Spring Break is upon the state of Florida, but that doesn't mean times and impressive marks were down. Although some notable athletes took the week off, there were still national records set and #1's in FL. Make sure you vote for your favorite Girl Athlete of the Week and then check back later to see who took this week's top honor. Voting closes Monday, March 25th, at 11:59 p.m.
Rayquel Berry- It is impressive enough to take a state leading mark, but its incredible to take two FL best marks in one day. Berry, the senior from Coral Reef HS, did exactly that at the Dade County Youth Fair HS Championships. The FL #1 Triple Jump and Long Jump now belong to Berry as she won both events and jumped 39-10.25 in the triple and 20-08.50 in the long jump.
Sydney Blackburn- The sophomore from Highlands Christian Academy continues to be mainstay in this poll as this past weekend she set a new FL #1/ US #9 mark in the discus at the Miami Hurricane Invitational. Blackburn threw 149-11 feet on her way to taking the win and cementing herself as one of the top throwers in the state.
Tamari Davis- The freshman phenom continued her record setting performances, this time at Bob Hayes where Davis made her own history, running 23.06 to tie Bianca Knight's freshman class record. The Gainesville HS freshman now holds the US #1 time in the 200 and is the most dominant 200m runner in the country as of now.
Gabriela Garza- The senior from IMG Academy (pictured on the cover) showed up and showed out at the IMG Academy Invitational, where she swept the 100 and 300 hurdles. Garza set the #4 FL time in the 300H with a 43.57 and then set the FL #7 time in the 100H with a 14.34. Garza is undefeated on the season in the hurdles and is having exceptional year.
Valerie Lastra- the sophomore from Mater Academy Charter HS is one of only five girls in FL to go sub 5 minutes in the 1600. Lastra won the Miami Hurricane Invitational in a time of 4:59.13 as she went sub 5 for the second time this year, as she joins elite company with Bolles HS Caitlin Collier to be the only two girls in FL to go sub 5 minutes twice.
Jinah Mickens-Malik- The FL #2 800m runner is a freshman from Mater Academy Charter HS, and she continued her domination in the 800 meter run as she won the Miami Hurricane Invitational. Malik ran a 2:14.73 to notch the best 800m time of the week. The 2016 3A 800m FHSAA State Champion has already racked up major wins in the 800 at the Louie Bing Classic and Sam Burley Hall of Fame Invitational.
Alyssa Richard-The junior from Miami Northwestern HS dominated in the shot put at the Bob Hayes Invitational as she moved up the list for the FL #4 mark with a 43-0.5 feet. She also finished 2nd in the discus at Bob Hayes, as Richard is now the top junior in FL in the shot put and will be an important part in the MNW trek to win another state championship.
Abby Thorpe- The senior from Creekside HS took full advantage of knowing her surroundings as Thorpe won the high jump at the Friday Knight Invite. Abby set the FL #3 high jump mark with a jump of 5-7 and a personal best for the Liberty University signee.
Saniya Tillman- The freshman from Auburndale HS set the FL #6 time in the 400m dash at the Polk County Championships where she ran a 55.42. Tillman's 55.42 was also sufficient enough to be the fastest 400m dash time of the week. This young freshman is going to be a force to be reckoned with eventually down the road.
Briana Williams- The debate over who the best 100m sprinter in the US is officially over, for now. The sophomore from Northeast HS give the fans of Bob Hayes a race that they will never forget as she dominated from start to finish, as she blazed a wind legal 11.13 (US #1). The most scary thought for competitors of Williams is that she is not over racing and will be a favorite to win all of her races down the stretch.
