Chiles senior Lily Williams decided in the final days leading up to National Signing Day that she would run for Vanderbilt University.

If you live in or around Daytona Beach, Florida, you know that from late January to mid-March, it’s all about speed. (Vrooom,vrooom!) First there’s the Rolex Endurance Race (24 hours of beer, fried food, t-shirts, and of course one long sleepless night of non-stop car racing).

A report of the top collegiate performances from around the country of former Florida high school stars.

Todd Grasley and Jeff Adams are on-site in Gainesville for coverage of one of two Florida youth indoor meets this year. There are a lot of big names lined up this Sunday!

Wiregrass Ranch senior Sam Hippely has verbally committed to the University of West Florida. 

Just a couple of years ago, Thomas Christenberry thought he would probably be just another high school runner who posted some decent times and had some fun running cross country and track. A college career? Well, that just didn’t enter his thinking too often. (via www.tboblogs.com)

Wiregrass Ranch senior David Hill has verbally committed to run cross country at Saint Leo, Bulls coach Chris Loth said. Hill will receive a partial athletic scholarship. (via www.tampabay.com)

The Gainesville Sports Commission has released the 2012 Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track & Field Invitational youth schedule of events as well as an up to date performance list. The meet kicksoff Sunday at 8:30 a.m. at the O'Connell Center at the University of Florida. 

Otniel Teixera came up just short in last year's 800 meter race at the 4A Outdoor State Finals. This year the Lake Brantley senior wants nothing but the top of the podium. See his plans for the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Youth Meet, goals for the season, and find out what lucky school has his commitment to run for the next four years.

Danielle Kissel, Plant High’s No. 1 runner when it won the Class 4A state cross country title last fall, will not be participating in track this spring for the Panthers, Kissel told the Tribune on Thursday. (via www.tboblogs.com)

Staging a marathon is a lot like running one. Frankie Ruiz has done both. Ruiz is a founder of the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon, which celebrates its 10th anniversary Sunday with a sold-out field of 25,000 runners. He knows what it takes. (via The Miami Herald)

Chiles standout Carly Thomas has chosen her college destination. The 2009 3A Cross Country State Championship will stay in Tallahassee and run for Florida State. In the end she chose the Seminoles over Mississippi State. She says it was her bond with Coach Karen Harvey and current FSU runners that sealed the deal.

Athletes at the collegiate level devote much of their time to the athletic events they compete in — Florida freshman Taylor Burke is no different, except she has it twice as hard. Burke plays goalkeeper on the women’s soccer team in the fall, and she is currently competing in the high jump for track and field. At the Alabama Invitational two weeks ago, the first track meet of her collegiate career, she placed fourth in her event. (via The Independent Florida Alligator)

David Oliver trains at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Disney World in Orlando with famed coach Brooks Johnson. He focuses on the fundamentals while looking toward the London Olympic Games.

When Kyle Krekeler showed up at the Mount Dora Christian Home and Bible School track in July to join a local running group, trainer Vickie Steuben encountered a problem. The 22-year-old Krekeler, who is autistic, would smell her hand and try to put some of her fingers in his mouth. (via OrlandoSentinel.com)

Freedom senior distance runner Ashley Smith, a state qualifier last year in both track and cross country, has accepted a scholarship offer and verbally committed to Augusta (Ga.) State University on Tuesday, her father and coach, Dwight Smith announced. (via www.tboblogs.com)

Paul Spangler, a former Alabama cross country NCAA qualifier and All-Southeastern Conference selection, has returned to the SEC and will join the Gator coaching staff as an assistant coach for distance and cross country, University of Florida track and field head coach Mike Holloway announced today. (via www.gatorzone.com)

Gainesville Buchholz senior Chris Godwin decided to leave his hometown when he picked Florida State over offers from UF, and USF. Godwin capped off his cross country career with a second place finish at the 4A meet and an 11th place finish at the Foot Locker South regional.

Andres Arroyo is only a junior and is raking in the hardware. The Colonial star was recently named the Gatorade Florida Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. 

You probably put a lot of thought into the interval portion of your workouts--how far, how many, how fast. The recovery or rest portion of your workout may be merely an afterthought. Perhaps you should consider it more carefully. (via Running Times)

Senior pole vaulter Sammie Kasmirski will graduate this year without knowing what it is like to compete in front of a home crowd. Though the Sarasota County School District is sinking $90 million into a new campus, there are no plans to replace the non-regulation 5-lane track. (via HeraldTribune.com)

Nease standout Mac Reynolds has committed to the University of Florida. He admits the recruiting process was hectic at first, but after a while things settled down. He chose the Gators over Auburn. He says he knew early on that Gainesville was the place for him.

