De’Stini Henderson Has Been Running Around a Lot.
Since her first state championship in her sophomore year, when she burst on the track scene by winning the 100, she has added two more state championships and a third place win in her junior year – when she won the 100 meter, the 4x100 relay with her teammates, and placed third in the 300. “I was reluctant to run the 300, so was surprised as anybody that I came in third,” she said.
Her 4x100 relay team was made up of freshman Cassie Garner, sophomore Ayae Williams, and juniors Sarah Massey and De’Stini – a young team that beat the veterans on the track.
Now in her senior year, De’Stini is attempting a trifecta: running for three state championships in three different races: the 100 meter, the 4x100 relay, and the 200 meter race.
A graduate of the Merrywood School, she’s been running since the 7th grade and that’s how she came to Bishop Dunne. “Track Coach Isaac Bell saw me running and said I should apply here,” says De’Stini. In her freshman year, she had an injury that required knee surgery, but she rehabbed quickly and bounced back to her surprise win at her first State Meet. Her best times include a 7.67 second 60 meter time and an 11.91 finish in the 100 meter race.
Those times resulted in scholarship offers from a number of colleges, including the University of South Florida, Alabama, LSU, Baylor, the University of Texas at San Antonio, UNT, Southern Mississippi, Boise State and Southern University in Louisiana. She committed to run for UTSA and signed her scholarship last Wednesday. Her mother Duuana and father Trent were there to celebrate with her. But De’Stini is pretty sure she got really fast by being chased by her four older brothers – two of whom are twins. “I guess I got used to them running around after me,” she says with a laugh.
“She’s the real deal,” Bishop Dunne’s Athletic Director, Kenneth Davis, says. “She’s not a talker. She lets her running speak for her. She’s like a silent assassin on the track – she just quietly zips by everybody.”
With Regionals on April 30, 2015, and the State Track Meet on May 8 and 90, 2015, in Waco, De’Stini has a chance to become a three-time State Champion in the 100 and a two-time Champion in the 4 x 100 relay race.
And in the fall this Falcon will be soaring on the collegiate track, and maybe into the record books.
For more information on Bishop Dunne see the school's website: www.bdcs.org or www.dunnesports.org. The school is having "An Evening with Legends Dinner" event at AT&T Cowboys stadium on Wednesday, April 29th, featuring NFL legends Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Drew Pearson and "Mean" Joe Greene. Funds raised help provide tuition assistance to deserving Bishop Dunne students. Tickets are available on the school's website: www.bdcs.org or by contacting Lydia Torrez at ltorrez.bdcs.org.