Making the Jump to Sooner Athletics
Falyn Reaugh always had a difficult time deciding on just one sport.
As a sixth-grader, she was involved in volleyball, track and field, soccer, basketball, dance, and gymnastics.
That continued into high school when Reaugh earned plenty of individual accolades in volleyball, like when she led Highland Park to a district title and committed to attend Clemson on a full scholarship.
Then she had a change of heart. Prior to her senior year, she decided one sport was enough, and so she gave up volleyball — and the Clemson offer — to concentrate on track.
“I had a lot of family meetings about what I wanted to do,” Reaugh said. “My love for track was a lot more than for volleyball, and I decided I wanted to pursue that in the future.”
Reaugh responded with a senior season capped with a bronze medal in the high jump at the Class 5A state meet in May. She was the overwhelming favorite in the event based on results from earlier in the season, such as when she cleared a meet-record of 6 feet at the prestigious Texas Relays, but she didn’t dwell on her success.
“I was disappointed, but it didn’t take away from what I was able to accomplish this year,” Reaugh said. “I just pushed myself every meet to do the best I could.”
Indeed, the disappointments have been far outweighed by the accomplishments for Reaugh, who grew up in an athletic family. Her father, Daryl, is a former NHL goaltender and longtime broadcaster for the Dallas Stars. Her mother, Kristin, is a former collegiate volleyball standout. Even her sister, Kendyl, is excelling on the Lady Scots volleyball team.
“I always played sports,” Reaugh said. “They didn’t want me to narrow my choices.”
Yet having to balance year-round obligations in both volleyball and track started to take its toll on Reaugh. The decision to focus exclusively on track and field as a senior was beneficial, although it still didn’t mean she had to give up everything.
She was involved in multiple events in almost every meet, including high jump, long jump, triple jump, hurdles, 400 meters, and sprint relays. But her specialty has always been the high jump, in which she broke a national record for her age group in the summer following her eighth-grade year.
Reaugh signed a scholarship offer this winter from the University of Oklahoma to begin collegiate high jump this fall.
Eventually, Reaugh has Olympic aspirations for either the United States or Canada — the latter possible due to her father’s dual citizenship.
“Falyn has made a huge impact on this program the past four years, and I know she will be very successful wherever her path leads her in the future,” said HP girls track and field coach Susan Bailey. “Falyn is an incredible athlete who is very humble. She can do anything that she wants to do.”
