Greenwood High School track and field athletes have been busy throughout April, competing in three varsity meets across western Arkansas and continuing to build momentum late in the spring season. They hope that momentum and energy will carry them forward this week with Greenwood hosting the conference track and field meet at Smith-Robinson Stadium on Wednesday.

The two GHS squads are led by Head Coach Jason Gill, who was recently promoted to head football coach for next season. Over the past several years Gill has served as the team’s defensive coordinator. Spring football practice begins next Monday with several changes to the football coaching staff.

The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs thinclads represented Greenwood at the Leonard Daniel Memorial Airedale Relays in Alma on April 2nd, the Van Buren Pointer Relays on April 16th, and the McDonald’s Relays at Southside High School in Fort Smith on April 23rd.

Airedale Relays

The month opened with a strong showing at the Airedale Relays in Alma, where Greenwood competed against teams from Alma, Farmington, Greenland, Harrison, Magazine, Mountainburg, Scranton, Shiloh Christian, and Van Buren. The Bulldogs finished third in the boys’ team standings with 110 points, while the Lady Bulldogs placed seventh with 54 points.

For the Lady Bulldogs, Piper Ames and Julia Witherington led the way in the 800-meter run, with Ames placing second in 2:35.08 and Witherington close behind in third at 2:39.84. Camryn Coston turned in a strong distance double, finishing second in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:50.13 and third in the 3200-meter run at 13:27.15. Greenwood also showed depth in the 3200, with Witherington placing fourth in 13:40.26 and Ames finishing fifth in 14:01.21.

In the sprints, Laura Bankuti placed 10th in the 100-meter dash at 14.39 seconds and ninth in the 200-meter dash at 30.04. Sadie Gattis also competed in both sprint events, finishing 13th in the 100 at 15.06 seconds and 11th in the 200 at 33.05. In the throws, Sarah Permenter had a strong meet, placing fourth in the discus with a toss of 79’-9” and second in the shot put at 28’-4”. Maylee Bethel added a fifth-place discus finish with a throw of 71’-2”.

The Bulldogs had several standout performances in Alma, including event wins in the 4x200-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay, high jump, and triple jump. Easton Carter won the high jump with a clearance of 6’-4”, while Gavin Vonderheide added a fourth-place finish at 5’-10”. Noah Myers captured first place in the triple jump with a mark of 39’-4”, while Parker Greenway also competed in the event with a jump of 31 feet even.

Greenwood’s relay teams were also a major strength at Alma. The Bulldogs won the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:32.40 and the 4x400-meter relay in 3:49.52, while also placing second in the 4x100-meter relay at 44.69.

In the boys sprints, Tremon Hunt placed third in the 100-meter dash at 11.34 seconds and added a third-place finish in the long jump at 20’-1”. Drew Dickinson finished eighth in the 100 at 11.89 and eighth in the shot put with a throw of 36’-8”. Braxton Canada placed 12th in the 100 at 12.12 and had a big day in the long jump, finishing second with a mark of 20’-6”. Burroughs Wolfgang placed ninth in the 200-meter dash at 24.28, while Max Fowler finished 11th in the 200 at 25.20 and seventh in the 400 at 58.11 seconds.

Colton Lacy led Greenwood in the 400-meter dash with a fourth-place finish in 55.76 seconds, and Parker Greenway placed 11th in 1:00.07. In the distance races, Andrew Rye placed third in the 800-meter run at 2:15.41 and second in the 1600 at 4:44.33. Mickey Joe Thurman finished seventh in the 800 at 2:23.98 and eighth in the 1600 at 5:41.44, while Weston King placed 11th in the 800 at 2:43.12. Yadiel Garcia added a third-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 47.32 seconds.

In the field events, Rhett Holloway placed fifth in the pole vault at 10’-0”. Noah Myers also finished eighth in the long jump at 18’-2”. In the shot put, Jacob Pugh placed ninth with a throw of 34’-7”, and Braxton Moore finished 10th at 34’-2”.

Pointer Relays

Two weeks later, Greenwood traveled to Van Buren for the Van Buren Pointer Relays, a large 20-team meet. The Bulldogs placed 13th with 16 points, and the Lady Bulldogs finished 16th with five points.

For the Lady Bulldogs, Piper Ames once again delivered a strong 800-meter performance, placing fifth in 2:32.23. Julia Witherington finished ninth in the same event at 2:39.87, continuing her consistent work in the middle-distance events. Camryn Coston placed 11th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:51.43.

