Shahira Ehiemua left Thurgood Marshall High School as the first female sprinter in school history to qualify for the UIL state meet in the 100 meters. She came back as head coach in 2020 and has since won four state championships.
The Texas High School Coaches Association named Ehiemua its 2026 Female Track & Field Coach of the Year, Fort Bend ISD Athletics announced on July 20. The honor caps a six-year run in which her Marshall Buffalos girls track and field program captured UIL 5A state titles in 2021, 2022, 2025 and 2026.
"This one is definitely different. This one is definitely sweeter," Ehiemua said in a VYPE interview posted May 22. "Winning four, it definitely means a lot — just due to the history. I'm a graduate of Fort Bend Marshall. My brother came through Fort Bend Marshall. Just being here, coming back in 2020, it feels like a full circle moment."
The 2026 title was back-to-back with 2025, making it four championships in five seasons for the Missouri City program.
From sprinter to coach
Ehiemua attended Marshall from 2007 to 2011, where she was a regional champion and team MVP. She held the school's 100-meter record for years after graduating and remains part of the 4x100 relay team that set the school record of 45.51 seconds in 2009.
At the 2026 state meet, her current athletes nearly broke that mark, running 45.54.
After high school, Ehiemua competed at UTSA before transferring to SMU, where she earned 2015 Honorable Mention All-American honors as part of the first 4x100 relay team to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championship in SMU program history.
She returned to Marshall as head coach in 2020 and won her first state title the following year.
Championship culture
In a Fort Bend ISD profile published Aug. 4, Ehiemua credited her own high school coach, Benita Smith, as the greatest influence on her career. She said the program's standards haven't wavered across four titles, describing effort as "never a topic of conversation" and hard work as "never optional."
Key contributors to the 2026 state title included junior Amara Mogkain, who ran a personal-best 11.6 seconds in the 100 meters, sophomore Phoenix Clover, who placed third in the 200 meters, and senior Corie Wilmington, who finished second in the 300-meter hurdles and earned a nomination for Fort Bend ISD's Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year.
Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith congratulated the team on May 16, writing on X that the athletes' hard work, discipline and pride continue to inspire the district. The team was recognized at an FBISD Board meeting in June.
No date has been confirmed for a formal THSCA presentation ceremony.
