Local stars will be out for Allstate Sugar Bowl track meet

Two of the best high school track and field athletes in the U.S. are scheduled to return to Tad Gormley Stadium this weekend to compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic.
McDonogh 35’s undefeated sprinter Marquita Stalbert and Jewel Sumner’s record-breaking vaulter, Devin King, will return to the site of their
amazing performances in 2013.

This event has been the largest high school track and field invitational in Louisiana, featuring more than 100 boys’ and girls’ teams from throughout the Southeast each year.

Ten meet records fell at the 2013 Classic, including two of the meet’s longest-standing records: the 4×100 boys’ relay (40.84, Karr High School, breaking a 1993 record) and the long jump (24-11.5, Devin Scott, West Jefferson, breaking a 1994 record).

Stalbert shared the Outstanding Female Track Performer honor when she took the sprint triple crown, winning the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes, while also helping the Roneagles to the 4×200 title (and a meet-record). Stalbert, who also won the honor as a freshman in 2011, shared the recognition with senior Kathryn Lazarchic from UMS-Wright, who won the 800-, the 1,600- and the 3,200-meter runs, while helping her squad to the 4×800 relay crown.

King, who recently set a national high school record when he cleared 17 feet, 10 1/4 inches at the New Balance National Indoor meet, is the returning Outstanding Male Field Athlete. Last month King set a Louisiana prep indoor mark when he vaulted 17-8.

Among the local Catholic schools who have individuals entered are Academy of Our Lady, Archbishops Chapelle and Shaw, Brother Martin, Cabrini, Dominican, Holy Cross, Jesuit, Mount Carmel, St. Augustine, St. Katharine Drexel Prep, St. Mary’s Academy, St. Paul’s and St. Scholastica.

Prelims and some finals will begin at 4 p.m. on March 21. All other finals will take place on March 22 starting at 10 a.m.

The running events will hear the starter’s gun at 1 p.m.