File photo by Kevin Nagle
Some of the best athletes in the state will gather in Bryant on Thursday for the Class 7A track and field championship meet at Bryant Stadium.
Competition is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m., with the girls pole vault, discus and long jump along with the boys shot put, triple jump and high jump.
Running preliminaries will commence at 12:30 p.m. At 2:30, the boys pole vault then the girls shot put and triple jump, boys discus and long jump and girls high jump will be contested at 3:30 p.m. Running finals start at 5:30 p.m.
For Bryant’s Lady Hornets, who finished second at the 7A-Central Conference meet, all four relay teams will compete including Zhania Hall, Sydney Dettmer, Libby Majors and Megan Lee in the 4×800; Jaiyah Jackson, Maddie Thomas, Anya Smith and Yonni Allen in the 4×100; and Hall, Lee, Amanda Burt and Ella Reynolds in the 4×400.
Deborah Shaw will compete in four events, the triple jump, long jump and high jump along with the 100-meter hurdles. Reynolds, along with the 4×400, will compete in the 100, 200 and 400.
Kayla Scott is set for both hurdles races with Allie Morse also in the 100 hurdles and Mallori Pendergrass in the 300.
Taylor McKinney, a State runner-up in the discus last year, will be back in the mix in that event along with the shot. Kaycee White will also compete in both throwing events.
Along with Shaw, Lee and Allen will compete in the triple jump with Lee set for the 400 as well. Smith will run in the 100 as well as competing in the long jump.
Hall will run the 800 along with Dettmer while Kristen Garner and Thomas are set in the pole vault.
For the Hornets, who had a rugged day at the conference meet, Chris Barrientos pre-qualified in the 3200 along with Bresner Austin. Both also qualified in the 1600.
Kaine Villareal-Hurst will be in the running in the pole vault and, as a member of the 4×400 relay along with Randy Thomas, J’Lun Herron and Mackenzie Martindale.
The 4×800 team of Jake Dreher, Josh Nelson, Hunter Ulmer and Logan Kretsch won a conference title and qualified for State.
Bryant’s 4×100 team of Dionte Collier, Braden Williams, Diante Woodson and Thomas will also compete for State honors.
In addition, Michael Chatmon qualified in the discus.
Conway captured a double conference championship in the Central, while Bentonville swept the titles in the 7A-West.
