Foundation Christian's Madelein Gear winning the 800m at the Florida HS Challenge last weekend.
While this years Indoor Championships is missing some of the Top 10 Nationally ranked Indoor athletes who will be running in the Milrose Games on Sunday, the meet is loaded with some remarkable talent. Here's a look at some of the athletes scheduled to compete this Saturday.
Girl's 60m
Montverde Academy Fr. Dasia Reed is registered in the 60, the 200 and the 400. We'll have to wait until meet time to see where she runs, but she has to be the favorite in each event. In the 60, she has a FL #5, top seed time of 7.58. In the 200 she is the #2 seed with a 24.74 (FL #4) and in the 400, her 55.39 is the #2 seed (FL#6).
Reed's teammate, So. Arima Turner comes in with the #2 seed time of 7.73. Turner is ranked #10 in the State with her 7.73. Four other girls come in with sub-8 performances: Genesis Jones (7.8), Sr. Trinity Parham of Cocoa HS (7.86), Sr. Leneah Green of Ocoee (7.87) and Zenji Washington of IMG Elite.
Boy's 60m
The boy's 60 is up for grabs. Rance Grace of Lincoln HS was 3rd several weeks ago at Jimmy Carness, dipping under 7.0 with a 6.99. He has a FL #9 ranking. Just behind him are Freshman Alex Cruz of Everglades City School and Jr. Javon Moss of Parrish Community HS. Both come in with the seed times of 7.01. Robert Stith has a PR of 7.03 and Sr. Isaiah Bighem of Leon has run 7.07. It may take sub-7 to win.
Girl's 200m
Sr. Azaria Whitehurst of Ft. Meade HS makes her indoor debut . She was the 2022 1A State Champion outdoors in both the 100 (11.59) and 200 (23.75). She will have to contend with a two Montverde girls that have run sub-25 this indoor season. Fr. Dasia Reed was 2nd to Adaeja Hodge last weekend in the Florida HS challenge in a FL #4, 24.24. So. Nakira Hudson has a FL #10 ranking with a 25:09.
Boy's 200m
Sr. Lance Grace was 3rd last weekend in the Florida HS Challenge in 21.86. His 21.86 is FL #3 and the only verifiable sub-22 seed time. Sante Fe So. Ben Hockman is FL #6 with a 22.11. IMG Elite Jr. Avian Edwards-Pla comes in with a FL #9, 22.21. It just may take sub-22 to place, as several others come in sub-23 and will be challenging Grace to get under sub-22. Sr. Terrel Alexander has run 22.37 this season, Fr. Alex Cruz has gone 22.38, Jr. Jozef Miesak has a 22.68, Sr. Brandon Davis has a 22.88.
Girl's 400
Montverde Fr. Dasia Reed comes in with the fastest time indoors this season with a 55.39. She has a FL#6 ranking. Her teammate, So. Nakira Hudson is just behind her, having run a 55.76 this indoor season (FL #6). She has run a 54.39 outdoors in winning last years Florida Relays. Sr. Skylar Watts of the Episcopal School of Jacksonville has run a 54.91 outdoors. She ran a 59.24 at the RADD Sunshine Invitational earlier this year. Expect a sub-55 to win.
Boy's 400
Four boy's come in with seed times under 50. Jozef Miesak, Brandon Davis and Rance Grace come in with the FL #2, 3 and 4 rankings respectively. Miesak has run 48.56, Davis, 48.14 and Grace 49.36. Expect Miesack to go out hard the first 200. Terrel Alexander has run 50.90 this indoor season. Nazarion Gumbs has a 50.47, Montverde's Lucas Coan has run 50.57. Jonah Kirspel of South Walton and a Unv. of Florida commit is dropping down from the 800. He has run 50.46 outdoors and a 1:50.55 800m.
Girl's 800m
So. Avery Chapman East Lake HS ran a 2:15.01 last week in the Florida HS Challenge. She comes in with the top seed. Chapman will be challenged by Jr. Ava Nebel of IMG who is stepping up to the 800 for the first time. She ran a 57.14 400 last weekend in the Florida HS Challenge.
Boy's 800M
Watch for Jr. Kai Martin of Cambridge Christian. He is ranked FL #1 with his 1:54.60 run at the Legends meet two weeks ago. Jr. Lucas Coan of Montverde is ranked FL #5 this season with a 1:57.42. His 1:57.42 came in his 2nd place finish last week at the Florida HS Challenge. Sr. Cedric McFadden of Trinity Catholic comes in with a 1:57.46 (FL #6) that he ran last weekend in his 3rd place finish in the Florida HS Challenge. McFadden was 2nd in the 1A State meet last spring with a 1:56.21. Lake Mary HS Sr. Nathan Henning has run 1:59.19 this indoor season. He has a PR of 1:56.34.
Boy's 1000m
The FL #1 and 2 boy's will go head to head in this race. Boone Sr. Dylan Cannella comes in with the #1 ranking with a 2:36.49. FL #2 is Jr. Ethan Esposito of Indian Rocks Christian with a 2:37.69. Cannella has a 1:58.89 to his credit outdoors. Esposito a 2:00.76. This should be a good one.
