A new star has risen to the scene as Newman Smith High School’s Aniyah Bigam wrapped up her junior year with three medals at the 2022 UIL State Track and Field Championships ­– gold in 100-meters, gold in 200-meters, and bronze in 400-meters.

The junior from Carrollton, torched the track in the girls 100-meters clocking a brisk 11.46 to earn her first state title of the day, setting a new personal best in the process and winning by almost a full tenth of a second (.10). The 100-meter final included competitors from DFW including Frisco Lebanon Trail, Mansfield Timberview, Mansfield Legacy, Fort Worth Wyatt, and Seguin.

“I just want to make everybody proud, and I also want to do it for myself,” she said. “When I came out on top in the (100-meters), it really got my momentum going for the rest of the meet.”

Back on the track for the girls 400-meters, Bigam took third running 55.26 for bronze.

For a third time in a two-hour span, Bigam backed into the block for one final run on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. Shooting out of the blocks like a rocket, the junior Trojan paced the field pulling away effortlessly over the final 80-meters and stopping the clock in 23.26, missing the state record by a little under half a second. As Bigam crossed the finish line, she picked up her second UIL state title becoming the first Newman Smith Trojan to bring home gold since Jeff Moore struck gold in the boys 800-meter run at the 2014 UIL State Meet.

“I am so proud of Aniyah,” said Meghan Williams, head girls track and field coach. “This is a culmination of years of hard work. I met this young lady when she came in as a freshman, and I’ve heard about her before I even met her because she’s been running for a very long time. This young lady embodies the epitome of an excellent athlete. From her work ethic to her attitude, she is everything you could want. This year her goal was to be a state champion and she did that!”

As a team, Newman Smith finished in a tie for sixth place with Lucas High School (Lovejoy ISD) scoring 26 total points, all from Bigam.

With her junior season in the books, Bigam is looking towards her senior season with big goals and aspirations including qualifying teammates to the state meet as well.

“I’m already setting goals for next year,” she said. “I want to start a relay to bring my teammates with me. I just want to keep putting Newman Smith on the map and that's what I'm looking forward to doing.”