The FSU Relays HS Division is perhaps the All Divisions meet in Florida! Here is a preview of Friday's races.
Girls 800m
The Girls 800 features three of the top mid-distance, distance girls in Florida, led by Creekside So. Alyson Johnson. Johnson is dropping down from her usual 1600 and 3200 races to the 800 where she is currently ranked FL #2 with a 2:13.98. She is the defending 4A State Champion in the 1600 and the 3200. Joining her are Sr. Madeleine Gear of Foundation Christian Academy and So. Eliana Black of IMG. Gear has a PR of 2:11.16 and is currently ranked FL #9 with a 2:17.24. She is the defending 1A State 1600m Champion and an Arkansas commit. Black has a PR of 2:10.78 that she ran last spring. This will be her 1st 800 of the outdoor season. So. Riley Zeanah of Vestavia Hills in AL has a 2:13.09 PR. She was the AL Indoor champion this year with a 2:15.26. Shari Brown of Landmark Christian in GA. has run a 2:13.12 outdoors this season. Ty Cason of Chelsea in AL has run 2:15.26 and is the AL State Indoor 1600 Champion with a 4:57. Her teammate, 9th grader, Mia Dunavant has also run 2:15.43.
Boys 800m
The 800m has ten boys under 1:55 led by FL #1 Kai Martin of Cambridge Christian. Martin has run 1:53.70 this season. Sr. Evan Fleming of Buccholz comes in with a FL #2 1:54.12 and a PR of 1:53.58. Belen Jr. Joseph Socarras is FL #5 with a 1:54.48. He was 3rd last year with a 1:51.86. Wake Forest commit, Sr. David Serra of Ransome Everglades is FL #12 this season with a 1:55.40, but has run 1:52.35. Westminster, Ga.'s Willem Mandel has run 1:53.58. Dawson Isbell: 1:54.04. Nicholas Zamora: 1:54.66. Roman Mollicone: 1:54.74. Tanner Andrade Brinsko: 1:54.92. Rohan Gazula: 1:54.99.
Girls 200m
The Girls 200m is one of the best quality fields one could hope for. The girls in Heat 4 on Friday are just fast. Adaejah Hodge of Montverde is headed to the University. of Georgia. She is arguably the best 200m runner in Florida and the nation. She is the defending FSU 200m Champion (22.84w) and makes her outdoor premier in the 200 this season. She is coming off her NBNI win in the 200m with a 22.96. She is joined by her teammate Alivia Williams. Williams is headed to the Unv. of Iowa. Williams ran a 23.98 and was 2nd at NBNI in the 400 with a 53.03. Braelyn Baker, a Duke commit from WA has run 22.84. Sr. Aniyah Kitt of IMG has run 24.41, Fr. Dasia Reed of Montverde was 2nd at NBNI in 24.39, and Sr. Skyler Watts of Episcopal has run 24.81. Montverde So. Ellise Dickinson has run 24.04.
Boys 200m
Girls 3200m
Based solely on this season's 3200m times, Ponte Vedra Sr. Lindy White comes in with a State leading 10:50.30. North Bay Haven Jr. Margaret Bartlow has run FL #3 10:54.13 and Ft. Myers Jr. Masha Dorofeev is ranked FL #4 with a 10:56.80. Six other girls however, have run sub-11. Jr. Mackenzie De Lisle of Bishop Verot was 9th at FSU last year with a 10:51.86. Mclay So. Caroline couch has run 10:48.16, Cambridge Christian Jr. Ava Hendrix 10:48.73, Berkely Prep Sr. Hannah Latif 10:55.85, Ponte Vedra Jr. Daisy Ross 10:58.00, and Kings Academy Sr. Avery Fonrath 10:58.19.
Boys 3200m
Does it get any better in distance racing? This just may be one of the best HS 3200m fields in FL history. Leon's Patrick Koon, the defending FSU Champion and Buccholz's Riley Smith will go head to head again after Smith running US #1 (8:48.11) and Koon #2 (8:50.31) at Bolles several weeks ago. Smith, a University of Florida commit is coming off an incredible indoor season where he won both the Milrose Games Mile in 4:05.5 and the NIN in 4:06.68 and a 4:04.65 at the Florida HS Challenge. His 4:04.65 is a Florida #3 All-Time Indoor or Outdoor Mile. Koon won the NIN 5,000m in 13:59.69. The Stanford commits time is a FL #1 All-Time and a US #3 All-Time. Joining Smith and Koon will be Jr. Brady Mullen of Jesuit in New Orleans. Mullen has run an 8:22.03 3000m indoors and has an 8:59.21 3200 PR that he ran in winning the 2023 Running Lane Track Championship 3200. Riley and Koon are Fl #1 and 2. In the race are also FL #'s 3-7, 9-11, 13, 14 and 16. In the race out of 24 entries, only three have not gone sub-9:20 yet in their careers. Here is a list of your Florida entrants and their current 2024 rankings.