Santa Fe Catholic senior Ben Knauf won two gold medals at the 1A State Championships in 2011. Knauf placed first in the 100 and long jump and finished second in the 200 meters. The standout also plays football for Santa Fe Catholic in addition to track. It's what he does between the two sports that some people might not know. 

 The Florida men's and women's track and field teams recorded six first-place finishes on Sunday at the 2012 Gator Invite, held at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. (via www.gatorzone.com)

Senior Kemar Hyman stepped out of the shadows and secured Florida State's first NCAA Indoor Championship automatic berth in the 60-meter dash. Hyman tied the Cayman Islands' national record at the Auburn Invitational. (via www.seminoles.com)

A report of the top collegiate performances from around the country of former Florida high school stars.

A report of the top collegiate performances from around the country of former Florida high school stars.

A trio of Sunshine State track stars returned home to train for 2012 season and gear up for the Olympics in London. Bershawn "Batman" Jackson, Jamaal Torrance, and Moses Washington spent a couple of days at the National Training Center in Clermont working on their speed and strength. 

The Orlando Sentinel hypothesizes that Florida State could possibly land Ronald Darby of Oxon Hill, MD. Since the Seminoles already have Marvin Bracy committed that would give them the fastest two sprinters in the country... which could have major repurcusions on the national scene both on the track and the gridiron. (via OrlandoSentinel.com)

The college decision is in for Northside Christian's Katelyn Greenleaf. Greenleaf has decided to take her talents to the University of Alabama and run for the Crimson Tide. 

How much is a spot on an Olympian's shoulder worth? Nick Symmonds put his skin on the eBay auction site, offering to wear a temporary tattoo with the name of the highest bidder as he competes for a spot on the U.S. team for the London Games this summer. (via sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

2011 World Champion Jenny Simpson announced via conference call this afternoon she will kick start 2012 with appearances in Boston and New York City. The 1500 meter champion is scheduled to showcase her skills on the indoor circuit at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on February 4th. Simpson says she will run the 3K in Boston.

Tiara Robinson has been tearing up the AAU circuit for several years. Now a freshman at Ft. Pierce Central she hopes to continue that success on the high school level. Her goals for 2012 are to reach the podium in both the 200 and 400.

Octavious Freeman earns the first honor of the season for the No. 6 UCF track and field team after her stellar collegiate debut over the weekend at the Virginia Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va. (via www.ucfathletics.com)

Good running form plays a large role in remaining injury-free, and remaining injury-free plays a large role in being able to run farther and faster. Let's start by looking at five basic elements of good running form. Then we'll get into some tests to see if your body has the structural integrity to maintain those elements of good form. (via Running Times)

Megan Walker was riding by the Port St. Joe track when she first caught a glimpse of the pole vault. The then sixth grader was intrigued at the event.  Her mom made a call to the coach and the next day she was out for practice. Walker remembers the first  time she ever took to the runway.

Cousins Marvin Bracy and Levonte "Kermit" Whitfield have been invited to run in the prestigous Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle. Bracy is the reigning FHSAA 4A State Champion in the 100 and 200. Whitfield is the 2011 2A State Champion in the 100.  Both will compete in the 60 meter race. 

In the end, Plant senior Danielle Kissell said it came down to a choice between making another move or staying close to home. And on that score, the University of Tampa won out over St. Augustine’s Flagler College.(via www.tboblogs.com)

Jeremy Criscione made his marathon debut today at the Olympic Trials of all places! After qualifying with a fantastic 1:04 at the New York City Half Marathon, he got to experience the full today on a big stage. Criscione held his own, along with his Hanson-Brooks Distance Project teammates and was as high as 36th at one point. It finally caught up with him at five miles to go and he felt it big time, but held his own and finishd near the middle of the pack in this elite field with 59th place and 2:20.

An enormous weight was lifted off Chamberlain senior Max del Monte's shoulders when he called Florida State Head Coach Bob Braman and verbally committed to the Seminoles.

Our Warrior of the Year Olivia Ortiz can now add another title to her already impressive resume. The Lakewood Ranch junior was named the Gatorade Florida GIrls Cross Country Runner Of The Year.  Ortiz took home the individual state championship at the 3A meet and advanced to Foot Locker Nationals where she finished 19th among the nation's top runners.

Gators Assistant Track & Field Coach Todd Morgan will take his coaching talents to University of Virginia. Morgan will be the Head Women's Distance Coach for the Cavaliers.

