SAN MARCOS – A champion sprinter on the track and field team at Texas State University died Tuesday morning following a car crash, according to the school.
Jaylen Allen, a five-time Sun Belt Conference Champion, was a senior at the university, Texas State’s athletics department said Tuesday night. He was majoring in finance.
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“Our Texas State University Track and Field team is deeply saddened by the death of our team member, and friend, Jaylen Allen,” Jody Stewart, the director of track and field and cross country, said in a statement, adding that he has told the team of the news. “We will stand together and support one another during this very difficult time.”
“Our thoughts and condolences are with Jaylen’s family and loved ones.”
Allen graduated from Allen High School in Allen, a city north of Dallas.
There, he was named the Allen Eagle’s Male Track Athlete of the Year after he finished fifth in the 100-meter race in the 2017 UIL Class 6A State Championship. He was also named a USA Track and Field All-American athlete in 2016.
His career in Texas State athletics began in 2018, and among his latest achievements was clinching the championship title for the 2020 Sun Belt Conference indoor 400-meter race.
His career-best was a 46.44 second time in the 400-meter dash at the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, according to the university.
Allen was known as one of the top seven 200-meter sprinters in Texas and one of the top 14 sprinters in the U.S., the university said.
“Jaylen was an unbelievable person and his sudden death will be felt throughout the university community,” Don Coryell, the executive senior associate athletics director, said. “I know that this is very difficult news. I want to thank the professionals in our Texas State Counseling Center for making themselves available to our student-athletes. We hope our student-athletes will find comfort in their friends and family and take advantage of the counseling center resources that we have at Texas State.”
Information regarding the accident, including where it happened, is unknown at this time. A spokesperson with the City of San Marcos said the San Marcos Police Department has not responded to recent fatality crashes.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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