Track: Dillon Chasing State Record For Har-Ber

STAFF PHOTO MICHAEL WOODS Amanda Dillon crosses the finish line after setting a meet record while winning the 400-meter run at the Fayetteville Bulldogs Relays. Dillon won in a time of 55.55 seconds.
STAFF PHOTO MICHAEL WOODS Amanda Dillon crosses the finish line after setting a meet record while winning the 400-meter run at the Fayetteville Bulldogs Relays. Dillon won in a time of 55.55 seconds.

It's not often when an athlete breaks a record that's stood for 30 years, but that's what Amanda Dillon recently accomplished.

Dillon broke a record with a time of 55.55 while winning the 400-meter run at the Fayetteville Bulldogs Relays. She surpassed the Class 7A record of 55.9 set by Paige Farrell of Springdale in 1984 and is within .01 second of the 55.54 overall record Farrell set at the Meet of Champs in 2004.

Profile

Amanda Dillon

SCHOOL: Springdale Har-Ber

CLASS: Junior

EVENTS: 100, 200, 400, 800

HEIGHT: 5-6

NOTABLE: Won the 400-meter run in the Kansas Jayhawks Relays after placing fifth in the event last year. … Set a meet and Class 7A record while winning the 400 at the Bulldogs Relays in Fayetteville. … Transferred to Har-Ber as a sophomore from Providence Academy in Rogers. … Moved to Arkansas from Florida when she was 13 years old.

State records are counted only in state meets and the Meet of Champions.

"I'm real close to the record, but I'm not too disappointed because it's still early in the season," Dillon said. "I'd love to be running 55.54 by the end of the season. It's doable."

Dillon is more confident after a strong performance over the weekend at the Kansas Relays, where she won the 400 in a time of 56.33. She is first in the area in the 400 (55.55), third in the 100 (12.20) and 200 (24.79) and second in the 800 (2:19.80), an event where she only recently began to compete.

Dillon is only one of the standouts on a Springdale Har-Ber girls team that will be a serious challenger for the state championship in Class 7A. The Lady Wildcats are led by senior Payton Stumbaugh, an Oklahoma signee, and Dillon, who participates in the 100-, 200-, 400-, and 800-meter runs. Sophomore Elise Reina, the state cross country champion, is a top distance runner while Jenna Birkes, Laura Arnold, and Emily Potts contribute in the sprints and hurdles. Seniors Marleeya Montgomery and Gracie Bogle add points in the field evens.

"We push each other, definitely, and that's a good thing," Dillon said. "We also like to come together and put all of our talents to use in our relays."

Dillon is running with bare legs this year after wearing long pink socks for much of last season. She said she put away the socks after realizing they didn't really help at all.

"I wore them initially because I thought they helped heal shin splints," Dillon said. "I didn't wear them a few times and found out I didn't really have shin splints. The whole thing was kind of a distraction for me and I decided no more distractions. So, I quit wearing them."

Dillon and her teammates will continue working toward the conference meet, which will be held at Springdale Har-Ber's new track on May 1. Bentonville is the favorite in both the boys and girls division, but Har-Ber will have the advantage of competing on its home facility.

"We had our first home meet here last week and it was so much fun," Dillon said. "So, we're definitely looking forward to having the state meet here."

Sports on 04/21/2014

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