In one of the greatest track efforts in history, the Pea Ridge Blackhawks took the long trek to Nashville and came home with both the boys' and girls' 4A Track and Field State Championship trophies. Eleven athletes came home with gold medals.
Both teams had to come from behind after being outpointed in the field events, and they came back like freight trains. The girls trailed Harrison 40-30 in the field events but outscored the Goblins 64-12 in the running events to win handily. Harrison was eventually passed up for second by Valley View.
The boys started out in a bigger hole, falling behind defending state champion Magnolia 45-17 after the field events. When the Hawks state fastest 4x100-meter relay was then disqualified after winning their heat in the prelims, the path to first place looked to be a steeper climb. However, the Hawks bowed their backs and outpointed Magnolia 77-23 in running events to dethrone the former champs. Nashville eventually passed up Magnolia to take the runner-up spot in the boys' competition.
Blakelee Winn was the big winner for the Lady Hawks taking four individual gold medals as well as a relay gold. She topped the field in the 100-meter (12.62), 100-meter hurdles (15.10), 300-meter hurdles (45.36),and the long jump (18'6"). She also anchored the winning 4x200-meter relay team (1:50.19) joining fellow gold medalists Kyleigh Pruitt, Lauren Wright and Kamree Dye. Winn's time in the 300-meter hurdles set a new state record, breaking a 30-year old mark.
This was the final team meet for the heavily decorated Winn who earned the likely unmatched honor of never competing in a state championship meet her team didn't win. Since her debut in the 2018 Arkansas 4A State Indoor Championships where she led her team to a surprise victory, the Pittsburg State bound athlete led her team to six state championships. Only the covid-19 response kept the total from reaching eight.
Patrick Elliott had a sensational meet as well, earning three gold medals individually while taking a gold In the 4x400-meter relay. Running against the favored Jaquan Hendrix of host Nashville, Elliott out dueled his competition to win both the 100-meter (11.18) and the 200-meter (21.76). Elliott's 50.72 effort in the 400-meter won that race by a wide margin, and his time of 21.76 in the 200-meter was just a tenth of a second off the state record.
The Hawks had seven other gold medalists in the relay events. Joining Elliott in the 4x400-meter championship (3:36.5) were fellow relay runners Evan Anderson, Bric Cates and double gold medalist Josiah Small. Small was the only other Hawk to earn a individual gold medal as he took the 800-meter competition in 2:03.4.
The other gold medalists were won in the 4x800-meter relay with Levi Schultz, Layton Powell, Grandon Grant and Small. The Hawks were seeded behind the No. 1 host Nashville quartet, but the Hawks had their best race ever to beat the Scrappers by 8 seconds, 8:36-8:44.
Lauren Wright was the lone silver medalist for the Hawks, taking second in the pole vault. Wright was coming back from an injury that kept her out of the district vaulting competition. She met the state qualifying mark early in the season.
Kamree Dye and Dallice White were third place finishers. Dye set a personal best in the 200-meter with a fast 26.33 clocking, with White earning her bronze medal in the discus throw (94'4"). The LadyHawks' 4x800-meter relay also grabbed third place honors with Harmony Reynolds, Rylee Raines, Emma Stewart and Liz Vasquez teaming up to clock 10:43.65.
The boys had two third place winners individually with Grandon Grant running an outstanding time of 10:28.78 in the 3,200-meter with Drake Wolfenden soaring to 12'4" in the pole vault.
Taking fourth individually was Liz Vazquez, who earned it in the 3,200-meter (12:38.36), with McKenzie Klingman earning hers in the discus throw (94'4"). The boys 4x200-meter relay was also fourth (1:35.4) with a team of Cade Mann, Sebasttian Mullikin, Iain Mullikin and Small running the two-lap relay.
Fifth places were earned by Tate Christensen in the discus (129'6") and Phoenix Edmission in the pole vault (11'6").
The girls 4x400-meter relay (4:35.5) which was composed of Evelyn Hernandez, Olivia McCracken, Stewart and Pruitt took a sith with Christensen winning a sixth in the boys shot put with a 46'8" throw.
Seventh places were earned by Vasquez in the 1,600-meter (5:47.95), Harmony Reynolds in the 800-meter (2:41.4) and Cade Mann in the 200-meter (23.06). Reynolds was eighth in the 1,600-meter (5:50.2) and Winn was eighth in the high jump (4'10") to round out the Blackhawk scoring.
Heather Wade's Blackhawk running program cut a wide swath this school year, taking a state first place in both boys cross country and track with the girls taking a state track title in addition to a runner-up trophy in state cross country. Since Wade's ascension to the head track position several years ago, the Blackhawks have seen a steady rise in their strength as a track power where for the time being, they are the premier track and field program among 4A schools in the state.
Team results for the state meet for the girls include: Pea Ridge 94, Valley View 71, Harrison 52, Brookland 48, Magnolia 44, Gravette 42, DeQueen 40, Clarksville 37, Crossett 36, Nashville 31, Ozark 31, Pottsville 25, Little Rock Mills 20, Heber Springs 18, Forrest City 16, Stuttgart 16, Farmington 15, Wynne 10, Gentry 9, Little Rock Robinson 8, Shiloh 8, Fountain Lake 7, Morrilton 7, Dardanelle 6, Hope 5, Camden Fairview 3 and Pocahontas 1.
Team results for the state meet for the boys include: Pea Ridge 94, Nashville 78, Magnolia 68, Shiloh 42, Clarksvillle 36, Ozark 30, Camden Fairview 28, Prairie Grove 27, DeQueen 27, Forrest City 27, Crossett 27, Dardanelle 25, Pocahontas 24, Valley View 19, Stuttgart 15, Little Rock Robinson 15, Gravette 15, Blytheville 14, Watson Chapel 12, Star City 9, Bauxite, 9, Gentry 9, Highland 9, Jonesboro Westside 7, Heber Springs 6, Monticello 7, Batesville Southside 5, Pottsville 3, Wynne 3, Hamburg 2, Mena 2, Farmington 1, Trumann 1, Little Rock Mills 1 and Subiaco 1.