Girl's Mile
This should be one of the highlights of the Championships with Foundation Christian Sr. and Unv. of Arkansas Commit, Madeleine Gear moving up to her specialty. Gear comes in as the #2 seed however, with an early indoor season 5:03.49 win at the Arkansas HS Inviational, but in the last two weeks she has run a US #11, 2:53.27 1000 and a US #10, 2:12.72 800. She is the defending outdoor 1A 1600 champion with a 4:49.68. The #1 seed is Lehigh Sr. Gianna Del Pizzo, who comes in with a 4:59.78. Del Pizzo, a Unv. of Central Florida commit, was 4th in the 4A 1600 last spring, running a 5:05.08. Two other girls to watch for are Cambridge Christian Jr., Ava Hendrix who has run 5:03.67 outdoors and Maclay So. Caroline Couch, who has run 5:06.09 indoors. Couch ran a 5:01.89 in the 1A 1600 finals last spring and finished 2nd in the 1A 3200 with a 10:48.16. This race could see our first girl's sub-4:50 of the season.
Boy's Mile
Palmer Trinity Sr. Henry Stark comes in with a #2 FL ranking of 4:15.62. Second only to Riley Smith's 4:04.65 run last weekend at the Florida HS Challenge. Stark is the 2023 1A State XC Champion, running 15:41.00. Ocala Vanguard Sr., Clayton Knight has run 4:21. He has a 1600 PR of 4:19.27 outdoors. Lake Nona Sr. Dylan Torres, ran 4:22.76 last weekend in the Florida HS Challenge. Torres is a Florida Gulf Coast commit and has a 4:25.81. Both will be trying to go sub-4:20 in the mile.
Boy's 3000m
The boy's 3000 features FL #'s 2-5. Henry Stark is FL #2 with an 8:50.35. He, along with Clayton Knight are scheduled to be doubling. Knight is #5 with an 8:58.64. Vero Beach Jr. Keenan Willard is#3 with an 8:55.94. Matthew Hauser is a So. at Lincoln HS and comes in with an 8:58.10, #4. Watch for Keenan Willard to challenge Stark, especially with Stark doubling. If Stark opts out of the 3000, Willard is the one to beat.
Girl's 60mH
This should be a good one. Cocoa Jr. Alayezia Williams comes in with the fastest time this season of 8.81. She is FL #5. IMG Elite So., Sydney Harris comes in with a FL #7, 8.89. Montverde So. Jizelle Holland and Montverde So. D'Asia Duncan have both run 8.94's (FL #9's) this indoor season. Sr. Omaria Gordon of Olympia HS comes in with an 8.97, FL #11. Tied with Gordon is another Montverde So., Dahmaria Williams. East Lake Sr. Mariah Taylor is FL #13 with a 9.00. Toss the coin on this one. The winner is going to be fast out of the blocks and clean over the hurdles.
Boy's 60mH
Fl #2 is Jason Ravelo of IMG Elite with a 7.97. The Sr. ran 2nd last weekend at the FL HS Challenge. He comes in as the only boy under 8.00. Nehemi Armstrong is FL #4 with an 8.27. Sr. Logan Bass of Cocoa HS comes in with a FL #5, 8.42. Two others to watch for are Tavon Simmons with an 8.50 and So. Kobe Johnson of Dunbar with a 8.57.
Boy's Pole Vault
The boy's Pole Vault should be one of the highlights of this year's Championship. Montverde Sr. Alex Georgieve and Sante Fe St. Terek Logan have been pushing each other the past few weeks. Both are over 5m (16-04.75). Logan bested Georgieve at the Legends Meet two weeks ago with his 5m vault. Georgieve came back last week at the Florida HS Challenge with a 5.03 (16-06.00). Georgiev's vault is tied for US #7. Watch for the two to continue to push each other.
Boy's Long Jump
Sr. Ammarion Grant of Oakleaf HS comes in with the #1 seed in the Boy's LJ. Grant is FL #2 with a jump of 6.91m (22-08.00).FL #3, Josber Stimphil, comes in with a leap of 6.90 (22-07.75). Leon Sr. Isaiah Bighem is FL #9 with his leap of 6.61 (21-08.25).
Girl's Triple Jump
The girl's Triple Jump features FL #3, East Lake Sr., Mariah Taylor who has jumped 11.58m (38-00.00) and Jr. Ailani Forde of Tampa Prep. Forde is FL #7 with an 11.48 (37-08.00) jump.
Girl's Shot Put
The girl's Shot Put features FL#1 J'nia Simpson. The Tampa Catholic So. is the only girl over 13m indoors with her throw of 13.08 . She is the defending indoor champion winning with a throw of 13.09 last year, as well as the current 2A State Champion with a throw of 13.47.
Boy's Shot Put and Weight Throw
Benjamin Sr. Jackson Hamilton has been dominant all year and should continue to win both the Shot Put and Weight Throw. He is ranked FL
#4 in the shot Put with a throw of 15:04m and FL #1 in the Weight Throw, throwing 19.37m. Jackson is the defending outdoor 1A State Shot Put (15.71) and Discus Champion (51.23).