Florida 2A State Meet HQ

Apr 28, 2012

Our team of five was back on the scene for day two in Jacksonville. We put in late hours Friday night but Jeff Adams, Jason Byrne, Chris Sumner, Todd Grasley, and Mike Leary all came back like troopers for the 2A meet. Hope you enjoy the coverage!

On-Site Coverage

Complete Results Now Posted
Our Meet Coverage Index
Photo Album - Almost 5000 photos!!! by Jeff Adams, Mike Leary, and Chris Sumner
Videos of Races and Interviews - Dozens already on, more coming Sunday morning. Interviews by Todd Grasley and Races by Chris Sumner

Highlights

Robin Reynolds US #1 Long Jump, Wins 3 of 4 Events

Miami Jackson's Robin Reynolds started off her day on the quest for another four state titles. So far she's one or one. She soared to a 20-6.5 wind-legal long jump that is the new national leader.

The massive leap is a new state meet record, out-distancing the 21-year-old mark by 20-2.75 by Nicole Irving from 1991. It also appears to be an overall all-time record for the state as well. Wind reading was unofficially 1.1 meaning it is legal for records.

She then continued on her incredible run with a 100 meter victory of 11.79 into a negative wind and then a 400 meter route of 52.59 that was almost two seconds better than second place Deja Parrish. Those two wins allowed her to tie and then break the all-time career individual state title record. The old record was by Julian Reynolds of Benjamin from the early 90s who had 13 individual titles.

Then came the 200, an event where Reynolds was favored and ran a stellar 23.56 in the prelims. Reynolds had a slow start out of the blocks in this one with Sabria Hadley, Deja Parrish, and Deanna Hill looking strong around the curve. Reynolds began to close and pulled up into a near three-way dead-heat with Hadley and Hill in the final 10 meters. FinishLynx gave both Reynolds and Hadley 24.09 in the race, but the photo finish revealed a .002 differential to give Hadley (the former teammate of Ocatavious Freeman) her first state title.

Reynolds now ends her career at 14 and sets the new high water mark for future generations to aim for. Robin concludes her incredible career with 14 out of 16 career victories at the state meet, which all started with a 4-event sweep as a freshman! Congrats to Robin!!! Good luck at UF and beyond!

Interview with Robin Reynolds after Long Jump

Whitfield Dominant; Sweeps 100, 200

Whitfield domintaed the prelims and then went on to shine in the finals.

His 100 pace looked pedestrian to him, but was three steps ahead of the field with a 10.49 victory into a rather stiff -2.6 headwind.

He really shined though in the 200 meters with a 20.96 shalacking of the field .66 over very talented Teray Smith. This was into a negative wind.

Bracy Cam: Marvin Bracy Interviews Cousin Levonte "Kermit" Whitfield After Prelims... entertaining as you'd expect!

What the broken hurdles? Re-running the 110s?!?

So what the heck happened? At the end of the 110 Hurdles finals three runners were on the ground and a host of others were tripping over each other toward the finish line.

After lots of official review, it was found that the hurdles were placed on the wrong marks about a foot too close to the other set of hurdles. It was ruled that they would re-run the race.

In a forthcoming article, we'll evaluate this more closely but our photographic and video evidence backs up the official ruling. The runners steps were dead-on but the row of hurdles were not, causing the massive traffic accident at the finish line.

Three Golds for Daesha

Daesha Rogers is quickly getting quite decorated. After seeing her run the 1600, one of the reporters in the pressbox asked me "What is she? A senior?" I said, "......no..... a sevent grader!" To watch her run is to see a much older and more mature soul with her strides stunningly long for her small frame and her downright amazing speed. It's not uncommon to see a stellar starlet such as herself more in the pure distance arena. But to see it with not only such SPEED but such range because she can do it all the way up to 5K. Anyway... I digress... but it's quite a pleasure to get to watch her.

The 1600 was her second victory of the day (following her 4x800), but to me it was the most amazing. She jetted out front from the onset of the race, as we've come to expect from her. She threw caution to the wind with an insanely fast first 400. I didn't catch the split, but I know at 800 she was around 2:20. At that point, it appeared maybe she had made a mistake. Into the third lap her form appeared to really start t break down. And Shelby Davidson, meanwhile, was systematically closing the gap stride by stride. Shelby raced smart in letting Daesha do her thing but then not panicking and just steadily making it up.

With 200 meters to go in the race, it looked like Shelby had done it. Rogers was looking a little ragged and then Shelb pulled about even. It looked like it was over for the 7th grader. Well Daesha made me look like a star to the other journalists in the press box, to whom I had just told to not count her out yet and if Daesha had any kick left then lights out.... sure enough she did. And I mean it was a ridiculous kick. Pretty much precisely at 200 to go, the green light went on in Daesha's head.... her head picked back up, her back once again upright, her stride lengthened, and her turn over was faster than Nicki Minaj goes through wigs. She was gone! Daesha finished over six and a half seconds faster than Davidson... all made up in that last 200.

She went on to win the 800 easily, as scripted, and was a big part in helping her team secure the team title.

Lake Nona Wins First State Title Ever... in Any Sport

With the boys 4x800 victory with a time of 7:56.79, Lake Nona High School wins the first state championship in any sport. The Orlando area school, which just opened three years ago, has quickly become a track & field force in Central Florida and beyond. Congrats to them!