Running aside, this is my favorite time of the year. The weather is starting to get nicer, Opening Day is right around the corner (Go Braves!), and of course, the mother of all sporting events: March Madness.
On my run the other day, my goal was to figure out a way to bring March Madness to our coverage on Arkansas Milesplit. And that is why we are here today: Welcome to Milesplit Madness - Arkansas Edition.
How it Works:
Starting this Friday, 16 of the best Arkansas High School Cross Country and Track & Field moments from the past 15 months, starting with January 2023 to March 2024 will face off in a Single Elimination style tournament to crown the Milesplit Arkansas "Moment of the Year."
Over the next two weeks on the Milesplit Arkansas X/Twitter account, you will have the final say as to what was the best moment in Arkansas Track & Field over the last 15 months.
Here are the days that each round of voting will take place and where you will be able to cast your vote:
- Round of 16: Friday, March 22nd - X/Twitter
- Elite 8: Monday, March 25th - X/Twitter
- Final 4: Thursday, March 28th - X/Twitter
- Championship: Monday, April 1st - The Milesplit Arkansas Website, Instagram, AND X/Twitter
Each Round will last 24 hours and results will be announced on the Milesplit Arkansas website, as well as the Milesplit Arkansas X/Twitter page.
As you can see, the Championship round will be contested across three platforms, which means you can vote for your favorite moment up to 3 times on all three media.
The Field:
To decide which moments will compete in this year's inaugural Milesplit Madness, the Milesplit Arkansas staff chose one moment from each month since last January. This gave us an original 15. For the final spot, which will be considered "Frick's Pick," Milesplit Arkansas contributor Gavin Frick chose hs favorite moment from his first 15 months as a contributor in the Natural State to round out the Field of 16.
Want to see what 16 moments you will be voting on? Check out the matchups below!
| January '23: Cade DeWitt sets US #7 Indoor Pole Vault Mark |
| Frick's Pick: Sisters Elle and Zoe Williamson finish #1 and #2 at 3A XC State Championships |
| February '23: Peyton Macejewski wins Triple Crown at Arkansas Indoor State Championships |
| March '24: Ava Goetz & Cooper Williams finish 2nd in Pent. at respective Indoor National Championships |
| March '23: Hudson Betts wins Texas Distance Festival Elite 1600m |
| February '24: Solara Koser wins 60mH and Long Jump at Arkansas Indoor Championships |
| April '23: Olivia Pielemeier sets Arkansas State Record in 3,200m |
| January '23: James Hunter runs AR #1 in 60m Dash at Arkansas HS Invitational |
| May '23: Anna Woolsey wins four 4A State Championships |
| December '23: Zoe Wilson wins 60m, 200m, and 400m dash at AAU Northern Indoor Championships |
| June '23: Bruce Payreli wins 400mH at Arkansas AAU District Championships |
| November '23: Rogers wins state-record 26th Cross Country State Championship |
| July '23: Donna Douglas wins USATF Region 9 Championships in Shot Put |
| October '23: Haley Loewe dominates en route to win at the Lake Hamilton XC Invitational |
| August '23: Julian Carter III qualifies for AAU Junior Olympics |
| September '23: Bentonville XC Boys win Milesplit TX XC Invitational |
There were so many great performances and moments in the Natural State over the last 15 months that we could not account for every great moment, but we did our best to include as many different individuals and schools as possible.
But that's it. This is just a fun exercise, meant to engage and excite the running community throughout the Natural State.
Be on the lookout for more information on the Milesplit X/Twitter and Instagram pages on Friday and be sure to participate in the first round of voting, which will start at Noon CST on Friday!
Best of luck to those that were mentioned and I am looking forward to the next 12 months in the Natural State!