After winning gold at the 2024 UIL 6A State Track & Field Championships with a 5-feet-7 high jump, Brianna Rivers was determined to defend her title. In 2025, she delivered once again, clearing 5-feet-9 to earn back-to-back gold medals in the UIL 6A high jump.
“It felt really good to go back to back, I’m glad my hard work paid off.”
Brianna Rivers
“This year, Brianna was more sure and had a greater belief in herself,” said Summer Creek High School girls’ high jump coach Karen Smith. “She was having fun and didn’t put pressure on herself.”
As a senior returning to the state level, Rivers was determined to take home the gold medal again.
“This season I was more driven because I really wanted to beat everyone at state after I didn’t jump as well as I wanted at the Regional meet,” said Rivers. “At the state meet, I was not focused on what others were jumping, but on outjumping whatever they were jumping to win.”
Rivers entered the state meet with a jump of 5-feet-7. Four other jumpers had higher heights, with the highest competitor, a senior from Princeton High School, jumping 5-feet-10.
“I didn’t jump well at regionals, but I knew based on the past meets I had the best mark, so I knew it was possible to beat them despite them coming in with better marks than me,” said Rivers.
Rivers didn’t come into the season looking to go back-to-back; she just wanted to compete and jump as high as she could. But to continue progressing in her jumping heights, Rivers knew she would need to dedicate herself to her weight training.
“I did a lot more weight training this year with my personal trainer Jorge Sanchez,” said Rivers. “I quit my other events and focused solely on high jump.”
Rivers was no stranger to weight training—she had been working with Sanchez since her freshman year—but she hadn’t fully committed to it until later in her high school career.
“I just hated lifting weights,” said Rivers. It always started like New Year’s resolutions: I was motivated for a week or two and then he wouldn’t see me for months.”
This on-again, off-again pattern persisted until Rivers’ senior year, when she decided to fully commit to her training. Single-leg squats, hip flexor drills, box jumps and plyometric exercises with wickets—focused on improving elasticity and strengthening her ankles—were just some of the key workouts that contributed to her increased jumping heights.
In addition to working with Sanchez, Rivers also sought the help of Dr. Bobby Siharath, her sports medicine doctor, who helped keep her healthy while training.
Rivers first suffered an ankle injury after the season’s opening meet, followed by a sprain and strain in a tendon along her leg. As district competitions approached, she began dealing with turf toe. To make matters worse, near the end of the year, Rivers started experiencing neck pain from landing on the mat after clearing the high jump bar.
“He had a tremendous impact on my health over the season because I had more pain in my senior year, but he helped me to heal faster than I could have on my own,” said Rivers.
At the district meet, Rivers set a new personal record of 6 feet, ranking her number one in the nation for U18. The jump also broke Summer Creek’s girls’ high jump school record, further validating why the University of Oklahoma recruited her in November 2024.
“Before committing, I was considering Oklahoma, Rice, Vanderbilt and the University of Texas,” said Rivers. “But I really liked Coach Thomas. I really liked the campus and the team had a good dynamic as well.”
While at the University of Oklahoma, Rivers plans to study chemical engineering.
Although the high school track season is soon coming to an end, the world has not seen the last of Rivers. Rivers will compete in the 2025 Rice All-Comers meet and make her second appearance at the U20 and Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon this summer before going to college this fall.
About Brianna Rivers:
Class: 2025
IG: @bri.rivers
Twitter: @bririvers11
Events: High jump
Height & weight: 5-feet-8, 115 pounds
Favorite artist: d4vd
Status: Committed to the University of Oklahoma
Favorite subject: Science
Shout outs: TJ and Margaret, George and Coach Johnny
