Jimmy Clark ends his running career with a state title

WINTER PARK - One of the area's most dominant distance runners closed out his high school track career in style.

Creekside senior Jimmy Clark was the dominant local performer at the Class 3A state track and field championships at Showalter Field on Friday. Clark gained the step of the medal podium for winning his specialty race after a close, second-place finish earlier in the day.

Clark was victorious in the 3,200-meter race, about an hour after losing by less than a second in the 1,600 to a future teammate.

The win for Clark was especially gratifying in his last race for Creekside. He had finished second last year in both the 1,600 and 3,200 to Matt Mizereck, currently a freshman distance runner for Florida. Clark's narrow defeat in the 1,600 this time was to Tyler Cardillo from Charlotte who like Clark, has signed to run at Florida next year.

"I really liked my second race (3,200) tonight. I wanted to win; I didn't want to go out with another second-place finish," Clark said.

"As frustrated as I could be, I really wasn't in losing the 1,600. I ran 4:11, my fastest ever, so I really couldn't be mad about that. And Tyler beat me and he's going to be my future teammate next year at Florida so I was happy for him.

"In the 3200, I was thinking about all the workouts I've done to get this far, and that last 200 meters, I just let it all out. I wanted to make sure I went out a winner."

Clark's 18 points in his two events were all Creekside accumulated, but it was enough for a ninth-place tie, the best finish by a local school.

The win ends Clark's high school career, but he's hardly finished competing.

"In about a month and a half, I'm heading up to North Carolina for the outdoor nationals," he said. "I'll be running the two-mile there. I plan on running that a lot faster than what I ran here. Hopefully, I can set a state record there. After that, I'll hang around this summer and work and train before heading to Florida."

St. Augustine pole vaulter Kevin White was the county's top individual finisher outside of Clark, taking fifth in his event. White cleared 13 feet, 9 inches.

Also competing at the event, Menendez's Gabby Samuels was the top female finisher. Samuels, The Record's top track and field athlete in 2009, took sixth place in the shot put with a distance of 37 feet, 8.5 inches. The Creekside girls 4X800 relay team was fifth with a 9:35.83.

Clark's teammate, Jared Hayes, took ninth in the long jump with a 22-1.75.

Bartram Trail's Nick Uruburu took seventh in the 400 with a 49.97, and the Bartram boys 4X800 relay finished 16th with an 8:24.47.