Milnes bests herself in pole vault

HARRISON — Vaulting against herself, Rachel Milnes was good enough to set the Class 5A state girls pole vault record for a second consecutive year.

The Nettleton senior cleared 12 feet, 6 inches on her first attempt during Tuesday’s meet at Jo T. Cash Track to break the previous mark of 11-10 she set during last year’s meet.

“These were better than they were the last few meets, and that’s all I could ask for,” Milnes said. “I didn’t do too great last year, so I just wanted to break that record and make it a little bit higher.”

Milnes, who has signed with Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., hadn’t entered the competition by the time the bar reached 10-0 and everybody else had been eliminated. She quickly had the bar moved to 11-6 and cleared that height on her first try, then went for the state record by moving the bar to 12-0 and cleared it on her second attempt.

She cleared 12-6 with ease, but she failed on all three attempts at 13-0, where her personal-best of 13-2 came earlier this season.

“It’s kind of hard being by yourself because a lot of people don’t stay to watch,” Milnes said. “They kind of leave, and I’m left with just a few people who are supporting me, and I’m thankful for them. The energy kind of dies down, and

without the competition I’m lacking the motivation. I have to find it within myself.”

The only other meet record that was broken Tuesday took place in the boys 3,200-meter relay. Harrison’s team of Mathew Arman, Zach Powers, Seth Waters and Jayce Martin had a time of 8 minutes, 5.58 seconds and surpassed the meet record of 8:05.68 set by Helena-West Helena Central in 2007.

The record didn’t come easy as Harrison trailed through the first three legs. Waters, who ran the Goblins’ final leg, took the baton with Maumelle’s Dylan Douglas about 60 meters ahead of him

but managed to pass him with 200 meters remaining.

“I knew I would have to run a PR because we’ve never had to run in state with somebody that far ahead,” said Waters, an Arkansas State University signee who also turned in state-best times to win the 800 (1:55.31) and the 1,600 (4:17.47). “So I knew if I was going to catch up with him, I would have to go out harder on the front first leg.

“With 300 yards left, I could see him and knew I had closed the gap. I just got this extra energy somewhere.”

De Queen used a second-place finish from its 1,600-relay team of Logan Hall,

Sedrick Bell, Tanner Manasco and Kaden Tollett to pass Harrison and Forrest City and take the boys title. The Leopards nipped second-place Forrest City by a 88.33-87 margin, while Harrison finished with 84.33, nine points ahead of Vilonia.

On the girls side, Sylvan Hills claimed the team title despite no first-place finishes until the final event, where the 1,600-relay team of Jordan Sanders, O’Shayla Muldrow, Daviunia Jones and Aliya Hatton took top honors with a time of 4:09.26. The Lady Bears, who did pick up three second-place finishes, had 101 points, followed by Magnolia with 75 and Maumelle with 66.