BENTONVILLE
Final meet awaits Tigers
Bentonville boys coach Mike Power said preparations for this week’s McDonalds Invitational is compared to walking the fine line because it’s the final one before next week’s 7A-West Conference meet.
“At this meet, you don’t want to get someone injured or have somebody do multiple events and overdo it,” Power said. “You want to look at what’s coming down the road — the conference meet and the state meet. We have some that are automatically qualified for state, we can look at the conference meet as well. It’s a real strategy the last few weeks.”
Power said the weather may dictate which people will represent the Tigers during Friday’s meet at Fort Smith Southside, especially since the forecast calls for storms that day. The meet may prove more beneficial for those who run the longer distances as Bentonville’s coaches seek the right combinations, particularly in the 4x800-meter relay.
“We’re still trying to figure out our team for that relay,” Power said. “In those events, it’s all about chemistry and keeping the same guys on the same team. There’s also a few people that need to get back on track, but we’re practicing good. We’re not looking at this meet where we’ll overdo anything.”
— Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
FAYETTEVILLE
Bulldog Relays
good warmup
Fayetteville will hope to use a home track advantage to its favor when the Class 7A state meet comes to Bulldog Track at Fayetteville Ramay Junior High next month. But the Bulldogs and Lady’Dogs didn’t have to wait until the state championships to taste victory on their home track, sweeping the boys’ and girls’ division at last week’s Bulldog Relays.
The Fayetteville boys scored 167 points in the event to win over runner-up Springdale Har-Ber at 131. Collin Pilkington provided a win for the Bulldogs in the 1600-meter run (4:30.39), while the Fayetteville 400 relay tea of Anthony Golliday, Terrance Rock, Colby Sigears and Chandler Vanlandingham were also winners with a time of 43.17
Golliday also provided an individual win for Fayetteville in the long jump (20-8.5), Caleb Cooper won in the triple jump with a mark of 44-1 and junior Blake Young took top spot in the shot put with a throw of 48 feet, 10 inches.
The Lady Bulldogs scored 161 points for the Bulldogs Relays’ win. Fayetteville notched eight individual and one relay race win, with McKenzie Penne leading the way with victories in the 100 hurdles (16.19), long jump (16-7.25) and triple jump (33-10).
Both Fayetteville teams are back in action Friday at the McDonald’s Relays in Fort Smith.
— Vernon Tarver • @NWAVernon
ROGERS HERITAGE
Teams prep
for conference
The War Eagles and Lady War Eagles will try to utilize Friday’s McDonald’s Relays in Fort Smith as a good warm-up for the 7A-West Conference meet next week.
Brandon Shaw peformed well in the 100 and 200 meters, along with the long jump last week in Fayetteville. But the junior has a shot make the state meet’s qualifying standard in the pole vault, Heritage boys coach Jay Miles said.
“He’s been 13-4 and the qualifying mark is 13-9, so he has a legitimate shot,” Miles said. “We’re not going to max the kids out or anything, but we’ve still got some thing we’ve got to figure out. Is it worth doing certain events? Moving some kids around.
“By limiting their events, it would be nice to get some more kids prequalified. It’s that insurance.”
Senior Joey Saucier has already qualified in the 100, 200 and the long jump.
Heritage girls coach Jeff Shaw said Bailey Brya is close to qualifying for Class 7A state meet in the 300 hurdles.
“She’s about a tenth of a second off,” Shaw said. “She’s close. She ran 48.78 the other day. She ran 48.9 last year at the very end. She could go 47.”
C.J. Cook is also less than a second from qualifying in the 300 hurdles on the boys side.
— Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB
ROGERS HIGH
Last chance qualifiers
Rogers High girls track coach Becky Efurd is hoping to get several more Lady Mounties qualified for the Class 7A Track Meet Friday at the Fort Smith Relays. The event is the last before the 7A-West Conference Track Meet next week.
Athletes can qualify for the state meet by meeting a prequalifying time or by finishing in the top six at the conference meet.
Emily Efurd and Olivia Groeber have just missed out prequalifying in the 1,600 while Groeber is also closing in in the pole vault. Groeber five seconds off the 5:19 time in the 1,600 while Efurd is seven seconds off the pace.
“Emily and Olivia has both prequalified in the 800 but we want to do it in the mile as well,” Becky Efurd said. “They both are capable. Olivia needs to clear 10 feet in the pole vault and she has been so close.”
Efurd is also hoping that the 4x800 relay team of Jordan Maas, Lisa Lauschke, Lauren Harrell and Sydney Dorch can run a strong race Friday and prequalify.
Efurd also said that Helena Jones is running well in the 110 hurdles.
— Paul Nielsen @NWAPaul
SPRINGDALE HIGH
Salas signs with UAFS
Springdale High senior Jessica Salas signed with the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to run cross country Tuesday.
Salas is Springdale’s top cross country runner and its best distance runner in track. She finished fourth at the state and 7A-West cross country meets in the fall, earning all-state honors for the Lady Bulldogs. This spring, her 11:49.82 time in the 3,200 ranks fifth among area competitors.
“Not only is she a great student, but she also is an amazing runner and is coming from a great cross country program,” UAFS coach Lauren Unger said. “I expect her to come in and make an immediate impact to our program and help us progress in conference and regionals.”
— Jimmy Carter • @NWAJimmy