Bryant track athletes honored at banquet
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).
Bryant High School track athletes Spencer McCorkel, Brittany Johnson and Kelsey Mitchell were honored at the annual Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame Banquet in North Little Rock on Saturday, June 3.
For the second year in a row, McCorkel, a junior, earned the most votes in the boys division of the All Arkansas team. Johnson and Mitchell, both seniors on the Lady Hornet track team, were honored on the All Arkansas Academic team.
Each year the Arkansas Track Coaches Association votes on an All-Arkansas Track and Field team, with the top five athletes in the voting in both the male and female divisions being honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet. Also, the top five in the All-Academic Track and Field team are honored in both the girls and boys division.
McCorkel won the pole vault at the Class AAAAA State Meet in a new meet and overall state record of 16′ 8″. He also set a new national junior class indoor record in January with a 17′ 3.5″ clearance, along with winning the Meet of Champions in a height of 16 feet.
Both Johnson and Mitchell boasted GPAs at or above 4.00 and both scored high on the ACT test. Johnson, whose specialty is the javelin throw, won the discus at the Meet of Champions after placing third at the Class AAAAA State Meet with a new school record throw of over 116 feet. Mitchell, who owns school records in all the hurdle events, won the 110 meter high hurdles at the Class AAAAA State Meet and the Meet of Champions. She also won the 55 meter hurdles at the State Indoor Championships.
“We are extremely proud of these fine student-athletes,” stated Bryant track coach Steve Oury. “I know (Lady Hornets) Coach (Danny) Westbrook will miss having Brittany and Kelsey next year, but they have done a great job of leading the way for some of the younger athletes. They have shown how important it is to work hard both academically and athletically. We wish them the best as they pursue a successful college experience.
“Spencer has set the bar high for the pole vaulters who come after him,” Oury continued. “He is a great athlete and comes from a great family. They have been instrumental in giving him the support it takes to compete at the national level. We’re looking forward to seeing Spencer come back and have a great senior season next year. He is leading the way not only for several of our younger vaulters like Ben Griffin and Zach Graham, but also for vaulters all over the state of Arkansas.”
