Defending district champs prepping for state
The boys and girls varsity track squads were the defending district titlists from 2018 and were heavy favorites in the 2019 4A-1 Championship meet held two days ago.
This past week, the ’Hawks competed in the Bentonville Wolverine Relays in Centerton with coaches Asa Poteete and Heather Wade fine tuning the respective squads for the trip to Batesville for the 4A State Championships on April 30.
At the big school meet, sophomore Blakelee Winn earned the competition’s high point trophy by winning the 100-meter hurdles in a blistering time of 15.60 while also taking silver medals in the 100-meter (12.46), long jump (16’11.75”), and high jump (4’10”). Her 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles times now lead the 4A classification statewide. She previously established the 4A state leading time in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.
Cassidy Mooneyhan, the state overall leader in the pole vault, retained her undefeated status with a winning jump of 12’0”. Mooneyhan will be going for the 4A state record next week. She has bested the mark of 11’6” in every competition she has competed in this season.
Other girls scoring in the 6A dominated meet included: Harmony Reynolds, sixth 800-meter (2:34.40); Shelby Dunlap, fourth 100-meter hurdles (17.08), sixth discus (86’4”), fifth triple jump (33’1”), and 2nd 300-meter hurdles (48.72); Kynley Burton, 4th high jump (4-10); and Meredith Mitchell, fourth discus 92-3).
On the boys side, Connor Escajeda recorded the bext time of any 4A runner in the state as he ran the 400-meter in 50.31 to finish 3rd. Cooper Elliott ran his best time of the year to land on the 4A state ranking list with a time of 52.24, finished 6th in Centerton.
Justin Koon ran a fine time of 16.04 in the 110-meter hurdles for 4th place, and was also 4th in the 300-meter hurdles in 43.22. Zach Woods was the lone scorer in the field events, taking 3rd in the pole vault by clearing 13’0”. The other individual points were scored by Josiah Small, was eighth in the 400-meter in 53.85.
Both ’Hawk teams did well in the relays with the boys taking first in the 4x400-meter. Elliott, Small, Escajeda and Shaed Cates won the gold with a 3:35.01 clocking. Cooper, Escajeda, Cates and Adam Trammel teamed up third in the 4x100-meter (44.54) and the quintet of Small, Kevin Vasqueaz, Cates and Sander Van der Veen was third in the 4x800meter (8:43.80).
The girls ran one relay team in the competition, the 4x100-meter. The team of Clarie Hale, Jamison Toms, Dunlap and Mooneyhan finished second in 51.82.
Team scores for the girls was: Fayetteville 143, Rogers 106, Bentonville 96, Pea Ridge 85, Bentonville West 72, Siloam Springs 33, HerBer 33, Claremore 32. Gravette 28, Springdale 21, Westville 12 and Gentry 1. Boys scores were: Fayetteville 128, Rogers 115, Bentonville West 72, HarBer 68, Bentonville 56, Pea Ridge 54, Springdale 36, Gravette 35, Claremore 33, Siloam Springs 26, Gentry 0 and Westville 0.