FAYETTEVILLE — The Bryant Hornets got the indoor track season started Saturday at the[more] ATCA Invitational at the Tyson Indoor Track Center on the University of Arkansas campus. The Hornets scored a total of 14 points to place 14th in the meet. Bentonville won the team title with 67.5 points.
Dillon Winfrey scored in two events for the Hornets, placing fourth in the 60-meter dash (7.26) and eighth in the 200-meter dash (23.64).
Also scoring for the Hornets was the 3200-meter relay team of Clifton Hampton, Mark Winn, Austin Middleton, and Tyler Purtle. Their time of 8:42 was good enough for a third-place finish. In the 800 meter run, freshman Mark Winn placed seventh with a time of 2:06.51.
"Dillon Winfrey did a good job in the 60-meter dash and the 3200-meter relay team ran a great race,” commented Hornets coach Steve Oury. “Mark Winn is just a freshman and he ran a 2:06 leg on that relay and then came back and ran 2:06 again in the 800, which is excellent.
“We also had a number of personal record performances,” he noted. “Freshman Connor Wilson ran a 4:59 in the 1600, while Tyler Purtle and Clifton Hampton both ran personal records in the 3200-meter run. Also, freshman Brenden Young placed 14th in the 60-meter hurdles and was the highest placing freshman in the race, while sprinters Derrick Dogan and Lester Lowery both set personal records in their events.
"We brought a lot of young athletes to this meet so that they could get a feel for what indoor track is all about,” the coach said. “We have a good group of ninth graders, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for them. It is unfortunate that there is a rule in class 7A that says that freshman can't be moved up to the senior high team for outdoor track, because we have several that would have an opportunity to help us out when outdoor season begins.
"We are looking forward to the indoor state meet in three weeks,” Oury concluded. “Caleb Thomas has been recovering from shoulder surgery, but he will be ready to go in the sprints and jumps. I look for us to have some outstanding performances on Feb. 25 at the state indoor meet."
