Lady Troy track team 3rd, trying harder
Hot Springs’ girls’ trackand- field team belied its small numbers with impressive performances Thursday in the 5ASouthwest meet at Holt Memorial Field.
Seven of the eight Lady Trojans qualified for next week’s Class 5A meet at the same site as Hot Springs, with a seasonhigh 95 points, finished third to Camden Fairview ( 216 1/ 2) and Magnolia ( 122 1/ 2). Lakeside and Arkadelphia tied for seventh with 34 points.
Magnolia won the boys’ title with 201 1/ 2 points, 30 more than runner- up Camden Fairview. Little Rock Christian placed with 118, Lakeside fourth with 59 and Hot Springs fifth with 44.
Three- time state qualifier Simone White won the 400meter dash in 59.89 seconds and was runner- up in the triple jump and anchored the second- place 4x400 relay with Anissa Mcmichael, Matia Burkes and Berniezha Tidwell. She was second in the 100- meter dash and fourth in the 200, having qualified for state in both events and the long jump.
“I was extremely pleased with our showing today,” Hot Springs coach Yvonne Neal said. “I knew coming in we were small in numbers, but from a performance standpoint we got it done today. Magnolia surprised me a little bit ... but Camden Fairview came in averaging over 200 points a meet.”
Mcmichael, a state long- jump qualifier, also advanced with respective second- and fourthplace clockings in the 1,600- and 800- meter runs.
Tidwell won the 800 in 2: 31.03 and placed third in the high jump ( 4- 10, personal best) and ran on the second- place 4x800 relay with Tirriah Mayhan, Burkes and Miesha Atkins.
Hot Springs’ Keishawn John-
son qualified in the shot put with a fourth- place finish.
“She has been competing for the junior- high team all season, but I had a good feeling about her going in to today’s meet,” Neal said. “I knew she could place in both the discus and the shot, but qualifying for state ... in the shot is even more impressive.
“I was really pleased with all the girls and their effort today. We didn’t place as high as we expected in some events, though, which leaves me very optimistic going into next week’s state meet. With us being on our home track, where we almost always compete well, anything is possible. I think there will be some surprises and I think performances from some of our girls will be some of the good surprises.”
Lakeside’s Alexandria Bobosky won the high jump ( 4- 10), Maggie Hughes qualified for state with a third- place finish in the 800 and the Lady Rams were third in the 4x800 relay with Hughes, Marci Hugentobler, Markeda Errilus and Jessica Jones.
Fairview’s Jermeka Marks had a meet- high 44 1/ 2 points in the girls’ division, winning the long jump ( 17- 01/ 2), triple jump ( 35- 11/ 2) and 100 dash ( 12.79) and placing second in the 200 ( 26.99)
On the boys’ side, Lakeside’s Tanner Dvorak qualified for state in three events, placing second in the long jump and 200 dash and third in the 100. Teammates Michael Lydon ( third in the 400) and Sam Johnson ( fourth in the 800) also advanced to the state meet.
Hot Springs’ Torren Payton placed second in the 400 and teammate Tyler Eddings third in the 1,600 and 3,200. All three Hot Springs relay teams qualified with the 4x400 and 4x800 squads second and the 4x100 unit third. The 4x800 squad is comprised of Jamison Bedford, Payton, Eddings and Jalin Lambert; the 4x100 team of Sean Shirley, Michael Hughley, Collin Holder and Trevon Reedy and the 4x400 team of Payton, Lionel Tidwell, Hughley and Holder.
Fairview’s Dominique Reed had a meet- high 49 points, winning the triple jump ( 47- 0), long jump ( 23- 8), 110 hurdles ( 15.11) and 300 hurdles ( 40.31).