Eastern’s Madison Hopkins leaps her way to a Southern Hills Athletic Conference title in the long jump while competing in this year’s SHAC Championship Meet held at Manchester High School, May 11.

Eastern’s Hopkins, Staggs, Farris capture individual conference titles – 

By Wade Linville – 

Backed by some outstanding performances from several members of the Eastern High School girls’ track & field team, the Lady Warriors were able to edge out the Peebles Lady Indians by a score of 142-136 to nab this year’s Southern Hills Athletic Conference Title.
This year’s SHAC Track & Field Championship Meet was held at Manchester High School on May 11,
While there were many young members of the Eastern High School varsity girls’ track & field team to aid the Lady Warriors to this year’s SHAC title, it was a crew of talented Eastern seniors that paved the way to a conference crown.
Eastern senior Madison Hopkins was among the Lady Warriors top performers in Friday’s regular season finale at Manchester. Hopkins claimed the SHAC title in the 100 meter dash, posting a winning time of 12.63. Hopkins also ran for a first place finish in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.43.
In the field events, Hopkins topped the bar at 4-10 to capture the SHAC title in the girls’ high jump, and she also took first place in the long jump with a leap of 16-10, defeating Whiteoak sophomore Kensley Bailey by less than two inches.
Hopkins won every event she competed in during the SHAC Championship Meet, earning the Eastern varsity girls a total of 40 team points.
Another standout performer for the Lady Warriors was senior Cassidy Staggs. Staggs ran for this year’s SHAC title in the 100 meter hurdle race with a winning time of 16.46. She went on to place runner-up in the 300 meter hurdle race with a finish time of 50.11.
Staggs also competed in the 4×400 meter hurdle race with teammates Emma Brown (9), Caitlyn Wills (9), and Emily Fannin (10) to finish in second place with a time of 4:28.69.
Staggs leaped her way to a fourth place finish in the long jump (14-02.5).
Eastern senior Mikayla Farris captured the SHAC title in the discus event with a winning throw of 116-05. Farris threw for a runner-up finish in the shot put event with a toss of 31-05.
Other Lady Warriors claiming top four finishes in their events were: sophomore Emily Fannin, who took fourth in the 800 meter race (2:44.14); freshman Caitlyn Wills, who placed fourth in the 1,600 meter run (6:22.61); freshman Emma Brown, who placed second in the 100 meter hurdles (16.68) and third in the 300 meter hurdles (51.64); and freshman Rachel Dixon, who placed third in the discus throw (88-04).
Eastern’s 4×800 meter relay team (Brown, Fannin, Wills, and freshman Teodessia Peters) ran for a first place finish with a time of 11:16.53.
Fayetteville-Perry freshman Paige Lockwood, senior Tiffany Snider, and sophomore Cecilia Murphy were among the top performers for the Lady Rockets at this year’s SHAC Championship Meet.
Murphy ran for a third place finish in the 1,600 meter race with a time of 6:12.65, and placed fifth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:45.60.
Lockwood finished fourth overall in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:08.05.
Snider placed second in the high jump by topping the bar at 4-08.
Lockwood placed sixth overall in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.54.
The Fayetteville 4×200 meter relay team made up of freshman Cora Hansel, Deisch, freshman Alison Whitley, and Lockwood ran for a fourth place finish with a time of 2:01.88.

SHAC HS GIRLS FINAL STANDINGS
1. Eastern 142
2. Peebles 136
3. Fairfield 115.5
4. Lynchburg 63
5. Fayetteville 41
6. West Union 39.5
7. North Adams 37
8. Whiteoak 33
9. Manchester 11

In SHAC high school boys’ track, it was the Fairfield Lions claiming this year’s conference title with a team score of 151, well ahead of the runner-up team from Whiteoak that recorded a final team score of 86.
The Eastern Warriors finished fifth of 10 teams, while the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Blue Jays finished in eighth place, followed by the Fayetteville-Perry Rockets in ninth place.
Ripley senior Josiah Staggs ran for a runner-up finish in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.15.
Eastern sophomore Logan Houston placed second overall in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:10.05.
The Ripley 4×100 meter relay team consisting of senior Cary Wright, senior Chris Reuss, sophomore Clinton Bartley, and Staggs ran for a runner-up finish with a time of 48.54.
Ripley’s 4×200 meter relay team (Wright, Reuss, sophomore Clinton Barley, and Staggs) ran for a third place finish with a time of 1:41.95.
Fayetteville-Perry’s 4×200 meter relay team (sophomore Garrett Lewis, freshman Cryztopher Norris, sophomore Christopher Murphy, and freshman Hunter Jester) placed fourth overall with a time of 1:44.20.
Eastern’s 4×400 meter relay team made up of runners Owen Young (9), Dylan Lainhart (10), Gavin Green (9), and Logan Lainhart (12) ran for a third place finish with a time of 3:53.08.
Eastern’s 4×800 meter relay team (Green, D. Lainhart, Young, and L. Lainhart) placed runner-up with a finish time of 9:38.46.
Eastern’s A.J. McKenzie placed third in the high jump (5-06).
Eastern senior Troy Stamper took second in the shot put event with a throw of 41-05.50, while sophomore teammate Joe Becknell placed third in the event with a toss of 40-00.50.
Logan Houston placed third in the discus event with a throw of 112, and Stamper placed fourth in the discus throw (111-08).
Those winning their events during Friday’s SHAC Track & Field Championship Meet at Manchester have been named to the All-SHAC Team.

SHAC HS BOYS FINAL STANDINGS
1. Fairfield 151
2. Whiteoak 86
3. West Union 82
4. Peebles 68.5
5. Eastern 66.5
6. North Adams 50
7. Lynchburg 43
8. Ripley 33
9. Fayetteville 22
10. Manchester 18