Guerra's Sprint Sweep Guides Naples To Lady Tarpon Team Title

Lady Tarpon Invitational
Olivia Ortiz


(Photos and video by Danny Duncan)

A cold, Thursday meet didn’t hold the girls back from competing and running fast. Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda hosted the Lady Tarpon Invitational giving teams the opportunity to run against many of the fastest runners in the state. With many runners winning multiple races, the night was full of quick times and fierce competition. 
 
The meet started out with a bang as Estero and Lakewood Ranch faced each other for the first time this season in the 4x800m relay. Senior and Southern Miss commit, Kristin Zarrella ran the first leg for the Lady Mustangs while senior and Ole Miss commit, Kacy Smith ran the anchor leg for Estero. A very close match between both teams, but Estero got the win in 9:37 over Lakewood Ranch in 9:44.
 
“Coming into this meet I wanted to work with the girls on their attitude toward the 4x800m. They can do it and are strong but don’t always believe in the training and themselves,” said Smith. “I think we ran a good race and I’m proud of everyone. We have a long season and I’m excited to see what’s in store for the team. The second place finish is just incentive to run faster,” said Zarrella.

 
On the sprints side in the finals, Naples sophomore Victoria Guerra had an outstanding night. She won the 100m in 12.69 seconds, 200m in 25.90 seconds, and ran the anchor leg for the 4x100m runner-up relay team. Last year at States she placed fifth in the 200m and has even greater goals for this year.
 
“Coming into this meet, I knew they was going to be a lot of competition so I was not too worried about time. This season, I hope to break my PR’s and school records in the 100m and 200m and qualify to States in both,” said Guerra.

 
In the 400m, senior Kristin Zarrella from Lakewood Ranch won and set a new school record, winning in 59.42 seconds.
 
“I was excited to run the 400m and my goal was to break a minute,” said Zarrella. 
 
Most likely, the most anticipated races were the races junior Emily Edwards ran in from Fort Myers. The 800m was a close battle between Emily Edwards and Kacy Smith. Neck to neck almost throughout the entire two laps, Emily got the win in 2:17 and then Kacy in 2:20.
 
“I knew coming into this meet, there would be amazing competition, so I had the expectation that I would have to fight for any place in any event. I had some time goals that I wanted to achieve, and overall I was pleased with how I ran and how it all played out,” said Edwards. 
 

The 1600m was no different in talented competition. A close battle between Emily, Kacy, and junior Caroline Barlow from Gulf Coast. Emily held the lead and won in 5:02, then Kacy in 5:08, and Caroline in 5:14.
 
“Coming into the mile, I had wanted to set the pace and try to run my own race. I had in my mind to run as consistent of 200s as possible, and react to anyone if they started to make a move. It was a tough race with great competition, so I definitely had to be mentally prepared to race,” said Edwards. “For my senior year I want to go out with a bang and no regrets. Just work hard and enjoy one last season with a group of amazing girls,” said Smith. 
 
In the 3200m, senior and Ole Miss commit, Katy G. Solis from Estero and junior Caroline Barlow from Gulf Coast ran a tight race from the start. Katy won in 11:18 and then Caroline in 11:29.
 
“This is always a fast meet with competition. My goal is to beat my PR’s and qualify to States and place in the top three in the 1600m and 3200m,” said Barlow. 



Other notable performances include Admiral Farragut's Brittany McGee who won the 100 meter hurdles, long jump in 18'-03".00, and finished second in the high jump where she tied Michelle Atherly of Port Charlotte at a height of 5'-02". Johnetta Williams of Dunbar dominated the shot put with a throw of 40'-11".
 
Congratulations to Naples HS for winning the meet with 73 points. The battle for second was extremely close with Estero taking the runner-up trophy with 56 points. Fort Myers was third with 54.5 points and Golden Gate fourth with 53 points.
 
The Lady Tarpon Invitational was an exciting meet with outstanding competition. A special thank you to Charlotte High School and all of the coaches and volunteers that put on a successful meet at one of the best facilities in the state. The best is yet to come!


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