Girls 1 Mile Run
There is definitely potential to see not one but multiple girls to break 5 minutes in the full mile race on Friday at Dunbar with a distance runner that has already done it in Academy of Holy Names sophomore Elizabeth Williamson with her 4:54 personal best and two from IMG Academy chomping at the bits to get under the time in senior Layla Haynes and freshman Huntley Buckingham.
Williamson is the reigning 2A state champion in the 1600 meter run after her upset victory over favorite Jillian Candelino of Bolles and Friday will be her first race of the 2023 season at the 1600 or mile distance while running several 400's, 3200's and one 800 meter race so far this spring. Williamson had a strong close to her cross country season to finish third in a competitive 2A state cross country race with an 18:04 5K best.
Haynes has focused primarily on the 800 meter run as her primary event in both indoor and outdoor including 3 sub 2:10 races already in 2023 with one of those races being a sixth place All-American finish 2:09.31 performance at New Balance Nationals Indoor. She did run a 5:03 1600 meter PR in a low key meet at Lake Placid on February 23rd.
Meanwhile, her teammate in ninth grader Huntley Buckingham ran 5:05 to finish right behind her at that same meet and during the indoor season ran 5:00.98 for the full-mile at the indoor venue in Gainesville, while running quick times as well for the 800 (2:18), 1000 (3:02), and 3K (10:13).
Look for Williamson, Haynes, and Buckingham to take off and separate quickly from the rest of the girls mile field at Dunbar with a gap to the next fastest entrants in RIlee Morrison of Barron Collier at 5:19 and Amelia Jones of Naples at 5:23.
Haynes was a double winner last year at the Guy Thomas Memorial Classic in the mile (5:12) and 800 meter run (2:11), but this year will just be focusing on the mile and skipping out on the 800.
Boys 1 Mile Run
The boys mile field might lack the star power, but should produce a competitive and exciting race with several of the top entrants seeded close together as a pack looking to break through with their first sub 4:30 performances.
Jack Marshall of Naples at 4:28, Chase Howes of Barron Collier at 4:29, and Isaac Perez of IMG Academy at 4:25 are the three runners in the field with sub 4:30 credentials. Marshall ran a season best time of 4:29 to win the 63rd annual Edison Relays two weeks ago at the all-boys meet in Fort Myers, but struggled last week racing at IMG (17th, 4:51). He had one of the state's fastest times by a freshman last spring at 4:28.
Meanwhile, the senior Howes has improved drastically from last spring when he had a best of 4:42 in the event to knock his time down to 4:29 at the North Port Invitational earlier this month.
Perez has raced sparingly this spring, but two weeks ago in Boston at the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet ran a 4:29 full mile and a month prior at the Floria/Georgia Challenge at the Alachua County Sports Center in Gainesville ran a 4:25 personal best for the mile.
Perez has also run 1:57 for 800 meters, so certainly has the wheels to close over the other contenders in the field if needed.