On-Site Coverage
Palmetto Ridge hosted the talent filled 3A District 12 meet on Thursday hosting ten powerhouse teams for their first state series qualifying meet of the season. Many state standouts competed and earned their spots advancing to compete in Regionals next week. The state series is always the most anticipated part of the season where countless hours of hard work shines. A special thank you to Robert Brown who was on-site and captured over 1,700 photos of this action-packed District meet.
Meet Recap by Olivia Ortiz
On the girls side, Lely started off with a strong win in the 4x800m relay with a 9:57.74.
Naples sophomore Victoria Guerra had an amazing day. Throughout the season Guerra has helped Naples with many team victories by her countless and impressive first place finishes. Guerra won the 100m dash in 12.78, 200m dash in 25.51, and ran the anchor leg in the 4x100m winning relay. She also placed second in the long jump with a 16-0. Guerra will be a strong competitor in the Regional meet next week as her hard work continues to pay off.
Fort Myers junior and state standout Emily Edwards conquered all the distance races of the day. Edwards won the 800 in 2:17.49, 1600m in 5:01.49, and 3200m in 11:29.60. Edwards continues to have an outstanding junior year and will continue to dominant in the state series meets to come. Gulf Coast junior Caroline Barlow also lead her team by running to two strong place finishes. Barlow ran a 5:19.37 in the 1600m and 11:49.03 in the 3200m advancing her to Regionals, as well.
Naples sophomore Rebecca Johnson won the 100m hurdles in a 16.51 and also advanced in the 300m hurdles placing third with a 49.50. Cape Coral senior Daniaria Brice set a new season best in her win in the 400m running a 58.44. Naples also took the 4x400m relay title in a quick 4:06.56.
In the field events, Fort Myers sophomore Katherine Elias won and set a new personal best in the pole vault with a 9-06. Cape Coral senior Camary Williams was victorious in the long jump with a 16-08.25 while Ida Baker senior Monique Elliott won the triple jump with a 34-03.50. Fort Myers senior Alexis Walker set a new season best in the shot put with a 36-05. Barron Collier junior Summer Roorda placed first in the high jump with a 5-02 while teammate junior Andrea Milarcik won and set a new personal best in the discus throwing a 107-04.
On the boys side, the results were just as impressive. In the 4x800m relay, Fort Myers won in a 8:18.33.
Lely junior Anderson Joseph won and set a new personal best in the 300m hurdles in 40.19 while Ida Baker junior Michael Shields won the 110m hurdles in a quick 15.08, also setting a new personal best.
Barron Collier senior Clavin Jean won and set a new personal best in the 400m in a 48.79 while East Lee County junior Kendall Sawyer won the 200m dash in a 22.23. In the 100m dash, Ida Baker senior Tyler Holliman won in a 11.10 and also placed second in the 200m dash running a 22.28. In the 4x100m relay, East Lee County took the win in a 42.47 over a close second place finish by Ida Baker in a 42.74. Fort Myers took the win in the 4x400m relay running a 3:22.22.
The distance events brought many of the top leading state competitors. Palmetto Ridge junior Kolin Ashbacher won and set a new personal best in the 800m running a 1:56.62. Teammate and University of Florida commit Carlos Miranda had incredible first place victories with tremendous competition. Miranda won the 1600m, in 4:24.31 and the 3200m, in 9:35.98. In the 1600m, Naples senior and NYU commit Buddy Gates placed second in the mile setting a new season best in 4:31.49. Fort Myers sophomore Dean McGregor finished third in 4:31.93. While, teammate and SCAD commit Aesop Brown placed fourth in 4:31.93. Brown also placed fourth in the 3200m in 9:54.81 to compete in Regionals next week. Also in the 3200m, Fort Myers junior Tyler Bennet placed second in 9:42.15 while Naples senior Lee Shearer finished to a strong third place in 9:43.38.
In the high jump, Lely sophomore Noah Joseph placed first in a 6-00. Palmetto Ridge senior Princy Dorsainvil won the pole vault in 13-00. In the long jump, Naples freshman Tyler Byrd won the long jump with a 22-08.50 setting a new personal best while teammate senior Jules Dornevil won the triple jump with a 44-07.75. East Lee County senior Sheldon Fleming won and set a new personal best in the shot put in 57-02. In the discus, Fort Myers senior Devin Williams was victorious throwing a 171-02.
Congratulations to Naples for becoming District Champions on the girls side and Fort Myers on the boys side. Hope everyone has a great week and best of luck at Regionals!