The Greenwood Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs outdoor track and field teams are competing hard as the weather continues to warm this spring. Head Coach Jason Gill and assistant coach Jim Andrews have been working dozens of GHS thinclad athletes for the past couple months, participating in several meets throughout the area, starting with the Van Buren Running Festival in early March and culminating with the conference meet this Thursday, also in Van Buren. The top four qualifiers in each event will move on to the state meet at Lake Hamilton High School on May 4th. The annual Meet of Champs will be held at Russellville High School on May 10th.

Van Buren Running Festival

The Lady Bulldogs finished third in the team standings with 35 points behind first place Bryant (AR) with 94 points and second place Poteau (OK) with 64 points. The GHS boys placed ninth overall with 11.5 points in a field of 13 teams led by Bryant (95 points) and Russellville (93 points). The Greenwood girls did all their scoring in the long-distance running events, led by the same group of girls who won the state’s 5A cross country championship last fall.

Senior Kaitlynne Elmore set the tone for her teammates by finishing second (2:37.87) and earning eight points in the 800-meter run, 13 seconds out of first place and one second ahead of the third-place finisher. Elmore has already inked a scholarship offer with Arkansas Tech University. Sophomore Carole Werner placed third (5:37.37) in the 1600-meter run while junior Paige Andrews (5:48.24) and Kaitlynne Elmore (5:53.40) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, giving Greenwood three of the top six runners and 13 additional points.

Finally, in the grueling 3200-meter run, Carole Werner and Paige Andrews finished second and third respectively to earn another 14 points, giving the GHS girls a total of 35 for third place overall among 16 teams, three points ahead of the host school, Van Buren. The Greenwood boys scored points in three events.

Junior three-sport athlete L. J. Robbins ran seventh (11.92) in the 100-meter dash, earning 1½ points. Robbins is also a star receiver for the football Bulldogs and started for the basketball team. Senior distance runner Noah Embrey, one of the best in the state, placed third in the 1600-meter run with a time of (4:31.59), earning six points for the Bulldogs. Embrey will continue his running career at Ouachita Baptist University. Finally, the GHS 4x100-meter squad placed sixth (46.53) to earn three additional team points. Squad members were not identified in the meet results.

Springdale Schools Invitational

Three days after competing in Van Buren, Greenwood was represented at the Springdale meet by senior pole vaulter Taylor Hankins, who scored eight points, good enough to finish ninth among ten teams, seven of them from Class 6A schools. The meet was totally dominated by the Lady Tigers of Bentonville High School with 277 points. No other team even had 100 points. Hankins placed second, clearing the bar at 11 feet even for the Lady Bulldogs. She is heading to Harding University in Searcy next fall to continue her athletic career.

Quad City Invitational, Greenwood

On March 7th Greenwood High School and Smith-Robinson Stadium hosted the annual quad cities meet featuring thinclads from Van Buren, Fort Smith, and Greenwood, with mixed results for the home teams. The Bulldogs won their half of the meet with 161 points, while the Lady Bulldogs finished fourth with 55 points, though they had two first place performances. The GHS boys placed first in four events and scored points in virtually all the others. They finished 34 points ahead of second place Fort Smith Northside (127).

For the GHS ladies, Kaitlynne Elmore ran second (2:36.45) for eight points in the 800-meter run and junior Maddie Cash scored four points with a fifth-place finish (2:57.07) in the same event. Carole Werner earned six points in the 1600-meter run with a third-place finish (5:29.77) and Paige Andrews also scored four points with a fifth-place time of 5:45.30 in the 1600-meter event. Kaitlynne Elmore crossed the finish line behind Andrews with a time of 5:50.23.

Greenwood then dominated the girls 3200-meter event with three of the top five performances, including first place Carole Werner with a time of 12:14.14 for 10 points. Paige Andrews (12:33.59) and Ashley Koeth (14:29.00) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Taylor Hankins rounded out the scoring for the Lady Bulldogs by winning the pole vault competition with a leap of 11½ feet. The second-place competitor cleared the bar at just nine feet.

