Photos courtesy of Darlene Bell (team) and Jason Majors (individual)
CABOT — The Bryant Lady Hornet track team won their second consecutive team championship Tuesday night at the Cabot Invitational. Bryant took the title with 155 points over Cabot (133), LR Central (64), Conway (59), North Little Rock (47), and Sheridan (41). There were 13 total teams competing.
Haley Hood
The Lady Hornets were led by seniors Melinda Murdock and Leah Ward and sophomore Haley Hood. The three of them collectively scored 71 points.
Murdock accounted for 29 of those points, winning the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.6 and the 800-meter run in 2:21.4. She also added a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 16’7” and contributed to both sprint relay teams.
Hood scored 22 points with two second-place finishes in the 400-meter run (1:02.5) and in the high jump (5’0”). She was also a member of all three-relay teams, two of which finished first (4×800 and 4×400).
Ward scored 20 points, half of which came when she took the individual title in the triple jump with a State-qualifying leap of 35’9”. She also added a third-place finish in the long jump (17’1”). She was also a member of both sprint relay teams.
The winning 4×400 team with Ward, Hood, Murdock and Rachael Owens won in 4:10.97, which was a State-qualifying time. In the 4×800, it was Hood, Taylin Billins, Caitlyn Bell and Hannah Shelby combining on a winning time of 10:32.4.
The Lady Hornets also got first-place work from Jenna Freeman in the discus with a fling of 96’4”, and Bell in the 3200, turning in a time of 12:25.
“Coming off of spring break, I was extremely proud of how we performed tonight,” stated Bryant head coach Danny Westbrook. “This was another outstanding team performance. Melinda, Haley, and Leah all continue to perform at a very high level.
“We added two more events to our state qualifier list tonight with Leah in the triple jump and our 4×400-meter relay,” he acknowledged.
The Lady Hornets picked up second-place points from Myah Thompson in the shot with a throw of 30’3” as well as from Jayla Anderson in the 300 hurdles (17.1).
“I was very proud of our throwers who contributed a total of 25 points from the shot and discus,” Westbrook mentioned, referring to Freeman and Thompson as well as Haley Holliman who was sixth in the shot put at 28’0”. “I thought Rachael Owens had some breakthrough performances also.”
Other scorers for Bryant included:
Fourth place:
Billins – 800-meter run (2:31.4)
Gabby Crabtree – 3200-meter run (13:03)
4 x 100m relay team – Reagan Smith, Ward, Hood, Murdock (53.4)
Fifth place:
Rachael Owens – 200-meter dash (27.9)
Billins – 1600-meter run (5:51)
Thompson – discus (75’11”)
Sixth place:
Shelby – 1600-meter run (5:53)
Randie Owens – pole vault (6’6”)
Seventh place:
Jayla Anderson – 100-meter hurdles (17.1)
Eighth place:
Rachael Owens – high jump (4’8”)
Reagan Smith – pole vault (6’6”)
The Lady Hornets return to competition on Friday at the Cyclone Invitational at Russellville.
Anonymous
Proud if those lady hornets