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. Leading off that 4x400m relay was Sparling. Sparling took second in the girls 100m in 11.64. While only second place, it's still a top 25 national time. Sparling also took fourth in the 200m in 24.31. It was Sparling that anchored the champion 4x100m relay with a time of 46.18, the seventh-best time in the nation this year. Sparling and Ellis were key elements in Aquinas' dominance at the 2014 state meet. It will likely be the last time the two of them compete side-by-side with Ellis headed to the University of Southern California in the Fall. Flrunners caught up with the girls as they took team photos after the meet.
Flrunners: You are a four-time state champion. Did you ever think this was possible?
Ellis: I didn't. My freshman year before states, I told my coach I didn't even want to go but then after my first and second year, it became something I really wanted.
Flrunners: You've gone against some of the best sprinters Florida has ever seen in Kali Davis-White and Tynia Gaither. How has that helped you over the years?
Sparling: I'm used to running against people who are very fast, I think that you always have the advantage when you're used to that.
Flrunners: What do you like about training with Sparling?
Ellis: She's a sprinter, so she pushes me to help me get out faster. It's a challenge each and every workout.
Flrunners: What do you enjoy about training with Ellis?
Sparling: Every day she's pushing me to faster times.
Flrunners: What's it like always being, "the runner to beat"?
Ellis: I struggle with the pressure, honestly but it's a matter of being confident in yourself and in your coaches and not allowing the mental aspect to break you down.
Flrunners: Describe the pressure to perform for an elite school like Aquinas.
Sparling: The coaches prepare us for the meet but you still have to come confident. You gain confidence from the team.
Flrunners: What is some advice you would give to young runners coming up wanting to set the kind of times you have?
Ellis: Stay positive, be confident, make sure your mind is right, trust your coaches and attack the mental aspect as much as you attack the physical.
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