FL at NBNI: Davis, Williams Win Titles & Many Top 10


Tamari Davis and Briana Williams both won national titles this weekend and many Florida athletes earned All-American status for their performances at the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet in New York City.

Here are a few storylines from all Florida athletes that finished top 10 in the championship events at NBNI. 

Davis Wins Third National Title


Tamari Davis went three for three winning her third  national title in the 200m in a time of 23.24. Davis chose to stick with the 200m distance this year instead of doubling in the 60m like last year. This strategy paid off as the Oak Hall sophomore PR'ed in the event, running two-tenths of a second faster in the finals than she did in the previous year. 

Williams Becomes National Champ, Sears Surprise 4th Place Finish


Briana Williams had a fantastic first indoor race of the 2019 season winning the 60m national title in a PR of 7.28. Palm Beach senior, Jacious Sears, put on a show in prelims with the fastest time heading into finals of 7.33 with Williams right behind in 7.36. 

In the semi-final, Williams stayed consistent in the second place running 7.37 With sears in eighth running 7.52 to both qualify for the finals. 

Williams turned on the jets in the finals, winning the event by two-hundreths of a second. Sears finished fourth in 7.40 for her highest national performance in her entire career. 

Hicks Races to Third Place in Boys Championship Two Mile


Bolles senior, Charles Hicks, ran a new PR of 8:59.81 to finish third in the championship two mile race. Devin Hart of New Jersey was the champion in a time of 8:56.89 and Hicks was nearly two seconds ahead of fourth place as he cross the line as a national all-american. This was the Stanford signee's highest national performance in his high school career. 

Rivera Runs 4:11.24 Mile PR 

After winning the emerging elite mile last season, Chase Rivera, aimed his efforts at a new challenge -- the Championship Mile Race. 

Last season, Rivera ran a 4:14.69 for the mile distance and this year he took nearly three seconds off that time to finish sixth amongst the top milers in the nation. 

Estero senior and UF signee, Hugh Brittenham, had a strong finish in the event as well, running a time of 4:21.04. 


Holly Cassels Finishes 8th in Girls Championship Pentathlon 


Dwyer senior, Holly Cassels, was the top Florida athlete in the girls Championship Pentathlon -- scoring 3363 points. 

Cassels top events was the 800m and high jump where she was third in the 800m racing a 2:25, fifth jumping a 5-04.50. 

Kilpatrick, Knight, Bynum All Top 10 in Boys Championship Pentathlon


Alex Kilpatrick was your highest Florida finisher in the championship pentathlon, scoring 3345 points. Kilpatrick showed what he was made of in the 60m hurdles, taking second place in the event and running a new PR of 8.53 for the event. 

Gage Knight scored a total of 3177 points with his fourth place finish in the high jump with his mark of 5-11.50. 

Markus Bynum finished eighth in the Championship Pentathlon with 3085 points. Bynum had a strong seventh place performance in the 1000m, racing a 2:59.99 PR. 



Ken'Naria Gadson Finishes Top 8 in Girls Championship 400m


Wharton junior, Ken'Naria Gadson, finished seventh in the girls 400m Championship race in a time of 55.30. Gadson was fourth coming into finals with her 54.84 performance in prelims the day prior. 

Francois Races To Top 10 Finish in Championship 800m


In his first indoor race of the 2019 season, Joab Francois of Lake Brantley, had his fastest 800m race yet and finished ninth in a time of 1:54.11. 

As we head into the thick of the outdoor season here in Florida, Francois has proven with his performance that he will be back to racing 1:51 800m races very soon. 

Banks Throws Top 10 Mark in Championship Weight Throw

Ruben Banks finished ninth in the boys Championship Weight Throw with a new Indoor PR of 20.44m. The IMG Academy junior holds an outdoor PR of 21.43m in the event and was the top Florida thrower this weekend at NB Nationals. 

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