For the Bulldogs, L.J. Robbins ran fourth (11.52) in the 100-meter dash while sophomore teammate Isaiah Arrington was fifth (11.67) and junior Noah Chaser was eighth (11:85). Chaser also finished third (23.73) in the 200-meter dash, scoring six points. Greenwood junior Zach Sieck placed fourth (54.53) in the 400-meter event for five points. “We’ve got a lot more football kids out there running sprints for us, so that’s helped,” said Coach Gill. “And Coach Andrews does a good job with those boys in cross county and the distance events.”

Moving into the longer distances, the GHS boys were able to score significant points in all three races, starting with the 800-meter event, won by senior Joshua Johnson with a first-place time of 2:17.53. Sophomore Carson Thornberry also scored a point for Greenwood with a time of 2:44.27. Noah Embrey won the boys 1600-meter run with a first-place time of 4:36.40. Senior David Ambriz also scored a point with a time of 5:24.97. Embrey also won the 3200-meter event with a top performance of 9:57.06 for 10 additional team points. Greenwood senior Hudson Trice was sixth with a time of 12:07.52.

The Bulldogs completely dominated the 110-meter hurdles, taking the top three places, led by Silas Spicer in first place with a winning time of 19.37 seconds. Sophomore Cash Owenby had the next best time at 19.75 with junior Landon Nelms in third place at 19.81 seconds. In the 300-meter hurdles it was junior Josh Ligon leading the pack in first place at 49.18 seconds, followed by sophomore Silas Spicer (50.17) in third place and sophomore Paul Brixey in fourth (50.55).

Greenwood’s 4x400-meter relay team placed second for eight points with a time of 3:59.85 while the 4x800 relay squad earned five points with a fourth-place performance and a time of 10:13.59. In the high jump, L. J. Robbins cleared the bar at five feet six inches for second place points, the same as junior teammate Josh Allen in the pole vault (12 feet). In the long jump, Greenwood’s Isiah Arrington placed fourth (19’3”) and senior Josiah Spicer placed fifth (18’3½”). Josh Ligon also placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 32 feet eight inches.

In other field events, Greenwood sophomore Cash Archer placed fourth in the shot put with a heave of 34’10” while senior teammate Hayden Webb finished fifth with a toss of 34’4”. In the discus throw GHS junior Ryan Franks was fifth with a distance of 94 feet three inches. The Quad City meet was the best performance of the season by the Bulldogs.

Mansfield Tiger Relays

On March 28th the Greenwood thinclads traveled south to Mansfield and both squads finished third in a field of 14 (girls) and 16 (boys) teams. The GHS ladies scored 87 points, finishing behind first place Mansfield (128 points) and second place Waldron (105). The Bulldogs scored 104 points behind first place Waldron (171½) and second place Nashville (133½). “We had a few kids missing,” said Coach Gill, “but our [boys] 4x400 team won the mile relay and we finished third [overall].”

Once again it was the distance events where Greenwood scored a lot of points, especially the Lady Bulldogs, who scored just 14 points in the field events. Sophomore Pate Jones finished fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 29’6” and Taylor Hankins won the pole vault competition at a height of 11 feet even, a full 18 inches better than the second-place finisher. Jones also placed third (29.37) in the 200-meter dash for six points.

The GHS girls also won the 4x800 meter relay event with a time of 11:35. Members of the team included Paige Andrews, Maddie Cash, Kaitlynne Elmore, and Ashley Koeth. Greenwood tenth-grader Baylee Parnell placed seventh (20.43) in the 100-meter hurdles to earn two points, then placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 56.27 seconds for five additional points. Sophomore Elizabeth Moy also finished fourth for five points in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:12.03.

