CONWAY — Kylee Branch, Madelyn Thomas, Lauren Lain and the 4 x 400-meter relay team of the Bryant Lady Hornets each won 6A-Central Conference championship in their respective events to spur the team to an overall league title at Conway on Friday.
The Lady Hornets amassed 216.5 points to beat out host Conway (182). Cabot was third of the eight schools with 163.5 points.
The Class 6A State meet is Thursday, May 6, at Rogers Heritage.
Branch, a freshman, won the discus with a throw of 93’8”, topping her previous best of the season. She beat out Conway’s Haley Hill at 92’0”. Isabella Martinez garnered fifth-place points with a fling of 82’2”.
Thomas took top honors in the pole vault, clearing 10’4” with teammate Jessica Rolen second at 9’4” (a personal best). Ivy Dennis, another freshman, cleared 7’0” to add sixth-place points for Bryant.
Lain, a sophomore, won the 300-meter hurdles in a personal best time of 47.80, beating out Cabot’s Laylah Reese (48.92). Bryant’s Ahyana Bradford was fourth (52.72) and Portia Probst was fifth (52.73).
The Lady Hornets capped of their team title with the win in the 4 x 400 as Eliza Parker, Emerson Wakefield, Brylee Bradford and Ella Reynolds team up on a 4:14.34 to beat out North Little Rock (4:22.74).
Bryant had four athletes score in two individual events.
In the high jump, Brylee Bradford was second, getting over at 5’2”. Chasity Jackson was third at 5’1” with Shaquan McFarlane, a freshman, clearing 4’8” to place fifth and Parker tied for sixth at 4’8”.
In the shot put, Elizabeth Carter’s throw of 29’2” was second only to Conway’s Benae Chander (32’6.5”). Branch was third at 29’1.5” with Louise Hobby sixth (28’5.5”) and Monica Shifflet eighth (27’2”).
Lain added second-place finishes in the triple jump (34’9”) and the 100 meter hurdles (16.72). She was also fifth in the long jump (15’8”) and added a leg to Bryant’s 4 x 200 relay team, which finished second.
In the triple jump, Conway’s Madison Holloway won at 35’8”. Bryant freshman Brilynn Findley was fifth at 33’8.5”
Reese, who lost to Lain in the 300 hurdles, edged her out by just :01 of a second in the 100 hurdles. Reese finished in 16.71. Bryant’s Ava Singleton was fourth at 18.15.
Along with Lain scoring in the long jump was Jaiyah Jackson, who was eighth at 15’2”.
In the 4 x 200 relay, Alana Gould, Jaiyah Jackson and Oriel Spikes joined Lain on a 1:47.62 clocking. Conway won in 1:46.54.
In the 4 x 800, Margo Gilliland, Wakefield, Paige Spicer and Fisher combined on a 10:30.23, second only to Cabot’s 10:28.15.
Parker was second in the 400 to Cabot’s Danniette Chasavong (1:00.94). Reynolds, the only entry who had turned in a sub one-minute 400 this season, clocked in at 1:05 to take fifth. Wakefield was seventh in 1:06.26.
Findley helped out with a third-place finish in the 100-meter dash. Her time was 13.00. Amya Smith was fifth for the Lady Hornets in 13.17.
Madison Dettmer’s 5:40 was good for third in the 1600 with Fisher fourth in 5:43.38. Brylee Bradford was third in the 800 in 2:36. Fisher was fifth in 2:37.57.
Dettmer was fourth in the 3200 (13:00.61) with McKenzie Hicks sixth in 13:17.35.
Bryant’s quartet of McFarlane, Chasity Jackson, Mallorie Scott-Smith and Oriel Spikes ran a 51.76 in the 4 x 100 relay, finishing third.
Jaiyah Jackson led a contingent of three Lady Hornets that scored in the 200-meter dash. She was fifth in 26.79 followed by Findley who was sixth in 27.22 and Spikes who was seventh in 27.27.