University of Florida two-sport standout Jeff Demps is putting away any NFL aspirations to focus on his track career and a potential spot in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Demps has decided to run for the Gators this spring and then will seek a professional track career rather than one in football. Demps informed Gators head coach Mike Holloway of his plan in recent days after making a final decision after the football season ended. GatorZone (via gatorzone.com)

Stanford Head Coach Edrick Floreal Teaches "Triple Jump For Dummies" at the 2012 Track & Field Clinic. See what he has to say about proper approach, landing, jumping drills, and much more.

When Dentarius Locke graduated from Chamberlain High in 2009, he headed to the University of Tennessee with two state track crowns, a full scholarship and plenty of optimism about his future. (via TBO.com)

NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman, an award bestowed to collegiate track & field’s best athlete of the year, was awarded to Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard less than a month ago, but it’s time to look forward to 2012 with the award’s preseason watch list. The men’s list of ten, announced by The Bowerman Watch List Committee, has three semifinalists from the 2011 season.

Connor Guest chronicles the 2011 Ransom Everglade's boys cross country team and their quest for a state championship. Connor is a junior and member of the school's junior varsity squad.  

NEW ORLEANS – Florida’s men and Oregon’s women, both two-time defending NCAA Division I indoor track & field national champions, begin the 2012 season in familiar territory – as the nation’s No. 1 teams. 

NEW ORLEANS – The NCAA Track & Field Subcommitee announced on Monday that the new date formula passed by NCAA Championships Cabinet will go into effect beginning this year. For the first time since World War II, the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on a Saturday. In addition, the formula places the regional championships preceding the national meet eight days earlier on a Friday.(via USTFCCCA)

Boone senior Marvin Bracy is regarded as one of the top sprinters in the nation. The FSU commit won back to back 100 and 200 meter state championships in Florida and also was victorious in the inaugural Dream 100. He concluded his junior campaign by posting a blazing 10.05 at USATF Nationals which is a All-Conditions US#2 All-Time. Bracy also won the Pan Am Junior Championships 100 meter dash with a time of 10.09. Recently he joined us in our MileSplit Headquarters for an interview to talk about his plans for 2012 and beyond.  

Ajee' Wilson just completed the second major hurdle of her high school track and field career. The first was nearly a forgone conclusion. After a breakthrough sophomore year where she ran the fourth-fastest 1,600 meters in state history and won a NJSIAA Meet of Champions title in the 800 meters, it was only a matter of time before she left and indelible imprint on New Jersey track and field.(via The Star-Ledger - NJ.com)

Most college freshmen have not been featured by ESPN, but then again, most are not Octavious Freeman. (via www.ucfathletics.com)

A week from today, we will all know if Putnam County will have a representative in London for this year's Summer Olympics. (via www.palatkadailynews.com)

In the storm-tossed mind of highly creative individuals, there is no rest, no port that might be called safe harbor. Waves of ideas flood the mind-flowing with inspiration and ebbing with exhaustion. Goals can be short-lived, because new ones quickly take their place. Days are long, and nights short. Even while asleep, the subconscious of these paragons of humanity become a fertile ground of design and innovation.

The 2012 FACA Track & Field Clinic is loaded with great speakers and presentations. Here is a look at what people can expect to see and hear for years to come.  

Kevin Hanson, along with his brother Keith, is a founder and coach of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. For over ten years, the two have spearheaded the Olympic development program to provide successful college athletes with the opportunity to continue training after graduation. (via Olympic Trials)

FLYRA and flrunners.com are proud to announce that the Middle School Track & Field State Championship will have a new home this spring. The meet, which has become the highlight of the middle school season in Florida and a launching pad for future stars, will switch coasts after three years at Holy Trinity in Melbourne. The championship meet will take place on May 5, 2012 at Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater.

Boone High football and track star Marvin Bracy has started to focus on his speed workouts this winter and once the Under Armour All-American Game is completed, he and trainer Ricky Argro will be full-fledged devoted to the sprinter’s quest to make the U.S. Olympic team, for which trials are in Eugene, Ore., on July 24 and the London Olympic Games start in August. (via OrlandoSentinel.com)

I would like to convince you to think otherwise. Intelligently adding some double days to your program can help advance your fitness, even if you wind up not significantly increasing your mileage. (via Running Times)

The 2012 Track & Field season in Florida starts next month, with practice kicking up just in a couple of weeks! And then cross country will be back before you know it! Here's a quick look at some important dates for 2012.

Lauren Fleshman arrived at the start of the New York City Marathon in November as a human billboard, wearing temporary tattoos that advertised an energy-bar company she founded with her husband.(via www.nytimes.com)