FAYETTEVILLE -- In true fashion, one of Decatur's finest athletes, Desi Meek, ended her high school sports career in style with a fifth-place finish in the Arkansas Heptathlon track meet in Fayetteville May 15-16.
Five athletes, two from Decatur and three from Gentry, made the short trip to the Fayetteville High School track complex near Ramey Junior High School for the final high school track meet of 2019, the Heptathlon-Decathlon.
In addition to Meek, Decatur's Destiny Mejia and Gentry's Heidi Vinson all participated in the eight-event Heptathlon. Each of the girls competed in the 200-meter, 800-meter, 100-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, discus and shot put. Each athlete earned points, depending on where they finished in each event. The closer to the top, the higher the point value.
The Decathlon consisted of 10 events, which included 100-meter and 400-meter dash, 1500-meter run, 110-meter hurdles, high jump, triple jump, long jump, pole vault, shot put and discus.
The Heptathlon and Decathlon athletes do not earn medals in the events. The meet rates the top athletes in the state. The meet is open to three boys and three girls from each school. This year's event fielded 81 girl and 71 boy athletes from schools across the state.
In the first day, the girls competed in four events and the boys, in five. At the end of day one, Meek was in eighth place with 2,319 points. Vinson from Gentry was 49th with 1,764, and Mejia from Decatur was 58th with 1,612 points. Gentry's Zach Jarnagan finished the day with 2,772 points, followed by teammate Brandon Atwood with 2,754.
The final standings were determined on day two, with Atwood finishing strong in three events, taking 22nd position with 4,954 points. Jarnagan finished strong in two events, putting him 32nd with 4,693 points.
This was the second Heptathlon event for Mejia, who finished in 44th place in the 2018 event. This year she finished in 52nd with 2,878 points. Mejia is a junior this year which makes her eligible for the 2020 event next year.
Vinson, competing in her first Heptathlon event, finished 48th with 2,949 points.
The top ten finishers earned a trophy in the event, with Meek bringing home the fifth-place trophy.
The event pitted some of the top athletes in the state of Arkansas in several events -- some were athlete's specialty events and some were out of their norm, showing that each has was what it takes to be true track and field stars of the future.
Heptathlon Results:
5 Meek, Decatur, 3887 points.
48 Vinson, Gentry, 2949 points
52 Mejia, Decatur, 2878 points
200m: 14 Meek 27.05, 54 Mejia 2971, 61 Vinson 29.25.
800m: 4 Meek, 2:33.84, 40 Vinson 2:52.60, 64 Mejia 3:01.10.
100m Hurdles: 12 Meek 16.30, 30 Vinson 17.82, 46 Mejia 18.64.
Long Jump: 38 Meek 15-10.50, 51 Vinson 15-02.75, 63 Mejia 14-07.75.
High Jump: 8 Meek 4-09, 8 Mejia 4-09, 58 Vinson 4-01.25.
Shot Put: 36 Vinson 25-08.75, 55 Meek 24-00.75, 59 Mejia 23-05.50.
Discus: 9 Meek 90-05, 41 Vinson 67-10, 63 Mejia 57-08.
Decathlon Results:
22 Atwood 4954
32 Jarnagan 4693
100m Dash: 24 Jarnagan 11.61, 40 Atwood 11.85.
400m Dash: 37 Atwood 56.57, Jarnagan 59.05.
1500m Run: 50 Atwood 5:49.11, 56 Jarnagan 5:534.39.
110m Hurdles: 6 Atwood 15.86, 38 Jarnagan 19.10.
Long Jump: 14 Jarnagan 20-03, 44 Atwood 18-05.25.
Triple Jump: 5 Jarnagan 42-00.75, 43 Atwood 36-08.25.
High Jump: 14 Jarnagan 5-07, 33 Atwood 5-03.
Pole Vault: 30 Jarnagan 9-02.25, 44 Atwood 8-02.50.
Shot Put: 7 Atwood 38-00.25, 54 Jarnagan 29-08.
Discus: 3 Atwood 109-05, 40 Jarnagan 78-02.
Sports on 05/22/2019