LITTLE ROCK-Five area track and field athletes scored in the top five Saturday at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics Arkansas State Championships, earning themselves a berth in the regional meet and a shot at reaching the nationals.
In the bracket for 13- to 14-year-old girls, Kadie Bowman took second in the triple jump, with a leap of 26-2 and fifth in the 800-meter run, finishing in 3:16.
In 15- to 16-year-old competition, Rhett Nelson won the Pole Vault, clearing 13 feet, 0 inches. Maddie Bowman won the triple jump, with a leap of 32-2 and third in the 800-meter run, finishing in 2:35.
In the 17-18 bracket, Elizabeth Gillette won both the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs, with times of 5:17 and 10:55, respectively. Sydney Cowgill finished second in the 800 in 2:33.
Gillette and Cowgill recently graduated from Trinity Christian Academy in Texarkana. Gillette is headed to Arkansas State and Cowgill to Northwestern State in Louisiana.
Maddie Bowman is a junior at Trinity, Nelson a freshman and Kadie Bowman an eighth grader. Their coach is Trinity athletic director Jeff Haynes.
The Regional Meet will be in Joplin, Mo., July 7-10.