The Lady Bulldogs then cleaned up in the individual long-distance events. In the 800-meter run, Kaitlynne Elmore crossed the finish line about one second ahead of her closest rival with a winning time of 2:38.74, earning 10 points. Maddie Cash also placed sixth (3:06.65) in the same event for three points. Carole Werner won the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:45.24 and Elmore ran fourth (5:52.49), earning a combined 15 points. Paige Andrews dominated the 3200-meter run, winning by 30 seconds with a first-place time of 12:32.97 for 10 points. Ashley Koeth ran fourth (14:22.68) in the same event, earning five points.

For the GHS boys, four first-place performances accounted for 40 of their 104 points. In the high jump, Greenwood junior Kent Decoster placed eighth (5’8”) for one point. Likewise, Isiah Arrington also finished eighth in the long jump (18’9½”) for one point. Ryan Franks earned four points with a fifth-place finish in the discus competition with a throw of 94’9”. Hayden Webb finished seventh (92’2”) in the discus for two points.

The GHS 4x800 meter relay team earned fourth place points with a time of 9:54.09, and two Bulldogs placed in the 110-meter hurdles. Silas Spicer finished fifth (19.47 seconds) and Cash Owenby ran sixth (19.80) for a combined seven points. In the 300-meter hurdles Silas Spicer finished seventh (51.36).

Speedster Isiah Arrington ran third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.60 seconds, while teammate L. J. Robbins ran sixth with a time of 11.80 seconds. The 4x100 meter team took first place with a time of 46.45 seconds. Greenwood’s 4x200 meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 1:43.92. The 4x400 meter team finished first with a time of 3:45.87. In the 200-meter dash Noah Chaser finished third (24.40 seconds) for six points. Zach Sieck and sophomore Rhett Williams placed second and third in the 400-meter dash with times of 54.17 and 55.28, respectively.

In the longer distances, Greenwood’s Joshua Johnson ran third (2:18.29) in the 800-meter event for six points. Noah Embrey owned the 1600-meter run, winning by more than 30 seconds with a time of 4:29.70. Greenwood seniors Hudson Trice (11:35.76) and Lucas Wittig (13:48.18) placed first and seventh, respectively, in the 3200-meter run to round out the scoring for the Bulldogs.

Russellville Cyclone Relays

On April 6th both GHS teams traveled to Russellville for the annual Cyclone Relays. The Lady Bulldogs finished in a sixth-place tie with Mountain Home with 51 points while the Bulldogs earned ninth place with 26 points. Sixteen girls teams participated and 13 boys teams. Russellville won the boys meet with 130½ points, just ahead of Fayetteville’s 123½ points. The girls competition was won by Fayetteville (145 points), followed by Conway (122) and Russellville (86½).

The GHS ladies scored eight points in the 800-meter run with Kaitlynne Elmore finishing second with a time of 2:29.31. Three Lady Bulldogs placed in the 1600-meter run, led by Carole Werner (5:29.77) in second place, Paige Andrews (5:36.62) in third place, and Kaitlynne Elmore (5:50.23) in sixth place, totaling 17 points.

Carole Werner came back in the 3200-meter run to win the event with a time of 12:15.42. Teammate Paige Andrews placed third with a time of 12:13.50. Greenwood’s Ashley Koeth also placed seventh in the event with a time of 12:38.86. That trio earned 18 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Taylor Hankins finished second in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 11’6”.

For the Bulldogs, Noah Embrey earned second place honors in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:22.48, earning eight points. After catching his breath, Embrey returned to action in the 3200-meter event, winning first place with a time of 9:15.47, about 13 seconds ahead of the second-place runner.

The Greenwood 4x100 meter relay team finished fifth with a time of 46.85 seconds for four points. Squad members included Isiah Arrington, Noah Chaser, Caden Nelms, and L. J. Robins. The 4x200 meter team also scored three points with a sixth-place finish and a time of 1:40.75. Team members were Paul Brixey, Noah Chaser, Josiah Spicer, and Caden Nelms. Finally, the 4x800 relay team scored a single point with an eighth-place performance of 10:13.39.

