The 5A East Conference Championships were moved ahead 24 hours in anticipation of Thursday's potential storms - in the grand scheme of things, it probably wasn't a bad idea, considering the 5A state championships are now less than 7 days away.
Class 5A has given us some of the state's best performances and storylines throughout the spring outdoor season, and last night's conference championships were no different.
Scroll below to view some of the top performances from yesterday's event!
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP HUB
Marion Scores 40
Thanks to Rico Ward and Chris Hardin, Marion got the day started HOT, scoring a quick 40 points at the top of the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events.
Ward will be hoping this momentum carries into next week's state championships, as the sophomore will be making his debut in the meet. On the other hand, Hardin will be looking to continue his team's legacy and bring home another 800m state title for his program.
Annika Wilbanks Completes Throws Doubles
Arkansas has been one of the country's best in the girls' throws this spring, and Annika Wilbanks is helping lead the charge.
The senior from Valley View picked up her 6th and 7th individual wins of the season, throwing a personal best in the discus. After coming up short of a state title last May, Wilbanks is ranked second in the shot put entering next week's state meet and has a chance to end her high school career in the perfect way.
Paragould's Girls Make a Statement
Very few programs in the state have shown as much growth this outdoor season as Paragould and Wednesday was a clear reflection of that. After dedicating much of this spring to improving their relay teams, the Rams found saw their hard work pay off with victories in both the girls 4x400m and 4x800m relays, which was comprised of the same four runners - Starlyn Edwards, Kallie Jackson, Aniya Dorsey, and Kaelyn Edwards.
The 4x400m relay win is notable, having knocked off 5A's best in West Memphis and Marion, now makes next Thursday's state meet a whole lot more intriguing as it truly could be anyone's race.
Oh, and Starlyn also ran 2:22.17 in the 800m yesterday, cruising to a 10-second victory in her final conference meet as a high schooler and now has a plethora of options as to which races to compete in next week in Vilonia.
Cameron Phillips x2
I was really interested to see how Cameron Phillips performed against the best in Arkansas on Wednesday and the junior from Nettleton was fantastic.
In the long jump, Phillips was dominant, taking the lead from the start for his 4th win of the season in the event. Thanks to some support from the wind (3.8), he proceeded to set a new personal best and AR #1 mark in the triple jump, jumping 49-1.
Tyquarious Ivy and Antwan Dawson finished 2nd and 3rd in the triple jump and should be in the mix to win a state title in the field events next week.
Brianna Huff Doubles Up
If you thought Valley View was done, you were wrong.
Brianna Huff got the job done in the hurdle events last night, picking up a pair of convincing victories in the 100m and 300m hurdles. Undefeated this spring, the junior is currently ranked 3rd in 5A in the 300mH and is firmly in the mix to win her first state championship at next week's state meet.
