BOYS WINNER: Levonte Whitfield - Senior @ Jones
Week after week it is almost a guarantee that wherever Levonte Whitfield is fans will be oohing and aahing watching the senior run. Whitfield posted nationally ranked times in his first two indoor meets at Jimmy Carnes and then at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle. Despite the times, Whitfield didn't walk away the winner. Personal Coach Ricky Argro says although he seemed frustrated at the conclusion of each event, he knew there were more races on the horizon.
"His mindset was how all of my kids are. We understand the big picture so it was pretty much lets get back to work and fix things. We never really discussed it much afterwards. I told him what I saw to work on and we went to fixing the issues."
Whitfield's work ethic is second to none. He practices after school with his Jones teammates and then continues the grind with Argro. It is that extra push, that extra sprint, that makes hime of the top sprinters in the nation. The Jones senior kicked off his outdoor campaign with wins in the 200 and 4x1 at the Lake Brantley Invitational and then a victory in the 100 meters at the Spruce Creek Invitational. These meets set the tone for what was to be one of Levonte's best meets of his high school career. In the days leading up to it, Whitfield worked on his base training during his high school workouts. Argro says after that the two have been working on getting Whitfield's technique down to the smallest details.
"His training before Bob Hayes was a lot of block work and video analysis so we could correct the small issues in his drive phase and transition."
Three prelims, three finals and one long day of track and field. That is what was in store for Whitfield at the Bob Hayes Invitational. In a meet known for blazing fast times, 2013 didn't disappoint, and Whitfield and Stanton Prep junior Kendall Williams were at the center of these battles. He posted a time of 10.41 in his first race of the day the 100 prelims, then ran the second leg in the 4x1 relay, and finished out the early rounds with a 21.19 showing in the 200.
That was the tune-up. The engine was rearing to go and Whitfield turn ont he turbos in the finals. Three false starts later and two dq'ed runners later and the 100 meter was off faster than you could blink. Whitfield crossed the line in a wind aided 10.15 seconds, the fastest all conditions time in the state, U.S. and number three all-conditions all-time. He called the race his perfect race and said everything was clicking on all cylinders.
Next up, was the 4x100 where he helped Jones to second place behind Gainesville High School. Whitfield rounded out the day with a runner-up finish to Williams in the 200 meters with a Florida #2 and US#2 time wind-aided time of 20.66. Whitfield is headed to FSU in the fall and will run track and field as well as play for the Seminoles' football team. His future sprints coach Ken Harnden says the number one attribute that makes the senior so valuable is his drive to be the best.
"I think Kermit is an amazing talent, but bigger than that he is a fierce competitor. He can be as good as he wants here at FSU. We have has some good sprinters come through over the last ten years and he can be as good as any. Of course we believe that the addition of Kermit, Michael Cherry and Trevor Mackey we will have a shot at the national title, something we strive for every year."
When all is said and done Argro hopes people look at Whitfield and say not only was he one of the best sprinters the state has seen, but he was also a good young man.
"That is the goal. God has given him and Marvin (Bracy) tremendous talent and we have tried our best to perfect it and see where it takes him. I'm proud of the young man he has become more so then the athlete he is. That's of most importance to me."
GIRLS WINNER: Emily Edwards - Junior @ Fort Myers
After finishing fifth at the 3A Cross Country Finals and 18th at Foot Locker South Regional, Fort Myers junior Emily Edwards shifted her focus to the track. The plan was to take a two week break, but that plan was derailed when Edwards came down with the flu. Once she was flu free, the junior and Coach Kelly Britton-Heinzman sat down and began to draw up a plan for the 2013 outdoor season. Britton-Heinzman says the transition between sports has gone quite smoothly.
"The transition from cross country to track really has been great for Emily. She seems to enjoy the varied distances offered in track as opposed to the 5k of cross country. Each season she has grown into a stronger, better runner. With this strength and building overtime we have been able to incorporate more race specific runs, solid tempo runs as well as other interval training."
Edwards kicked off the year with an indoor meet. She ran at the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Youth Meet at the University of Florida and opened with a 5:04.12 victory in the mile and a second place showing of 2:18.63 in the 800. Since then she has rattled off nine out of ten wins in the individual events she has competed in. As the year progressed so did her times and most notable in the 1600 meter run. Britton Heinzman knew if they put the splits together they could hit the times they'd been training for. Recently, the junior put down the fastest time in state and second fastest in the country for 2013 when she went 4:53.91 to win the Lee County Athletic Conference Championship. The week before her plan was to run consistent splits, but her coach says the game plan differed when they needed to rely on Edwards for some needed points.
"She was entered in the 400, 1600, 3200. Our goal was to make to finals in the 400 and then focus on the other races. She looked great running with Kacy in the 1600 and had a super strong finish. She got motivated during the race as she heard her splits called and how close she was to breaking 5:00 for the first time this season. At that point I believe that her focus was to get under 5:00. The mile ended and her time was 4:53."
Her time of 4:53.91 is the fastest in Florida and seconds fastest in the nation this outdoor season. Edwards went onto finish third in the 400, and win the 3200 in the state's fourthfastest time and a new personal best, 10:59.31. It was an exciting night ot just for the Green Wave junior who scored 26 points on the evening, but for her team who took home the trophy as well. Not wanting to skip out on conference, but also hoping for the chance to compete against more of the states' top distance runners, Edwards took to Tampa for the USF/Steinbrenner Invitational just two days later. Britton says this meet the focus was on some new events.
"The USF meet traditionally has great competition. She had just run the mile and two mile so we were not going to race that again so close. This allowed her to run the 800 race somewhat fresh. She ran the 4x800 with a split of 2:15 and came back to run the open just as strong winning in 2:15.84 (a new personal best). She was also part of our 4x400 team. It was an extremely exciting yet busy week."
The grind will continue as Edwards will join the top distance runners in state and some great out of state competition as well at the FSU Relays this weekend. Britton-Heinzman knows that her standout will give 110 percent no matter who she toes the line with. She says what makes Edwards great is her balance."
"She has a good amount of speed mixed in with strength. She loves running yet is also involved in volunteering and other school events/activities. Emily is very coachable. She is dedicated to the sport and I can always count on her working hard every day. "
Emily's Athlete Profile