A flock of Eagles is headed to the MAIS Class 3A state track and field meet.

Porter’s Chapel Academy won five events, qualified for the state meet in 18, and posted a runner-up finish in the girls’ team standings at the Class 3A South State meet Saturday at Canton Academy.

PCA’s girls’ team totaled 52 points, just behind Lamar Christian’s 55. Lamar beat PCA in the final event, the 4×400 meter relay, to secure the title.

PCA’s relay team of Marley Bufkin, Audrey Carraway, Ansley Conway and Jae’la Smith finished second in the 4×400 relay with a time of 4 minutes, 43.98 seconds to qualify for the state meet and cap an outstanding day.

The same four runners won the 4×100 meter relay in 56.03 seconds, and won the 4×200 relay as well, with a time of 1:57.82.

The Lady Eagles also won three individual events and had second-place finishes in four others.

Smith and Abdo went 1-2 in the high jump. Smith won with a height of 5 feet, 2 inches, and Abdo was second at 4-6.

Abdo got her own field event victory in the triple jump with a mark of 29-1.

Marley Bufkin won the long jump with a leap of 14 feet, 8 1/4 inches. She added second-place finishes in the 100 meters (13.64 seconds) and 200 meters (27.96 seconds).

Smith also netted a second-place effort in the 300 meter hurdles, in 53.07 seconds, to advance to the state meet.
Porter’s Chapel’s boys’ team was a distant fourth in the team standings with 28 points — Sylva-Bay Academy easily won the team title with 108 — but will still send five athletes to the state meet in eight events.

Henry Slayton qualified with a second-place finish in the 800 meter run (2:15.50) and 300 meter hurdles (47.86 seconds), as well as the the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 meter relays.

Slayton was joined on all three relays by Taylor Labarre, Jase Jung and Lakelan Pecanty. They finished third in the 4×400, and fourth in the 4×100 and 4×200.

Jung finished second in the high jump, with a height of 5 feet, 10 inches.

Tyler Hatler was third in the 3,200 meters and Pecanty fourth in the long jump to move on to the state meet as well.

The MAIS Class 3A state meet is May 3 and 4. Field events and the 3,200 meter run will be held at Canton Academy on Friday, May 3, and running events at Jackson Prep on Saturday, May 4.