. 23 in Huntsville, as Klander hopes to return to the state meet and Mayde Creek looks to make it there for the first time as a team. It’s a goal that the team itself has described as “impossible” all year. But it’s also the goal they have set for themselves, a non-negotiable, and Klander, the runners and the coaches can’t wait to have another chance to prove themselves.

“We know what’s at stake and it drives us,” Klander said. “The seniors have put four years into this program, and they are all counting on us to perform and go out there, the underclassman, if we can get them to state will get such a great opportunity to experience that and build on it. That’s just what I’m keeping in my mind and how I’m pushing myself for regionals.”