In the girls 100-meter dash, Laura Bankuti placed 31st in 14.24 seconds, while Daisy Farris finished 32nd in 14.26. Mazzy Van Lare competed in multiple events, placing 14th in the 100-meter hurdles at 18.87, 17th in the 300-meter hurdles at 55.39, and 25th in the long jump at 13-8.5. Greenwood’s girls 4x100-meter relay team placed 10th in 56.64. In the throws, Sarah Permenter finished 22nd in the discus at 82’-10” and eighth in the shot put at 30’-4.75”, while Maylee Bethel placed 30th in the discus at 70’-1”.

For the Bulldogs, the relay teams continued to perform well against strong competition. Greenwood placed fourth in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 44.37 seconds and third in the 4x200-meter relay at 1:33.00.

In the boys 100-meter dash, Blaze McDaniel placed 13th in 11.39 seconds, while Max Fowler finished 43rd in 12.35. Fowler also competed in the 400-meter dash, placing 38th in 59.73. Colton Lacy led Greenwood in the 400 with a time of 55.27, finishing 25th.

In the distance events, Andrew Rye placed 13th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:42.92 and also competed in the 800, finishing 40th in 2:26.02. Mickey Joe Thurman ran both the 800 and 1600, placing 37th in the 800 at 2:20.97 and 39th in the 1600 at 5:46.79. Weston King finished 47th in the 800 at 2:46.39.

Greenwood had three athletes compete in the 300-meter hurdles. Parker Greenway placed 17th in 48.72 seconds, Yadiel Garcia finished 19th in 49.35, and Burroughs Wolfgang placed 27th with a time of 53.74 seconds.

In the field events, Braxton Canada led Greenwood in the long jump with a fourth-place finish and a mark of 21’-9.5”. Tremon Hunt placed 11th at 19’-8”, and Noah Myers finished 20th at 18’-6”. Myers also placed 14th in the triple jump with a mark of 37’-6.5”, while Greenway placed 20th at 31’-11.5”.

In the high jump, Greenwood had three athletes clear 5’-10”, with Easton Carter placing 11th, Gavin Vonderheide 12th, and Bronson James 13th. In the shot put, Jacob Pugh placed 39th at 32’-9.25”, Braxton Moore finished 41st at 32’-9”, and Ethan Shumate placed 46th at 30’-1.25”.

McDonald’s Relays

Greenwood’s third meet of the month at the McDonald’s Relays on April 23 at Southside High School in Fort Smith, competing in a deep 42-team field. The Lady Bulldogs scored eight points and finished 18th, while the Bulldogs did not place in the team standings but still had several strong individual performances.

For the Lady Bulldogs, Samantha Linn turned in one of Greenwood’s top distance performances of the meet, placing 13th in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:57.86. Camryn Coston placed 19th in the 1600-meter run at 5:46.23, followed by Julia Witherington in 29th at 5:58.33 and Mabrie Cash in 37th at 6:08.58. Blair Thompson competed in the 800-meter run and finished 50th in 2:51.28.

In the sprints, Laura Bankuti represented Greenwood in the 100-meter dash, placing 43rd in 14.32 seconds. In the hurdles, Mazzy Van Lare placed 22nd in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.52 and 34th in the 300-meter hurdles at 58.64. Van Lare also competed in the long jump, finishing 20th with a mark of 15’-7.5”. Meredith Finley placed 30th in the 300-meter hurdles at 56.47 seconds.

In the other field events, Sarah Permenter continued her strong season, placing 22nd in the discus with a throw of 88-0 and 16th in the shot put at 30-9.

For the Bulldogs, Easton Carter produced Greenwood’s top finish of the meet, placing second in the high jump with a clearance of 6’-2”. Gavin Vonderheide and Bronson James also competed well in the event, each clearing 5’-10”, with Vonderheide placing 12th and James finishing 15th.

Tremon Hunt competed in both the 100-meter dash and long jump, placing 16th in the 100 with a time of 11.35 seconds and ninth in the long jump with a mark of 20’-10.5”. Braxton Canada also competed in the long jump, placing 21st at 19’-3.5”. Noah Myers finished 18th in the triple jump with a mark of 38 feet even.

On the track, Colton Lacy placed 31st in the 400-meter dash at 55.42 seconds, while Andrew Rye finished 24th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:43.80. Yadiel Garcia placed 29th in the 300-meter hurdles at 49.01. Greenwood’s boys 4x100-meter relay team also competed well, finishing 10th with a time of 44.67 seconds.

Across these three April meets, Greenwood athletes showed consistency, depth, and competitiveness in sprints, distance races, relays, hurdles, jumps, and throws. From event wins and top three finishes to athletes gaining valuable varsity experience against a large field of competitors, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs continue to represent the Blue and White with strong effort and steady improvement.