Early Bird Eagle Invitational: Countryside Boys Squeak Out One Point Victory Over Land O'Lakes

Early Bird Eagle Invitational
Andy Warrener


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.


On-Site Coverage

Host East Lake dominated the early-going of the tournament and the Eagles' girls team did cruise to a team victory with 142 points to runner-up Land O'Lakes  with 125.5. The Eagles were buoyed by their four sprinters on the 4x100m relay team. Sophomore Cienna Nichols, senior Ramiah Vickers, freshman Alivia Abraham and senior Christelle Wagner put the other 12 teams on notice and look state-hopeful already as they ran a 52.24, just hundredths off their meet mark from a year ago with a slightly different lineup. Nichols, who exploded onto the scene as a freshman last year, won the girls 100m in 12.95 and was runner-up in the 200m in 26.81. Vickers finished second in the 100m (13.45).

However, the East Lake boys could not keep up with the battle between Land O'Lakes and Countryside. It manifested in the first event of the day. In the boys 4x800m. Andrew Llewellyn led a Cougar charge that over took the Land O'Lakes squad and claims an 8:17.71 victory. It wouldn't be the last time Llewellyn would battle the Gators that evening.

Meanwhile, Dunedin, who registered just ninth on the girls side (32) and eighth on the boys side (36) had the two brightest individual stars of the night in sophomore Olivia Welsh and senior Ahmad Middleton. Welsh ran a scorching 100m hurdle final in 15.74, blowing the doors of the meet mark of 17.28 from last year and the rest of the field, Tuesday. Welsh also won the pole vault (10-7) on number of tries and was runner-up in the long jump (16-5) and was fifth in the 200m (28.48). Middleton scored victories in the 110m hurdles (14.38) crushing his personal record in the first meet of the season. He also won the 300m hurdles (38.84) and the long jump (20-8)

"My goal is 37's and 13's by the end of the season," Middleton said.

Middleton credits his summer training regimen with the fast start to the 2014 season.

Mitchell senior Emily Kerns set the bar for the whole Tampa-area Tuesday, when she blasted out a 5:18.68, a good enough mark to assure her a top seed most of the season. Kerns has been working on the last 300 meters of the race and works out running, "300's maybe 15-20 times in practice". It wasn't needed to win the race as Kerns finished 15 seconds ahead of the field.

"Training hard for cross-country and keeping it up in the offseason has helped me pick up right where I left off (last season)," Kerns said.

Meanwhile Llwellyn and the Gator distance runners had another go in the 1600m. Gator distance runner and state finalist cross-country runners Jake Poore and Tyler Stahl kept Llewellyn at bay most of the race but as Poore dropped back and it became a two-horse race between Stahl and Llewellyn, Stahl stole a peek over his left shoulder to see how much space he had. It was not enough space as Llewellyn took him on the end of the final turn and finished in 4:28.18.

Largo junior Deterio Petite set a high bar for the boys high jump, clearing 6-6 to win it. Osceola senior Carson Waters cleared 14 feet to win the boys pole vault. 

Land O'Lakes senior Hallie Grimes won the 400m (58.46) and the 200m (26.48).

Then Llewellyn and the Gators would have another go. In the 3200m race, the Gator triumvirate that included Travis Nichols, kept Llewellyn behind another furious pace. By the seventh lap, Llewellyn had moved into second behind Poore. On the back stretch, Llewellyn made a move but Poore fought it off. On the last turn, Llewellyn passed him but Poore was not finished.

"He (Llewellyn) kicked all three of our butts all day, when he passed me with 100 (meters) to go, I knew I had to catch him for the team," Poore, a recent University of Tampa-commit, said.

The last duel would be settled in the boys 4x400m and it would settle the team title. With pole vault results rolling in the 4x4 went off. It did not have the intrigue of previous races as Countryside cruised to win in 3:39.65, more than 15 seconds ahead of the field. The final score was Countryside 140, Land O'Lakes 139.

"It's a sweet victory," Countryside coach Eileen Givens said. "They (Land O'Lakes) have quality and quantity, it was a good start in our first meet versus a state contender."


Elite Performances

Girls Highlights

Boys Highlights