Van Buren Pointer Relays

On April 14th Head Coach Jason Gill took his thinclads across the Arkansas River into Crawford County for the Pointer Relays in Van Buren. The Lady Bulldogs placed fifth overall with 10 top five finishes and scored 66 points. The GHS boys had two top five placers and eight top ten performances for 32 points, finishing tenth overall in a field of 14 teams. Russellville won both the girls and boys competitions.

For the GHS ladies, Pate Jones finished fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 28:05 seconds and placed fourth (1:07.01) in the 400-meter dash. Elizabeth Moy ran fifth in the longer event with a time of 1:11.77. Kaitlynne Elmore was second (2:28.82) in the 800-meter run and Paige Andrews placed fifth (2:35.76). Pate Jones also placed fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 32’5½”.

In the long-distance running events the Lady Bulldogs had four top four performances, starting with Carole Werner finishing second (5:35.66) in the 1600-meter run, followed by Paige Andrews in third place (5:40.83) and Kaitlynne Elmore in fourth place (5:42.61). Werner also ran first in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:32.65. Taylor Hankins won first place points in the pole vault at a height of 11 feet six inches.

For the Bulldogs, Isiah Arrington finished eighth (11.39 seconds) in the 100-meter dash for one point. Noah Embrey placed first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.13 and second in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:35.15. Silas Spicer ran seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.93 seconds for two points. Spicer also placed eighth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.77 seconds for one point.

Greenwood also scored in three of the four relay events. A GHS quartet finished sixth (45.53 seconds) in the 4x100 meter relay, sixth (1:39.14) in the 4x200 meter event, and seventh (3:46.29) in the 4x400 meter relay. Finally, Kent Decoster placed seventh in the high jump with a leap of five feet eight inches, scoring two points.

Fort Smith McDonald’s Relays

Last Friday the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs trekked their way to Southside High School in Fort Smith for the prestigious McDonald’s Relays. The GHS boys finished fifth overall out of 13 teams with 40 points behind runaway first place Bentonville with 223½ points. No other team cracked 100 points. For the girls, things were even more lopsided with the Lady Tigers scoring a massive 319 points to win the meet. The Lady Bulldogs finished sixth with 35 points in a field of 16 teams.

Kaitlynne Elmore scored fifth place points in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:35.88 and teammate Julia Witherington added another point with an eighth-place time of 2:41.53. The same two girls also ran in the 1600-meter event, with Witherington placing fourth (5:39.25) and Elmore running sixth (5:46.95).

While Bentonville dominated the top three slots in the 3200-meter run, Greenwood captured fourth place with Paige Andrews and Piper Ames in seventh place. Andrews’ time was 12:11.32 with Ames coming in at 12:35.07. The 4x800 meter relay team placed third with a time of 10:53.43 for six points. Taylor Hankins also placed second in the pole vault with a leap of 12 feet even for eight team points.

For the Bulldogs, L. J. Robbins placed sixth (11.53 seconds) in the 100-meter run for three points. Noah Chaser ran seventh (23.73) in the 200-meter run for two points. Noah Embrey won the 3200-meter event by a wide margin of about 35 seconds with a winning time of 9:22.92. Silas Spicer placed seventh (18.56 seconds) in the 110-meter hurdles. Freshman Easton Carter ran fifth (46.10) in the 300-meter hurdles.

Greenwood’s 4x100 meter relay team placed third with a time of 45.95 seconds. The Bulldogs also placed sixth (3:43.70) in the 4x400 meter relay. The 4x800 meter squad placed seventh with a time of 9:44.29. Kent Decoster was fourth for Greenwood in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5’10”. Easton Carter was sixth in the same event at 5’8”. In the pole vault, Josh Allen cleared the bar at 12 feet even for sixth place and 2½ points.