SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State University senior track and field sprinter Jaylen Allen has died following a car accident, according to a statement from the university.
Allen ran for the Bobcats track and field team from 2018 to 2021, according to the athletics website. He was a five-time Sun Belt Conference Champion, including a career-best 46.44 second time in the 400-meter dash at the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Allen also earned NCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2018 as a member of the Bobcat’s 4x100-meter relay team.
“Our Texas State University Track and Field team is deeply saddened by the death of our team member, and friend, Jaylen Allen. I have shared the news about Jaylen with the team,” said Texas State Director of Track & Field Jody Stewart. “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 the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2017, where he was ranked 14th nationally in the 200-meter race. He was also one of the top seven 200-meter sprinters in Texas. The Allen Eagles named him the team’s Male Track Athlete of the Year in 2017 and Allen also received USA Track and Field All-American accolades in 2016.
“Jaylen was an unbelievable person and his sudden death will be felt throughout the university community,” said Don Coryell, executive senior associate athletics director. “Our deepest sympathies go to Jaylen’s family and loved ones, including his teammates and coaches. 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.”
He is survived by his mother, Stacie; father, Adreano; brother, Joshua; and sister, Destiny.
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