CABOT — Shaquan McFarlane won two individual events and Brilynn Findley, Kylee Branch and three of the fourth relay teams earned first place finishes as the Bryant Lady Hornets freshman team accumulated 150 points to win the Dairy Queen Junior High Cabot Relays on Thursday.
Russellville was second in the team standings with 141 points followed by Conway White (104), Cabot North (96), Conway Blue (76), North Little Rock (53), Cabot South (25) and Marion (0).
“This is our third straight win, and we are steadily improving,” said Lady Hornets coach Ben Perry. “The girls are working hard for every point of every race. They are competing with other schools as well as themselves in order to get better.
“Our whole track philosophy is, ‘What are you doing to get better?’,” he continued. “You come to one of our practices and you will even hear the kids asking each other, ‘Hey, what are you doing right now to get batter?’
“There is still a lot of room for improvement going into the conference meet in a couple of weeks but, for right now, we look ahead to next week at Conway,” the coach concluded.
McFarlane won the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.86. Jayla Marks was right behind her in second with the same time. McFarlane, however, broke the tape first.
Marks was third in the 100 in 13.30 with McFarlane seventh in 13.79.
McFarlane also won the high jump, clearing 4’9”. Findley was fifth at 4’4”.
Findley won the 400-meters in 65.52 with Jalyn Anthony of Conway White second in 65.97. Zoe Wilson of Bryant was third in 66.48.
Branch’s win came in the discus. Her toss of 86’10” beat out Russellville’s Mianna Wood at 28’4.5”. Sierra Page of Bryant was fifth at 73’0”.
Branch was third in the shot at 36’6”. Keyonna Hunt added an eighth-place finish with a put of 31’2”.
Bryant won the 4 x 100 in 53.11, edging Conway Blue at 54.69. Findley, McFarlane, Mia Jordan and Jayla Marks combined for the win.
It was Wilson, Jordan, Findley and Marks teaming up on a 1:51.76 to win the 4 x 200, ahead of Cabot North at 1:54.55.
Findley and Wilson joined Poetry Combs and Natalie Meharg on a 4:33.78 clocking in the 4 x 400, winning over Conway Blue’s 4:40.88.
Bryant’s quartet of Gracie Rocha, Bailey Gould, Arion Pegram and Aidan Fisher ran the 4 x 800 in 11:18.16, just shy of Conway White’s 11:12.88.
Fisher was second in the 1600 with a time of 5:54.53, Russellvillle’s Brooklyn Nicholson won in 5:43.12. In addition, Fisher finished fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:46.30. Pegram was sixth in 2:49.39.
In the hurdles, Ahyana Bradford was second in the 300 at 54.50. Conway White’s RaNayla Moten won in 52.89.
Meharg was seventh in the 100 hurdles, clocking in at 19.44. Livingston Aniyah was eighth in 20.08.
Ivy Dennis clearned 6’0” to place fourth in the pole vault while Findley’s long jump of 14’2.5” was good for sixth.
Marilyn Findley
Way to go Brilynn. Memaw is Soooooooo Proud.