After breaking records, Springdale Har-Ber senior Payton Stumbaugh decided to briefly break character following the 18th annual Arkansas High School Heptathlon on May 21-22 at Cabot.
Stumbaugh planned to celebrate her heptathlon victory, which completed one of the most dominant seasons in Arkansas high school track and field history, by stopping at Sonic for a 50-cent corn dog, part of the popular fast-food restaurant's May 22 "National End of School Day" promotion.
"I told my coach we're going to have to go there because I haven't had a corn dog in a long time," Stumbaugh said. "I don't eat bad during track season."
Stumbaugh's disciplined approach led to a spectacular 2014, highlighted by eight individual indoor and outdoor state championships, two overall records and a record heptathlon score.
"She takes everything seriously," Har-Ber Coach Brett Unger said of the 5-10 Stumbaugh. "She's competitive."
An Oklahoma signee, Stumbaugh was the state's top sprinter and hurdler this year.
At the Class 7A/6A/5A state indoor meet Feb. 8 in Fayetteville, Stumbaugh won the 60 (7.73), 200 (a meet-record 24.53), 60 hurdles (a meet-record 8.85) and long jump (17 feet, 1 inch).
Stumbaugh won four events at the Class 7A state meet May 8 in Cabot: 100 hurdles (13.92), 100 (a meet-record 11.93), 300 hurdles (43.43) and 200 (24.63).
Stumbaugh's 13.92 was an overall record. Under Arkansas Activities Association rules, overall records can only be set in state meets or the Meet of Champs. She ran the fastest time in state history, 13.91, at the Kansas Relays on April 19 in Lawrence, Kan.
Stumbaugh decided to run in the Meet of Champs on May 17 at Heber Springs rather than attend Har-Ber's graduation ceremony the same day at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The Meet of Champs is designed to match event winners from all state meets.
Stumbaugh set an overall record in the 200 (24.49), a Meet of Champs record in the 100 hurdles (14.04), won the 100 (12.04) and ran a scintillating 56.0 leg on the winning 1,600 relay team that just missed setting an overall record.
"I knew that I would regret not going to the Meet of Champs," Stumbaugh said. "I thought that I'll graduate from college, so that will be a bigger thing."
Stumbaugh set four heptathlon records: first-day points (3,132), total points (5,210), 100 hurdles (13.93) and 200 (24.16). The 200 time was the fastest in state history.
"She is just special," Unger said.
Sports on 06/08/2014