Relay team sets league mark
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).
PEARCY — The Bryant Lady Hornets 3200 meter relay team continued to dazzle at the AAAAA-South Conference track championships at Lake Hamilton Thursday, April 26.
The quartet of Melanie Steele, Jodi Hantz, Mandy Medlin and Candice James set a new conference record with their winning effort, clocking in at 9:55.4, the best time recorded in the state this year.
The performance, and a pair of first-place efforts by Candice James, sparked the Lady Hornets to a strong second-place finish at the meet. Pine Bluff, with just too much depth and sprint strength, won the league title with 168 1/4 points to Bryant’s 109. Texarkana was third with 84 1/4, followed by Camden Fairview (48 1/4), Lake Hamilton (48), El Dorado (44) and Sheridan (25 1/4).
Bryant girls qualified for the Class AAAAA State Meet with top four finishes in 10 different events.
Meanwhile, the Hornets made a strong showing as well in the distance events qualifying three runners — Graham Linder, David Stafford and Nick Taylor — for State competition.
Prelims for State will be held May 4 in Russellville with the finals set for May 11 in Hot Springs.
“Our girls gave a valiant effort,” said Lady Hornets coach Dan Westbrook, “and we beat some good track teams. Pine Bluff should be a favorite to win the team title (at State). They have tremendous sprinters. We qualified just about all the events we thought we had a chance to.”
The Lady Hornets racked up 59 points in the three distance events including 30 from James who won the 1600 and 3200 meter runs and finished third in the 800. She also contributed to a third-place effort in the 1600-meter relay.
In fact, Bryant swept the top three spots in both the 1600 and 3200. In the former, James ran a 5:54.1 with Medlin second in 5:56.2 and Gina Messina third with a time of 5:57.2. In the latter, James was clocked in 13:07, followed by Sarah Butler (13:07.7) and Messina (13:16.1).
In the 800, James was third in 2:31.7 with Medlin fourth (2:31.9) and Steele sixth (2:41.2).
The 1600 meter relay team with Hantz, Austyn Wingard, Medlin and James turned in a time of 4:18.6.
Wingard provided second-place points in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16.1. She was third in the 300 hurdles (49.2).
The Lady Hornets also picked up a second-place finish in the pole vault as Amy Griffin cleared eight feet.
Hantz was third in the 400, running a 61.5. And Brooke Bettoney and Medlin each cleared 4-8 in the high jump to tie for fourth.
All those that finished fourth or better earned all-conference honors.
For the boys, Stafford won the conference championship in the 3200 with a time of 10.09.5. Taylor was second in the event at 10:25.3.
Linder earned his State invitation with a third-place finish in the 1600, running a 4:32.5. He also ran fifth in the 800 (2:01.9).
The Hornets picked up fifth-place points in the 3200 relay as Mark Pagan, Stafford, Ethan Thomason and Taylor teamed up to run an 8:43.7. In the 800 meter relay, Brandon St.Pierre, Jonathan Jameson, Bruce Joslin and Matt Sullivan combined to finish sixth.
“I am very proud of all of the athletes for their sacrifice of time and effort throughout the year,” stated Hornets coach Steve Griffith. “I am especially proud of the three young men that qualified for state.”
