One of the state's premier annual regular-season track and field meets gained prominence in 1967, when Falfurrias' Robert Gonzales took the 450-mile trek up from South Texas with his coach to compete in the Jesuit Relays.

Gonzales, who still owns the Class 4A state meet record in the 1,600 meters at 4 minutes, 6.14 seconds, made the long haul to face Jesuit standout distance runner Ken Shaw.

The matchup received much attention in the Dallas Times Herald, and the showdown helped pave the way for the growth and success the meet has enjoyed ever since.

In 1975, the meet was renamed the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays to honor the retiring of longtime Jesuit track coach Herb Sheaner, who at 85 is still the meet director and a big reason Texas' best track athletes compete in the meet year after year.

"That was the start of some pretty big competitive meets," Sheaner said. "There have been a lot of big meets since then."

The 46th Jesuit-Sheaner Relays on Saturday at Haggar Stadium will be like many of the ones before it, a meet that features athletes with many of the state's top times this year. More than 750 athletes will represent more than 60 schools. Field events begin at 8 a.m., and the running finals are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The Jesuit-Sheaner Relays was an all-boys meet until an invitation-only girls elite 1,600-meter race was added to the schedule in 2004.

The event remains a must-see, and this year's 4:20 p.m. race will be highlighted by Greenhill junior Chelsey Sveinsson, SportsDay's 2009 girls track athlete of the year. Sveinsson set the state record in the 1,600 in 2008, when she posted a time of 4:43.51, and leads the nation this year with a time of 4:52.34.

Not to be outdone, the boys field is headlined by Killeen Ellison's Prezel Hardy, the nation's fastest prep sprinter. Hardy, who will compete in the 100 meters and 4x100 and 4x200 relays Saturday, is a big reason Ellison is one of the favorites to win the Class 5A state team title in mid-May.

The Texas A&M signee is the defending World Youth 100-meter champion and wowed everyone last June in Austin when he won the 5A 100 state title in a slightly wind-aided 10.08 seconds, the third-fastest high school time ever under any conditions.

"All I could do was say, 'Wow,' " Lancaster boys track coach Greg Williams said. "He's that kind of fast."

Williams said his Tigers, the two-time defending Class 4A state champions, will move up from the 4A-and-under division at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays to compete in the 5A division against Ellison and DeSoto, which is off to a fast start this season under coach Mark Brady.

DeSoto leads the state this year in the 4x100 relay at 41.17 and ranks second in the 4x200 in 1:27.43, behind only Ellison at 1:25.54.

"This meet is awesome," Brady said. "We're excited about it, and the kids are hyped up. We're really going to be up for it."