Little Rock Parkview's Jada Baylark is entered in four events for today's Meet of Champions at Russellville High School.
Her coach has wondered this week whether she should dial it back, but Parkview Coach William Hardiman doesn't plan on stopping her.
Meet of Champions
WHEN 1 p.m. today (running events begin at 4:30 p.m.)
WHERE Russellville High School
FORMAT 16 invitees for each event. Winners from each event at the seven state track and field meets and the next nine top performances from the state meets, regardless of classification, are invited to compete.
"We don't want to turn the Meet of Champs into a state meet where you're grueling and you're tired," Hardiman said. "You want to give your best performance."
Baylark has certainly given her best performances to date this season for the Lady Patriots.
The junior sprinter won three individual state titles May 7 in the Class 6A state track and field meet at Lake Hamilton, earning victories in the triple jump, 100-meter hurdles and 100 meters while placing second in the 200.
Baylark is the state's top female athlete this season in the triple jump, jumping 39 feet, 4 3/4 inches at the Class 6A state meet in Pearcy last Thursday. She has the state's second-best time in the 100 hurdles at 14.98 seconds, just behind Cabot's Lexi Weeks (14.97), and in the 100 (12.39) behind Bentonville's Taylor Mahone (12.22). Also, Baylark has the state's fifth-best time in the 200 (25.55), behind Pine Bluff's Rebekah Hamilton (25.22), Rogers' Hannah Lueders (25.38), Clarendon's J'Tyia Thomas (25.39) and Bentonville's Mahone (25.49).
If Baylark is as good today as she was last week in the triple jump, she'll have a chance to break Whitney Jones' 2007 Meet of Champs record in the event. Jones, who competed at Searcy, jumped 39-0 1/4. Baylark has improved her triple jump mark, going from 36-1 1/2 from last year's state meet to this year's meet.
But records aren't Baylark's main focus, though.
"I just wanted to do my best," Baylark said. "I wanted to come first in all of my events."
When it comes to Baylark's success in track and field, she credits her gymnastics background. Baylark participated in the River City Gymnastics program in Little Rock from the age of 3 until her ninth-grade year.
"Gymnastics kept me in shape and it helped my core," said Baylark, who is 5-6. "It kept me strong and it helped my power in track."
Hardiman said Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M have all shown interest in Baylark, who knew how important her junior season was going into the spring.
"This year is a big year for me to get scholarships for college," said Baylark, who's also the captain of Parkview's cheerleader squad. "I was focused on improving my times."
While she's proven herself to be one of the top athletes in the state, Hardiman said Baylark's demeanor hasn't changed at all.
"She just goes to work," Hardiman said. "She's going to push. She's going to give it everything she has. It's a blessing. She's a role model for the young kids. If they want to be great, you just go to work. Don't talk the game, go be about it.
"She does what it takes to beat you. She doesn't like to lose. She's very competitive. I like that fight. I like that spirit in her. It's just a pleasure to coach her."
Sports on 05/16/2015