The target was higher. Mansfield wanted to punctuate an already impressive season by winning the class 2A state track and field championships in Quitman on Tuesday, May 2. The results were a little short but their second place runner-up trophy was still satisfying.
“Any trophy at state is a good day,” typed Mansfield head coach John Mackey in a text to former track star Megan Rose. Rose was one of the first to send a congratulatory message to her high school mentor about the Lady Tiger’s most recent accomplishment.
“Our kids peaked at the right time,” read another message sent from the veteran head coach to MHS track booster Dave Otto. “We just didn’t have enough spots to take down the champs,” continued the text.
Mansfield qualified to the state track meet in 14 of 18 events through their district and pre-qualifying performances. They scored in eleven of those events.
By contrast, Yellville-Summitt, the two-time defending class 2A state champions, appeared in all 18 events. They scored in 16 of those.
“Yellville was the defending state champs for a reason,” offered Mackey as he reflected on the state’s final results. “They had a veteran bunch with much experience. We were tilted towards the freshmen and sophomore side with two senior stalwarts.”
“I’m happy for our kids,” continued the coach. “Outdoor state is so much harder than indoor. You have to get their first before you can think about scoring points. At indoor state, you get to take your whole team. The points are more predictable.”
Mansfield girls accumulated 82.5 points for the second place state prize. Yellville-Summitt amassed 148 points for the championship trophy.
Mansfield got it started early as senior Seven Sanderson and sophomore Laney Wood were the first to compete.
Sanderson, the defending state champion in the discus, didn’t disappoint as she kept her crown with a huge exclamationpoint. A monster throw of 115’ 9” slammed the door on any hint that someone would reach her peak performance.
“That was the second best throw in school history,” noted Mackey. “Seven was incredible. All the practices and all the meet experiences came together in one glorious moment. She has been a pillar of strength in the throws all season long. What a way for a senior to go out, breaking her personal record by over twelve feet and winning another individual state title.”
Sanderson gave Mansfield a quick ten points and their first individual state champion for the day. Wood was close to becoming the second such champion.
In the women’s pole vault, Wood was having her best day. Clean jumps through the competition kept her in the lead. Finally, on the highest cleared height for the top two contenders, Wood picked up her only scratch.
The crack was open for Yellville’s Fay Chism who had the luxury of the last jump. Having accumulated misses throughout the competition, Chism cleared the 8’ 8” height on an attempt sooner than Mansfield’s leading candidate.
“It was crushing,” said Mansfield’s head coach as he witnessed the proceedings first hand. “Laney was one miss from the state title. It’s heartbreaking seeing her on top, and then having it whisked away like that. She’s our champion. I can tell you that.”
Freshman Daisy Nelson came on strong scoring in five of six events of which she qualified. Starting with the pole vault, Nelson also picked up points in the 100m hurdles, 100m dash, 4x100m relay, and 200m dash.
“Daisy and Seven were the MVP’s on this day,” revealed Mackey. “Daisy has the confidence and command of a veteran. She gets a lot of support from home. You can tell through her performances that that support system keeps her grounded and focused.”
Nelson was third in the pole vault at a personal record 8’ 4”. Because of the extended time battling it out with Wood and Chism, her next event was rushed.
Nelson was the only competitor left in the long jump prelims once her time at the pole vault was over. Consequently, she had to jump in consecutive order. According to her coach, the rushed attempts plus the fatigue from the vaults diminished her long jump returns.
“She has been pretty consistent at reaching the fifteen foot mark ever since the Mena meet,” shared Mackey. “She made the finals at 14-6, but it was asking a lot to get her to move up after the long morning.”
The freshmen franchise did get some rest following the morning field event session. The chance to catch her breath, snack, and hydrate seemed to do the trick as the lean of her long day was about to take-off.
Mansfield’s young sprinter showed out in her next four races as the buzz about the Lady Tiger’s fast freshman started circulating. In rapid succession, Nelson knocked out All-State performances in three quick races and scored in the fourth.
