Final Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet Ends On High Note, Nationally Ranked Marks & New Meet Records

Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet
Todd Grasley


(7th grader Tamari Davis and freshman Tyrese Cooper were two of the stars of the 9th and final installment of the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet)

On-Site Coverage

The Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet has been the starting point to the year for many of Florida's best and brightest track and field standouts over the past nine years. Due to renovations in the "O-Dome", the 2016 edition would be the last, ending an era of indoor meets in the state for the unforeseeable future. The meet went out in style this weekend providing a show for the fans that saw them witness nationally ranked times, new meet records, and the future of the sport!

Girls Recap

In the sprints, the marquee matchup was Pasco senior and University of Miami signee Alfreda Steele against World Youth silver medalist and UCLA signee Khalifa St. Fort. Steele was up for the challenge winning round one by two tenths of a second in 6.95s. The pair came back for an "allstar" championship that pitted the top nine times from both the 15-16 and 17-19 age groups. Both improved their times from earlier in the day with Steele, proving she will be a top threat at New Balance Nationals, clocking a US#1 (tie) 6.90 to St. Fort's US#3 6.92. The Pasco senior's time is second all-time in meet history behind only current Florida Gator Shayla Sanders.



See what Steele had to say after the race about her hard work in the oval office paying off.


The race marked the third of the day for St. Fort who won the 17-19 age group 200m in 24.99 and was the fastest of any high schooler. The best time of the day though belonged to a SEVENTH GRADER, yes 13 year old Tamari Davis who has been setting age group records since she was itty bitty, did just that again. Davis, running for the Pure Athletics club ran the 200m track in 24.96 and followed that up with a world youth record 7.05s 55m dash! WOW. Equally impressive were Danielle Bess, Briana Willams, and Myrka Cadet who ran 25.35,  25.60 and 25.92.



Coach Gary Evans, who also is an Adidas coach, says he was impressed with her performance.

"I was very pleased with her performance. To come out and drop that type of time and we still in our base phase is great. She is a 12 year old that has a dream and her dream is to become a professional runner. So when they listen well and give you a 100% at practice it makes training a athlete easy. I didn't make Tamari. That was a God giving talent. My job is to just mold it as I did Xavier Carter."

Speaking of fast youngsters, Northeast High School (Oakland Park) freshman Jan'Taijah Ford, the 2015 Middle School State Champion in the 200 and runner-up behind Davis in the 100, clocked the fastest 400m of any girl on Saturday, 56.70 . That list includes Ohio State signee Tamani Wilson and UGA signee Janaya Chambers! Ford would run the third fastest time of the day in the 200m, 25.07. Both times are the third fastest for a freshman girl in the country!


In the distance events, North Broward Prep's Katie Pinnell who owns an 800m PR of 2:14.82 won the 15-16 mile (5:22.37) and was second overall. She also placed second in her section of the 800m and with the second fastest time of the meet (2:20.72) behind only Emoni Coleman who won in 2:19.12, the fourth fastest time in meet history. Two Hillsborough Harriers, Jacquelyn Abanses and Ellie Pleune who are in just the seventh grade posted the fastest middle school times in the country clocking 5:23.81 and 5:34.26 respectively in the mile!

The girls pole vault is traditionally a quality event and this year was another solid field. Six girls cleared 11 feet with World Youth qualifier (10th) Carson Dingler of Georgia winning the event for her third time in four tries clearing 12'7. Dingler attempted to clear the meet record of 13'0 set by Nikki Carroll in 2015, but came up short.

Boys Recap

Similar to the girl's events, there was a lot of talk on the boy's side about freshman phenom Tyrese Cooper of Miami Gardens XPress. Cooper fresh off class national records in the 200m and 400m dash, he was entered in both as well as the 60m, an event he's probably the least familiar with coming into the meet. Prior, we had an inside look at the group's workout which included sprinting up Miami's hills (might be an oxymoron). Cooper and Seneca Milledge who went 1-2 at the Middle School State Championship finished in that same order in the 15-16 age group. Wearing metallic gold shoes, Cooper ran 22.25, the second fastest on the day behind only Jeffery Hulon of Texas who made the trip east to the Sunshine State and won from heat two! 


Cooper switched shoes for the 400 and 55m dash which he won as well in 49.03 the fastest on the day and a US#7 6.35 with Milledge in second in US#9 6.37. MGX Coach Darius Lawshea told us after the meet that the un-banked track wasn't ideal.

"He couldn't maximize his speed on the curve so he had to run safe just to win."

Milledge came back in the championship 55m dash which featured all high school age groups to win in 6.41 over Hulon and 2015 4A state champion in the 100m dash Alvin Bryant of Dr. Phillips

In the distance events, Yohance Haynes of St. Thomas Aquinas took the boys 800m run out hard with Justin Pacifico taking over on the final lap and setting a meet record time of 1:54.99 in front of his future teammates. Haynes ran the second fastest time in meet history, crossing the line right behind him in 1:55.27. Pacifico's Flagler Palm Coast teammate Ka'Deem Wynn nabbed third in 1:57.50.


The running events didn't get all the luster as there were some impressive field performances as well. Cocoa's Jeremy Lawson who competed for Gainesville High School in 2015, told us before the meet he wanted to better his meet record he set then of 22'10 in the long jump. Lawson, who we had the chance to see in practice earlier in the week, improved his mark with a leap of 23'5.7! Jadarious McKnight of the Olympia Track Club had the second farthest jump of the meet launching 22'10 in the 15-16 age group.


Allen Wiggins the 1A state championship in the shot put kicked off 2016 with a 50 foot plus throw, 54'6.75, the third farthest of his career. Wiggins shows us in this video it's all about technique.



Last but not least, the boys pole vault always is a top draw. South Fork senior Cole Colazzo equaled his personal best of 15'0 when he won the 3A state championship.

Special thanks to all of those involved with the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet and giving Florida athletes a place to run while the rest of the country is freezing and having snow ball fights! Hey, it was 40 degrees on Saturday. Here is to hoping the meet in some capacity down the road!


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