Porter’s Chapel Academy got off to a strong start at the MAIS Class 3A South State track and field meet.

The Eagles had eight top-four finishes and three winners among their 12 field event entries on the first day of the meet.

Field events were contested Wednesday and running events will be Saturday at Canton Academy. The top four finishers in each event advance to the Class 3A state meet May 2 and 3.

PCA’s Mia Abdo won the girls triple jump and finished second in the high jump to lead Wednesday’s charge. She triple jumped 30 feet even and high jumped 4 feet even.

Schaffer Bell flipped Abdo’s results by winning the boys high jump and finishing second in the triple jump. Bell cleared 5 feet, 10 inches to win a four-way tiebreaker in the high jump that included his teammate Jase Jung. Jung was credited with a third-place finish once the tiebreaker — most total misses during the competition — was sorted out.

Bell triple jumped 37 feet, 3 inches, and also had a mark of 18-9 in the long jump. Bell and his teammate Lakelan Pecanty, who finished third at 18-9.25, both qualified for the state meet in the long jump.

PCA’s other victory came in the girls long jump, where senior Marley Bufkin won with a mark of 14 feet, 6.25 inches. She was an inch and a half better than runner-up Rivers Wikle of Christ Covenant, who had a mark of 14-4.75.

The field event results put Porter’s Chapel in the lead in the girls team standings and second in the boys heading into Saturday’s running events.

PCA’s girls team has 16 points and Lamar Christian is second with 14. The Lady Eagles have eight entries in eight running events.

Sylva-Bay Academy came out of the field events with the team lead, with 24.5 points. PCA was right behind with 18 and Lamar Christian third with 17. PCA has 15 entries in 11 running events on Saturday.