Steinbrenner Pulls 2-Team Sweep, Hurricane Hertenstein Dominates 1600, Wharton Girls Sweep 400

Steinbrenner Invitational
Andy Warrener

On-Site Coverage

Team honors went to the host Warriors on Saturday at Steinbrenner High School in Tampa but the Wharton girls, even without Aria Tate send a resounding statement as they swept the 400m, going 1-2-3 and then took first and third in the 200m. 

"I had no idea we would run those times," Wildcat Bryanna Rivers said. "I never expected that from myself but I'm thankful to get some speed work and I'm happy with the results."

Rivers, Wharton's top 800m runner, ran a personal record 57.75 to take second behind Searra Woods' 57.25. Teammate Avonti Holt took third in personal record time (57.94). Woods and Holt came back and took first and third in the 200m, Holt going 25.25 for her season best and Woods going 25.75.

"The team's coming together, the relays are coming together," Woods said. 


The girls 1600m was one of the more exciting races as the field stacked with some of the Tampa area's top talent. Still, none of them could hold up to the withering pace of Riverview's Bailey "Hurricane" Hertenstein. Hertenstein took Sunlake 1600m school record holder Jamila Cardwell on the run of her career, pulling her to a 5:18.00 and extending her personal and school record. However, Hertenstein pulled away on the final lap, going 5:00.46, just off her sub 5-minute run from the Wildcat Invite in February. 

"One second off my PR is not bad, I think I could have done even better," Hertenstein said. 


Collectively, it was the Warriors' day. The girls out-distanced Wharton 120 to 66.50. Berkeley Prep and Land O' Lakes took third and fourth at 53 and 52, respectively. The biggest point bonanza came in the hurdles for Steinbrenner. Zack Reinhardt, Jacob Gonclaves and Brett Bitter swept the top three spots in the 110m hurdles, Reinhardt in 15.13, topping his seed time. Reinhardt and Goncalves went 1-2 in the 300m hurdles with Reinhardt cracking 40 seconds. Goncalves had a quick turnaround in the morning 300 hurdles, heading right over to the high jump where he took second by number of misses at 6-0. Ocala Vanguard's McKenzey Johnson won it. The top four jumpers all cleared 6-0.


On the girls side, the hurdles were the catalyst as Taylor Hotchkiss and Emma Stevens dominated. Hotchkiss won the 100m hurdles in 15.25 with Stevens in second. Hotchkiss doubled down in the 300m hurdles to win it in 45.80, with Stevens in second.


Hotchkiss, who recently committed to Garner Webb in North Carolina, would go on to take second in the long jump at 16-6.75. Stevens had a busy day, taking photos for the school newspaper and even handing out awards during the meet. Brooke Santiesteban anchored the winning 4x800m relay (9:47.50) and the Warriors girls teamed up to take second in the 4x400m behind Alonso's 4:07.19. 

Mitchell's Emily Gauvey cleared 5-8 to win the high jump title with Land O' Lakes' Tori Cannata taking second at 5-4.


Cannata also won the triple jump at 35-6, getting the better of Hillsborough's Daneesha Davidson (35-1). 

"I did a seven-step approach today and I'm going to move up to an eight-step for districts," Cannata said. 

Cannata also took third in the long jump behind Hotchkiss and Tampa Catholic's Rachel Hagans (16-11)

The triple jump Terriers, winners of the last three boys state titles in the event, have a new sheriff in town that goes by the name of Kevin Pierce. Pierce isn't quite in league with Alabama jumper Jeremiah Green or Virginia Tech football player Dwayne Lawson but their influence is left on Pierce.

"I learned from them to work hard and that hard work pays off," Pierce said. 

Terrier jump coach Kariem Webb is gaining reputation as a horizontal jump guru as Pierce won both the triple jump (44-1) and the long jump (21-8).


In the throws, private school throwers Alise Davis and Ashaunti Brown dominated. Davis put all three of her shot put throws out past 40 feet and won it with a 41-2. Davis, who has scholarship offers for basketball but still somehow not one for track, warms up with both a 12 and a 16-pound implement. Davis claims to have thrown a 48 at a local tri-meet earlier this season.

"I don't know what got into me, I was mad, I scratched on a really good first throw - it was crazy," Davis said.

Davis is not someone you'd want to anger. Luckily for Brown, Davis and she are becoming friends after competing together so frequently. It was Davis that told Brown to change into her throwing shoes after her second throw in disc. Brown changed shoes and on her third throw, clipped Davis' 119-3 with a 119-7.5.

"We help each other at all the meets we're together," Brown said. "I'll still see her at states, we aren't in the same classification but we'll be there together."


In the boys throws, Zephyrhills' Zackary Carpenter threw a personal record 141-10 to top his rival Kyle Manuel (135-0.5). 

"There are some tough kids out there," Carpenter said. "I finally took down Springstead, he got the best of me the last few times, it's nice to get him."

Carpenter took third in the shot behind Admiral Farragut's Sam Baker (49-9.5) and Keyon Jenkins (49-4). 


In the boys 1600m, Plant distance specialists Quasan Markowski and Rob Leverone took the top two spots with Markowski in at 4:21.07 and Leverone in personal record 4:24.25. 

"It's always nice to set your PR just 11 days until districts," Leverone said.



The boys 4x100m saw Tampa Bay Tech's Thaddeus Hannah, Kadrin Williams, Isaiah Brown III and Marino Hillman go 42.45 for their season best. Williams also grabbed second in the open 100m and Brown second in the 200m (22.48). 


Shaven Shaw of Ocala Forest won the 200m in 22.12 and the 100m in 11.15.

Sickles' Andrew Vendrone won the 400m in 49.40 but the rapid schedule left him almost no time to recover for the 200m. Vendrone settled for third in the 200.

Space Coast's Skye Zeller ran a blazing fast 2:14.00 to win the girls 800m. Seller has a 2:11.55 from Golden South last year and a 0.01-second loss to Caitlyn Collier at states that have her more motivated than ever for this season.


Steinbrenner's Tiyera Joseph, fresh off a visit to Wingate in North Carolina, one of the two schools she fields offers from, walked out of her ACT exam at school and onto the track for a 2:17.33, demolishing her old PR by more than three seconds. 

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