Cabana, Woolsey put names in 4A record books
CLARKSVILLE — Maddie Cabana admitted she had no idea what the Class 4A state meet records in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters were.
The Clinton junior knows what they are now because she broke both of them during Tuesday’s meet at Metheny Field.
Cabana won the 1,600 with a time of 5 minutes, 17.25 seconds to break the previous mark of 5:21.08 set by Elise Knight of Valley View last year. She then finished the 3,200 in 11:24.12 and broke the previous mark of 11:41.63, also set by Knight last year.
“It feels pretty amazing,” Cabana said after the 3,200. “I never really expected that at all. It’s so cool. I had absolutely no idea about the records. I didn’t even consider it.
“I just knew there was a girl that was going to be close to me, and I didn’t want to let her beat me. I gave it everything I had.”
That girl — Zoe Williamson of Harding Academy — pushed Cabana to the limit throughout the 3,200 and also surpassed the previous record time, finishing in 11:27.23. The two ran together for the first seven laps before Cabana had to make a move she said she don’t normally make.
“I just knew this date held a lot of weight,” Cabana said. “It was what I’ve been leading up to all season, so it was a big one. When I had about one lap to go, I knew she was going to kick it in so I did it before she did.
“It took a lot out of me, and it was a rough one.”
Meanwhile, Anna Woolsey included a state record among her four first-place finishes in the meet. The Ozark senior won the 400 in a personal-best 56.88 seconds and broke the previous mark of 58.07 set by Crossett’s Kyleah Hodges in 2015.
Woolsey started her day by winning the pole vault by clearing 10 feet, 8 inches, then won the 100 with her time of 12.07 and the 200 in 25.10. She then took third in the 100 hurdles, and her 46 points was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the team standings.
“I would have preferred five first-place finishes,” Woolsey said. “It’s a lot more work to finish first in all five of them, but it’s also exciting to get a state record as well. It was something I was shooting for and definitely aiming for the biggest thing in each event.
“The hurdles are not really my thing, and I came in knowing I wasn’t going to finish first. But the rest of the events were good. It’s state meet, and it’s in your head it may be the last time to might run it. That definitely pushed me a little.”
Warren captured the girls championship with 65 points, while De Queen was next with 59 and Ashdown with 55. Ashdown lost a chance at tying for first place when its 400 relay team was disqualified moments after the race was completed.
The boys division was a runaway as Magnolia compiled 115 points and successfully defended its championship. Forrest City was a distant second with 67 points, followed by Pea Ridge with 52, Crossett with 47, De Queen with 38 and Ashdown with 36.