Middleton sprinter De'ja Rodgers signed her letter of intent to run track at Murray State, Thursday, overcoming a high school career fraught with obstacles.
The Saint Thomas Aquinas sprinting tandem of senior Kendall Ellis and junior Krystal Sparling is a powerful one indeed. The girls led the Raiders to their 10th team title. Along the way, Ellis only reset her own national mark in the 400m, a 52.95 and became just the eighth female high school athlete to win the 400m four years in a row. She also anchored the state champion 4x400m relay. That relay also owns the fastest time in the nation, a 3:38.26 from the Texas Relays in March. Their 3:41.01 was nothing to sneeze at either.
Miami Northwestern girls wallopped the competition, scoring 154 points and became the winningest team in state history. Their boys almost made it a sweep, but Chiles hung in there tight and pulled out the 38-35 upset.
St. Thomas Aquinas showed why they are considered the best track program in the state. Their boys and girls quickly separated from their closest rivals almost as soon as the finals began.
The Gayles twins have made names for themselves in their high school careers. As they both head off to Stanford this fall, they could not have asked for a much better send off.
Bolles girls win by a point over Hallandale, 66-65. Booker T. Washington rolled to a comfortable victory with 61 points to runner-up Florida State University School with 39.
The girls Class A team title was never in doubt. The Holy Trinity girls were heavy favorites coming in and their studs delivered. Westminster Academy edged First Academy 96.5 to 90 to take the team title.
tIn 4A Region 2 action, the Wharton girls dominated, winning with 86.5 points to Steinbrenner's 58 with George Jenkins in third with 56. On the boys side, North Port hung on to a tenuous lead to win the meet with 60.33 to Countryside's 59. The Countryside boys won the 4x400m to end the night but North Port's runner-up finish in the event preserved the team win.
Lakewood Ranch girls cruised to a 3A Region 3 title at Leto High School in Tampa Wednesday, out-pacing Golden Gate 77 to 44. Estero was third with 40. On the boys side, Sarasota edged Ida S. Baker 40 to 39 with Armwood, Hillsborough and Jefferson tied with 37. Middleton's Shug Rhynes swept the sprints with impressive marks of 10.37w and 21.67w respectively s hewhile Samson Moore proves he is back in the hurdles. In the girl's 1600m run four girls battled it out with Emily Harding of Sarasota edging out Estero's Katie Slater 5:03.60 to 5:03.80.
There was no stopping the Holy Trinity Leviathan Thursday at Calvary Christian in Clearwater for Class A Region 3 track. It was not a huge surprise, the Tigers are defending state champs for the boys and were runners-up in Class A a year ago. They easily out-paced the field on both sides, boys and girls. On the boys side, the Tigers scored 115 to runner-up Indian Rocks Christian with 59. On the girls side, the Tigers scored 133.5 to Evangelical Christian’s 67.5.
If there was any chance the boys of Jesuit and the girls of Academy of the Holy Names could repeat their team titles from districts a week ago, things would have to go just right. They did. Even following the same trend that earned them district titles, the Jesuit boys dominated the field events and held on for the win, while the Academy girls trailed most of the way before storming ahead in the 3200m.
Andy Warrener was on-site at Berkeley Prep for the 2A Region 3 Championship. Check out nearly 250 photos to highlight all the action that took place.
The Countryside Cougars boys track and field team took a two-year hiatus from relevance. They’re back this year and in a major way.
No one besides Plant, Hillsborough and Wharton has won the Vernon Khorn Hillsborough County track championships, boys or girls, for the last three years. Tuesday at Jefferson ushered in a changing of the guard as the Steinbrenner girls comfortably out-paced the field with 91.5 to second-place Wharton with 78. Freedom girls were third with 61.
Hillsborough County's top track and field athletes took to Jefferson High School to see who would be crowned county champions. No April Fools jokes, simply business. Andy Warrener was on-site and has nearly 300 photos of all the action!
The 2014 Dunedin Falcons are flying under the radar this year. They are a small team, there’s no other way to cut it. However, what they lack in size they make up for with their two elite athletes, on the boys side, senior Ahmad Middleton and on the girls side, sophomore Olivia Welsh. The tandem or Dynamic Duo, has electrified any meets where they compete. If Dunedin as a team gets buried in the team scores, Middleton and Welsh can always be found at the top of a list or two.
Andy Warrener was on-site at the Ed Wells Kiwanis Invitational. Not only did he produce a written recap of all the action, but over 200 photos as well. Check out these awesome images!
The 52nd Annual Ed Wells Kiwanis Invitational at Clearwater saw the favored teams exert their collective wills with the East Lake girls cruising to a dominant victory with 135 points to runner-up Osceola with 73. It took the Countryside boys until the final two events to seal the deal but they delivered with Andrew Llewellyn taking sixth in the 3200m and the Cougar boys grabbing second in the 4x400m relay. Countryside out-paced runner-up Lakewood 103 to 75.5.
The drive from West Palm Beach was going to be a long one. So head coach John Battle III decided to bring his team up the night before so they could relax, get a look at the track and be ready for Saturday’s meet. It worked. The Chargers, boys and girls captured team titles at the massive invitational that drew more than 60 schools from all over the state.
Andy Warrener was on-site at the Nash Higgins Relay and captured over 500 photos go along with his awesome recap. Check them out now!
The drama of the 44th Annual Nash Higgins Relays reached its pinnacle Saturday evening as the girls 4x400m relay teams took the track. The Alonso Ravens and Steinbrenner Warriors were tied at 57. Whichever team finished in front of the other won the meet.
Andy Warrener was on-scene for flrunners.com at the 3rd Annual St. Petersburg Championships taking nearly 300 photos of all the action!
Even without the Griffin twins the Lakewood boys continued their dominance of St. Petersburg. The city championships are just three years old and the Lakewood boys have won all three. Their only individual champion was Devontae Persha who won the open 800m in 2:01.59 but the Lakewood boys won both the 4x100m (43.55), the 4x800m (8:29.12), and were runners-up in the 4x400m (3:28.27). The 4x800m time set down the previous meet mark, set by Lakewood.
The 19th Annual Charles Johnson Invitational got some north-Florida infusion on Saturday. Typically, a Hillsborough County-heavy tournament, many area teams split off for the Wharton Invitational, opening up slots for teams like Sebastian River and Tallahassee Godby to mix it up with area teams. The Sebastian River Sharks, at least the girls team, will have a pleasant ride home as they took the team title with 105 points to Tampa’s Freedom with 91.
Andy Warrener was on-scene for flrunners.com at the 2014 Charles Johnson Invitational taking over 600 photos of all the action! (via MileSplit)
In Tampa-area track parlance, The Charles Johnson Invitational translates as the first major, early-season tune-up meet for Hillsborough County track teams. This Saturday will mark the 19th Annual Charles Johnson Invitational. The meet was not born into the grand scale it resides in today.
The Early Bird Invitational at East Lake High School kicked off the season for most area track teams, Tuesday. Even being the first meet of the season, it held all the great earmarks of a late-season meet with personal records falling and heated rivalries forging fantastic finishes.
Andy Warrener was on-scene for flrunners.com at the 2014 Early Bird Eagle Invitational taking over 200 photos of all the action! (via MileSplit)
Storm clouds beset the Class 2A Region 3 meet before it ever began. Hours prior to the race, a storm front moved in and drenched the course at Anclote High School in Holiday. Precipitation held on into the start and for the duration of the race, bogging down runners and times. Still some runners were able to shine through the mud and moisture. On the girls side, the Academy of the Holy Names shone brightest.