Hornets win seven events on the way to team title at home meet
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Photos courtesy of Julie Shelby
Mar’Kevius Nelson (Photo courtesy of Julie Shelby)
The Bryant Hornets won seven events and finished second in three including a 1-2 finish in the 400-meter dash on the way to capturing the team title at the annual Hornet Relays at Bryant Stadium Thursday.
John Winn won the 200 and 400 and contributed a leg to the Hornets’ winning effort in the 4×400 relay to lead the effort.
Bryant finished with 144 points to overtake Conway (86) and Lake Hamilton (72) in the 20-team field.
Charlie Terry, Brenden Young, Justin Combs and Mar’Kevius Nelson also had first-place finishes for the Hornets.
Winn and Steven Murdock went 1-2 in the 400 with Winn turning in a 50.02 and Murdock right on his heels at 50.54. Pierce Finney was fourth in 52.83 and Raphael McCuien was fifth in 53.42 for the Hornets.
In the 200, Winn’s winning time was 22.62. Nelson was fifth in 24.36.
Finney, Young, Murdock and Winn won the 4×400 with a time of 3:28.82.
(Photo courtesy of Julie Shelby)
Young’s win came in the 300 hurdles with a time of 41.42. He was also second in the 110 hurdles, clocking in at 15.46. Landon Abernathy was eighth in both events. He ran a 17.49 in the 100 and 44.03 in the 300.
Combs was the only pole vaulter at the meet to clear 14 feet, winning that event while Nelson tied for first in the hugh jump, clearing 5’6”. Maumelle’s Braylon Waits also went over at 5’6”.
Terry paced the field in the 3200, running a 10:01.84. John Carder was fifth in 10:34.36.
“It’s always nice to get a team victory, especially when it’s your home meet,” stated Hornets coach Steve Oury. “Early on, Conway was giving us all we wanted, but I liked how we responded. We picked up victories from Justin Combs in the pole vault and then had John Winn and Steven Murdock finish first and second in the 400, so it felt like we gained control after those events.”
John Winn (Photo courtesy of Julie Shelby)
The Hornets’ 4×100 relay team of Nelson, Young, Finney and Phillip Isom-Green took second with a time of 44.83. Maumelle edged them out 44.12.
Murdock and Nelson also picked up third-place points. Murdock did it in the 100-meter dash, clocking in at 11.44 while Nelson tied for third in the triple jump, covering 41’6”. Devon Davis was fourth at 40’11”.
Davis also took fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:07.14. Joe Sartini was seventh in 2:09.25.
Dany Murillo scored in both the shot and discus. In the former, he was sixth with a throw of 40’10.5”. In the latter, he was fifth with a toss of 120’6”.
The 4×800 relay team of Dru Wen, Eathan Devine, Travis Cumming and Sartini ran an 8:54.97 to take fourth. And Wen scored an eighth place finish in the 1600 with a time of 4:56.09.
“Since this was our home meet, we were able to run everyone on the roster,” Oury noted. “It was great to see so many athletes pick up personal records in their events. With a team as big as ours, we have athletes who don’t get to compete very often, so it’s always beneficial when they can get on the track in a meet and see how their hard work is paying off.
“Our senior class sets the tone for our younger guys,” he added. “They are hungry for success at the highest level and they understand what it takes. They made sure that we got this outdoor season off to a good start, so now we need to keep working hard and be ready for the Cabot Panther Invitational when we come back from spring break.”
That meet is set for Tuesday, March 31.
