Top Girls Athletes To Watch At FSU Relays

Mar 22, 2022

The girls 3,200 at the FSU Relays on Friday night should be a historic one for the state of Florida.

It includes eight sub-11 minute performers in the field and three of Florida's fastest all-time performances in Winter Springs senior Caroline Wells (10:08 3200 PR) and the Cambridge Christian duo of Caroline Lehman (10:14 2 Mile PR) and Mary Ellen Eudaly (10:17 3200 PR).

Check out the top entries and seeds in each high school girls event for this weekend's FSU Relays in Tallahassee below.

The full entry list and meet preview will come later this week.

Caroline Wells vs. Caroline Lehman & Mary Ellen Eudaly

Florida's big three girls distance runners have rarely matched up.

So this weekend should be special when Wells faces off with Eudaly and Lehman.

It has only happened twice in the past 12 months -- once at the Running Lane Track Championships last spring and then at the FSU Pre-State Invitational this past cross country season.

In both head to head encounters, Wells was able to decisively win against the Cambridge Christian stars. One performance included her state 3,200 meter run record of 10:08 at the Running Lane Track Championships last summer. That time could be broken again on Friday night at FSU Relays.

Meanwhile, Lehman has the state outdoor (10:14) and indoor (10:18) record for two miles. The FHSA Class 2A state cross country champion Jillian Candelino (10:48 PR) is certainly capable of a breakthrough, as well, as she actually finished between Wells and the Cambridge Christian girls in a runner-up finish at the FSU Pre-State Cross Country meet in October.

Undoubtedly, the meet record of 10:15.10 is in jeopardy.

With the exception of Wells, many of the top girls in Friday's 3,200 will be doubling back for the 1,600 meter run on Saturday, with Eudaly owning a performnace of 4:44 and Lehman at 4:46. The pair are one of the state's rare tandems from the same school to boast PRs under 4:50.

Candelino seems ready for a sub-5 minute run after a 5:04 victory at the Bolles Bulldog Classic, while another Cambridge Christian runner -- eighth-grader Eliana Black -- has already broken five minutes for the 1,600 this season.

Eudaly is the current state leader and ranked US No. 8 outdoors with a 4:50 season best, while Lehman nearly broke the Florida high school indoor mile record two weekends ago at New Balance Nationals with a 4:50 full mile performance.

MICAYAH HOLLAND TRANSITIONING TO OUTDOOR

Holland headlines the sprint field and remains as confident as ever. The Montverde Academy junior claimed a 60m title at adidas Track Nationals this weekend. She also recorded three straight weekends of sub-24 second performances in the 200m, both indoors (New Balance Nationals, adidas Track Nationals) and outdoors (Bolles Bulldog Classic).

She will certainly be favored to win the 100m with her US No. 5 11.64 wind legal best despite having fast section of all sub-12 second stars including Sophie Haag, Nya Blocker, Adriyanna Griggs, and Aniyah Kitt.

Holland could be a tougher test though in the 200m, as the eighth grader Griggs is coming off a 23.65 wind-legal victory at the distance at the Bob Hayes Invitational last weekend. That time was three-tenths of a second faster than Holland's 23.96 lifetime best.

HURDLE EVENTS WILL FEATURE STAR POWER

The hurdles will also feature several of the nation's best, including Griggs' teammate at Somerset Academy.

Pembroke Pines ninth grader Aleesa Samuel is on a hot streak. She finished as a national runner-up in the 60mH at New Balance Nationals two weekends ago.

Earlier in the season, she threw down a fast time of 14.09 to win the 100mH at the Louie Bing Invitational. This weekend, she will be looking for sub-14 second time at FSU.

And she might need to go that time, as she will also face Bob Hayes Invitational winner Brittany Jennings of Smallwood, who clocked a wind-legal sub-14 time of 13.98 at the distance in Jacksonville.

Another legit contender will be last year's FHSA Class 2A state champion Chelsi Williams, who is now at Class 4A George Jenkins. She owns the fourth fastest time overall in the state of Florida with a performance of 14.12.

Jennings is currently ranked No. 2 and Samuel No. 3 in the state. The current state leader Skye Tolbert is not slated to compete this weekend, despite her Niceville squad in attendance.

Let's not forget Michelle Smith of Montverde Academy, either. Last time we saw her, she competed in the 300mH and dropped a US No. 1 clocking of 41.86 to dominate the finals field at the Louie Bing Invitational in mid February.

Smith will be looking to regain her spot on the national leaderboard after being bumped off last weekend by a 41.74 performance from Makeriah Harris of Louisiana at the Texas Southern Relays.

MileSplit will have archived race video coverage uploading on-site plus photos from the meet!