Nelson went 16.95 to take second in the 100m hurdles. She went 13.04 in the 100m dash for another second. Then the best race of the day put the freshman squarely into the meet’s heavy storyline.
In the women’s 4x100m relay, Mansfield was the slight favorite. The combination of Kayla Bieker, Carter Whiley, Jadelynn Wood, and Nelson had only run together one time prior to the state finals. However, their collective time was the best mark advanced to the state meet finals.
Freshman Bieker got the baton moving, flying into the first exchange about middle of the pack. Sophomore Whiley got the wheels burning with a push past a core of contenders jockeying for the lead.
Senior Wood got out in a hurry, torching the last curve in formidable fashion to bring the favorites into second place on the exchange.
From there, it was Nelson’s night. The freshman anchor poured it on, passing the Rison Wildcats in the final 15 meters for the dramatic win.
“I was trying to video the race,” claimed the coach. “But all you could recognize on the playback was the ground and my voice screaming ‘chase her down Daisy’!”
Officially, Mansfield broke the tape in 52.19 seconds. The win gave the relay squad an automatic ticket to the Meet of Champions on Wednesday, May 10.
Rison’s run to the top of the podium was dashed by 0.10 seconds. Their collective mark of 52.29 dropped them to second place and the silver “see ya” medal.
Mansfield’s 4x100m win placed the 2023 lineup among Lady Tiger relay royalty. Their 52.19 fully automatic time moved them into third place all time among MHS sprint relay legends.
The 2010 squad that includes Sarah Mathis, Jessica Otto, Beatrice Horvath, and Clara Ellingburg hold the top spot at 50.94 seconds. A nearly identical lineup in 2009 that featured Mathis, Otto, Ellingburg, along with Jessica Welden ran the sprint co-op in 52.06.
Nelson went on to cement her most valuable player honors for the 2023 outdoor meet with a fifth place finish in the 200m dash. Her time of 28.22 was just ahead of relay teammate Whiley. Whiley ran 28.59 for seventh place.
Sanderson was productive in the second wave of field events as well. The senior pushed the 4 kg shot put to a near personal record of 33’ 0”. The measurement was good enough for second place and another All-State performance on the day.
Now in consecutive seasons, Sanderson won the indoor state shot put, the outdoor state discus, and placed second in the outdoor shot.
“I call her the dream girl,” expressed Sanderson’s track coach. “She is our best thrower and best throws coach. She helped her friend Brooke Wright win the 2021 state discus title. Then she went back to back years for the win. That is three straight titles and three straight Meet of Champs qualifiers.”
Freshman Kaylee Ward added points with her sixth place shot put. Her mark was 31’ 4”. The multi-talented phenom also made the high jump finals with limited practice off the softball field.
Azlynn Stover, Laney Wood, Trinity Triska, and Jadelynn Wood secured Mansfield’s state runner-up trophy with a fifth place finish in the final race of the night. Together they went a season best 4:44.67.
Stover, Triska, Laney Wood, and Raine Hecox pointed in the first relay of the night. Their 4x800m collective was run in 12:26.15.
Hecox, Addison Stover, Laney Wood, and Whiley made the 4x200m finals. They also set a new season best at 1:58.76.
Jadelynn Wood appeared in five events at the state meet. The senior’s best individual finish was in the 300m hurdles. Her mark of 52.50 secured fifth place points. She also added value in the 100m hurdle with a seventh place time of 18.61.
The elder of the Wood sisters also made the triple jump event at state. She was joined by freshman district champion Madison Hearron in that horizontal event.
The Arkansas Activities Association will soon recognize Seven Sanderson, Laney Wood, Daisy Nelson, Kayla Bieker, Carter Whiley, and Jadelynn Wood as Class 2A All-State track and field athletes for their top two placements at the state meet.
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