The Bryant High School track and field teams will host 25 other schools in their lone home meet, the Hornet Relays, today at Bryant Stadium, with field events starting at 3:45 p.m.
Class 7A rivals Cabot, Conway, North Little Rock, Little Rock Catholic, Mount St. Mary Academy and Little Rock Central are among those competing along with teams from Class 6A schools, Russellville, Jacksonville, Benton and Lake Hamilton.
Hot Springs Lakeside, Pulaski Robinson, Little Rock Christian, Little Rock Mills, Hot Springs, Stuttgart, Malvern, Vilonia, Camden Fairview, Sylvan Hills, Bauxite, Maumelle, Jessieville, Central Arkansas Christian Academy, Little Rock J.A. Fair and Forrest City are also scheduled to compete.
It’s the first outdoor meet of the season for Bryant after competing in three indoor meets including State.
Among the events to watch for Bryant is the 4×400 relay in which Pierce Finney, Brenden Young, Steven Murdock and John Winn combined to set a new state indoor record at State, snapping a mark that had stood since 1997.
Winn also won state indoor honors in the 400 and 200. Young won the 60-meter hurdles and Murdock was second in the 400-meter dash. Mar’Kevious Nelson broke his own school record in the triple jump.
Hornets head coach Steve Oury’s list of Bryant athletes to watch included Nelson in the long jump and high jump along with the triple, Justin Combes in the pole vault, Murdock in the 100 as well as the 400 and the 4×400, Winn in the 200 as well as the 400 and the 4×400, Young in the 110 and 300 hurdles along with the relay, and Charlie Terry in the 3200.
For the Lady Hornets at the State Indoor, Feniece Boone won two events, the 200 and 400. Her teammate Jadyn Lewis was second in the 400.
Coach Danny Westbrook also mentioned that along with Boone and Lewis, who also will run in the 100, fans should be watching Haley Hood and Rachel Owen in the high jump and the 4×400 relay team, which will include Hood, Owens, Lewis and Boone.
“It should be a duel with Cabot,” Westbrook said of the event. “Cabot barely beat us at the Arkansas State indoor.”
In the distance events, Bryant’s Caitlyn Bell (1600 and 3200), Hannah Shelby (3200) and Talyn Billins (800) should be ones to watch.
Westbrook also mentioned that Cabot twins Lexi and Tori Weeks will be at the meet. “They are ranked 1 and 2 in the nation in the pole vault so far this season,” he noted. “They will both clear better than 14 feet.”
