EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
CONWAY — In a preview of the AAAAA-Central Conference championship meet, the Bryant Lady Hornets compiled 124 points to win the Wampus Cat Relays on Thursday, April 15.
The meet included all of the league teams that will gather for the conference meet on May 8 at Bryant.
Little Rock McClellan was the Lady Hornets’ closest competition with 106 points. Host Conway finished with 88 points to take third in the 12 team field.
Bryant’s effort was once again led by its distance contingent, most notably the 3200 meter relay team of Jessica Sowell, Sam Montgomery, Kim Bergen and Nicole Snyder who combined on a winning time of 10:36.9.
The Lady Hornets also picked up first-place points from junior Brooke Higgs who won the 800 meter run with a time of 2:27.4. Higgs was also second in the 1600, running a 5:27.4, and the 3200 (12:50.1).
Mary Edwards finished second to Higgs in the 800, with a time of 2:28.1, and third in both the 1600 (5:33.4) and 3200 (12:50.7).
Kelsey Mitchell set a new school record in the triple jump, covering 32 feet, 9 1/2 inches to finish fourth. She also turned in third-place performances in the 300 meter hurdles (49.9) and the long jump (16-3).
Rachel Burnette was third in the pole vault, clearing eight feet.
Liz Griffis turned in her personal best in the high jump, clearing 5-1 to earn a fourth-place finish. Other fourth-place finishes were turned in by Bergen in the 800 (2:36), Mitchell in the 100 meter hurdles (16.8) and the 1600 meter relay team of Edwards, Mitchell, Montgomery and Higgs (4:18.4)
Fifth-place points were added by Sowell in the 1600 (6:07.2), Nicole Sample in the 3200 (13:08) and Whitney Wingard in the long jump (15-4).
Jessica Norris was sixth in the triple jump (32-6 1/2) while Tonya Fowler in the high jump (4-8), Wingard in the triple jump (32-5) and the 400 meter relay team of Reagan James, Norris, Michelle Ford and Wingard (56.06) added seventh-place points to the Bryant total.
“This victory gives us some positive momentum going into the conference meet,” noted Lady Hornets coach Dan Westbrook. “It was a total team effort. We had some really good performances and set several personal bests. I thought Brooke Higgs, Mary Edwards and Kelsey Mitchell all had an exceptional meet. Brooke and Mary scored in all four distance races and Kelsey scored in five events.”
