SPRINGDALE -- The Blackhawk boys and girls track teams added six more events to their state qualifier list after competition in the Springdale Invitational.
A 15-school competition featuring nine 6A-5A schools, the 'Hawk thinclads took fourth overall in the girls' competition with the boys taking home a fifth-place finish.
Bentonville won the girls' meet with 177, followed by Rogers 155, Fayetteville 111, Pea Ridge 76, Rogers Heritage 38, Springdale HarBer 29, Springdale 19, Bentonviile West 15, Greenland 14, Siloam Springs 10, Farmington 8, Providence 2, Alma 0, Farmington 0 and New School 0.
Bentonville's Tigers completed the sweep by taking the boys' title with 163. Fayetteville was second with 137, followed by Rogers 97, Springdale HarBer 68, Pea Ridge 54, Bentonville West 42, Springdale 27, Farmington 22, Siloam Springs 22, Rogers Heritage 15, Providence 11, Greenland 3, Alma 0 and New School 0.
The Lady 'Hawks earned state final berths in four events led by 2018 All-State athletes Blakelee Winn and Cassidy Mooneyhan. Winn eclipsed the qualifying time in the 300-meter hurdles with a 48.21 effort while Mooneyhan easily qualified in the pole vault with a 12'0" mark. The duo are defending state champions in their respective events.
The 'Hawks qualified both the 4x100-meter and the 4x400-meter girls' relay teams to state. The 4x100-meter quintet raced the oval in 48.21, with the 4x400-meter blazing in for a 4:20.82 mark. The 4x100-meter relay was composed of Shelby Dunlap, Jamison Toms, Mooneyhan and Winn. The 4x400-meter was run by Olivia McCracken, Dunlap, Mooneyhan and Winn. Their teams finished second in both race in Springdale.
On the boys' side of things, Connor Escajeda added the 400-meter and a relay onto his list of state-qualified events. Escajeda ran the one lapper in 50.82 to punch his ticket to that event, adding it to the 100-meter that he qualified for last week. Escajeda was on the 'Hawks' 4x400-meter relay that won the Springdale competition and exceeded the minimum mark for state qualification, running 3:33.69. He was joined by Josiah Small, Shaed Cates and Cooper Elliot.
The boys also qualified in the 4x800-meter relay, running the distance event in 8:47.63 to gain a spot at state. The team was made up of Kevin Vasquez, Sander VanderVeen, Cates and Small and finished fourth in last week's event.
A few events that placed well in Springdale but just missed the state qualifying marks were: Winn's second in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.50, five hundredths from the qualifying mark; Justin Koons' 16.26 mark and fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles, short by two-tenths; the 'Hawk boys' 4x100-meter relay which finished fourth Friday in 44.75, just shy of the 44.05 state mark; and Zach Woods, the runner-up in the Springdale pole vault with a 12'6" mark, just four inches from the state qualifying mark.
Winn led the girls' scoring with 27 points, Mooneyhan with 15 points, with Dunlap racking up 14 to pace the girls. Escajeda led the boys' scoring with 19 points.
Girls event results: 100-meter,Jamison Toms, third 13.31; 200-meter, Mooneyhan, eighth 28.41; 100-meter hurdles, Winn, second 16.50; Dunlap, fifth 16.77; 300-meter hurdles, Winn, first 48.21, Dunlap, fifth 51.01; 4x100-meter relay, second 50.82; 4x400-meter relay, second 4:20.82; long jump, Winn, fourth 16-8, Toms seventh 15-9; triple jump, Dunlap, seventh 32'4"; pole vault, Mooneyhan, first 12'0"; and discus, Meredith Mitchell, third 95'5".
Boys event results: 100-meter, Escajeda, second 11.20, Elliot, seventh 11.53; 400-meter, Escajeda, second 50.82, Shaed Cates, seventh 53.0; 110-meter hurdles, Koon, fourth 16.26; 300-meter hurdles, Koon, eighth 44.03; 4x100-meter relay, fourth 44.75; 4x400-meter relay, first 3:33.69; 4x800-meter relay, fourth 8:47.63; and pole vault, Woods, second 12'0".
The girls have state qualified entrants in the 300-meter hurdles, 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay and pole vault, with the boys having spots earned in the 100-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, 4x400-meter relay and 4x800-meter relay.
The state meet is set for Batesville in May. As there are two 4A high schools in Batesville (Batesville and Batesville Southside), I am not sure which venue is the chosen one.
A change in qualifying rules has been implemented this year. In times past, athletes could (1) pre-qualify in a sanctioned event, (2) take first or second in district competition, or (3) be among the top four non-qualifiers, coming from list of alternates. In 2019, the pre-qualifying method remains the same but the top three district finishers move on to state with the alternate qualification method scrapped.
Sports on 03/13/2019