Clark happy to be back at full strength

Julia Clark is back at the level she hoped she would have been eight months ago. Sidelined for most of the cross country season, the Van Buren senior won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters last week at the Alma Relays, helping the Lady Pointers win the meet going away. Clark breezed in both events. “It always feels good to have my family there,” she said. “Some of my friends came out to support, because they knew I would probably take the races. There are still really great girls I get to compete against. “I am excited for some more competition and put down some faster times.” Clark had hoped to prequalify for state in the 3,200 meters. But she was hardly pushed. “They (coaches) wanted me to go out and prequalify in the two mile, but I knew it would be hard to do it by myself,” she said. Clark won the 3,200 by nearly half a minute over the next closest competitor. The Lady Pointer finished with a time of 12:02.48 — 28 seconds quicker than Greenwood standout Taylor Koeth. Clark’s PR in the two-mile is 11:41. She hopes to break the school record in the 1,600 (5:19). “My best time in the mile is 5:24, but I definitely want to break another school record before I go,” she said. Clark is looking forward to the Pointer Relays in Van Buren, an event the school wasn’t able to host for a couple of years while the track was under construction. “It definitely feels good now that we get to compete on our home track,” she said. “To have the support of our community, it means a lot.” The Pointer Relays are set for April 12.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

CLARK HAPPY TO BE BACK AT FULL STRENGTH

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 4/3/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Submitted Photo