Girls Team Race
In the virtual meet based solely upon Regional times, Maclay wins the 1 A Girls Team Title. That is based upon Maclay So. Caroline Couch winning the 3200 and placing 2nd in the 1600 and Jr. Elizabeth Dowdy winning the Pole Vault. A lot can happen at the State meet and don't rule out the Admiral Farragut Academy girls based upon the strength of their relays and the hope of Fr. Lauryn Burgess who is the favorite to win the 400mH. The other team with a real shot at winning the title is Evangelical Christian. They missed out last year when one of the nation's best sprinters, McKenzie Travis was out with an injury. Travis is back this year and is the favorite to win the 100, 200 and 400m races where she is the 1A 31 ranked girl with times of 11.43, 23.82 and 56.27.
Girls Top Athletes to Watch
SPRINTS
The girls 110mH always comes down to the cleanest over the hurdles in the finals. Your 1A top 5 ranked girls are all set to run in Heat 2. Just .17 seconds separates the 5.
In the
100m, the top three ranked girls in the State will go head to head. All three girls come in with seasonal bests under 12.00. Sr.
McKenzie Travis is the favorite and is one of the best sprinters in the nation. The University of South Carolina signee has run 11.43. Holy Trinity Academy Sr. and Notre Dame signee
Maya Collins has run 11.78. Oxbridge Academy So.
Akari Marshall has gone 11.86. Collins was 5th last year in 12.27. Watch for Travis to win.
The same three girls challenge each other again in the in the 200m, where Travis comes in with the only seed time under 24.00 She leads the 1A State rankings with a 23.82. Marshal is ranked #2 with a 24.40 and Collins #3 with a 24.66. All three girls ran their times in winning their Regionals. Look for Travis to pick up her 2nd State Title.
If Travis goes for the triple and does run the 400m, she comes in with a 1A State leading time of 56.27 and will be favored to win. Three other girls come in with sub 58.00 times. #2 ranked Fr. Jamaria Richardson of Pahokee has run 56.94. Another Fr. from Phokee, Jordan Johnson, is #3 ranked with a 57.12. Your #4 ranked 1A girl is So. Akari Marshall of Oxbridge Academy. Marshall has run 57.52.
In the girl's 400mH Admiral Farragut Freshman Lauryn Burgess comes in with the fastest seed time of 62.99. She leads the 1A State rankings. It's hers to win if she runs clean, but anything can happen in the 400mH, especially in the straightaway.
DISTANCE RACES
Sr.
Madeleine Gear of Foundation Christian is the #1 seeded girl in the
800m with a 2:13.58. The University of Arkansas signee has run a 2:10.40. Four other girls have run sub 2:20. Sr.
Ava Wyant of the Master's Academy 2:14.06, Sr.
Truth King of University Christian 2:16.21, Sr.
Mary Clayton Soto of Maclay 2:16.99 and So.
Estella Collante of Oak Hall 2:18.04. Gear is the defending State 1600m Champions and if she wins the 1600 where she is favored, this will be her third State Championship.
In the 1600m Gear is again the favorite. She is the defending champion and should repeat. Gear won last year in one of the most exciting races of the day. She held off her teammate at the time, Eliana Black (IMG Academy) in 4:49.68 to 4:49.73. Gear has run 4:49.46 this season. Ava Wyant of the Master's Academy was third last year in 5:00.36. Wyant is the 1A ranked #2 girl this season and the only other 1A girl under 5:00 this season with a 4:58.18. The #3 ranked 1A girl is So. Caroline Couch of Maclay. Couch is looking to go sub-5:00 for the 1st time. She was 4th last year with a 5:01.89 and has run 5:02.37 this season.
In last year's
3200m, Maclay's Caroline Couch was 2nd in 10:48.16. Couch is the favorite this year and is 1A ranked #1 with a 10:44.19. Sr.
RaeAnne Tutton of Pensacola Academy is ranked #2 with a 10:58.94. She was 4th last year in 10:58.40. Joining her Tutton is her younger sister, So.
Jaimee Tutton who is the only other sub-11:00 girl in the race this year. She has run 10:59.24. If Couch runs as she is capable of, it should be her race to win.
FIELDS EVENTS
The girls to beat in the
Pole Vault is the defending State Champion Jr.
Elizabeth Dowdy of the Maclay School. She has a 1A State leading vault of 4m (13-01.50) this season. Jr.
Loralei Flores of The Geneva School was 2nd last year and has gone 3.5m this season (11-05.75).
Seven girls have High Jumped 1.57m (5-01.75) this season. Six of them are in the 1A field.
In the
Long Jump, one girl stands alone over 19-00. So.
Kalia Bing of Bishop Snyder. Bing a gone 5.96 (19-06.75) this season. Two girls return from the top 10 last year at State. Sr.
Claire Davisson of Divine Savior was 4th and so.
Joslyne De La Nuez of Canterbury who was 9th.
The
Triple Jump features last year's 4th place finisher, Sr.
Octavia Massena of Oxbridge Academy. Massena has gone 11.79m (38-08.25) this season. Jr.
Aliani Forde of Tampa Prep is ranked 1A #2 behind Massena with an 11.57m (37-11.50 jump.
In the
Shot Put, watch for Sr.
Maisey Anderson of Mount Dora Christian and Sr.
Hope Willis of Trinity Catholic to challenge each other. Willis has thrown 12.4m (40-08.25) this year and will have to win out of Flight 1. Maisey has thrown 11.93m (39-01.75) and she is in Flight 2. The girls are ranked 1A #3 and 4.
Willis is the 1A State leader in the Discus with a 39.27m (128.10) throw and is the #1 seed in the State meet. She may win the double.
In the girl's
Javelin watch for standout Sr.
Sonoma Kasica of Shorecrest Prep. She is ranked 31 in the State All Divisions with a throw of 45.8m (150-03.25). She is the defending State champion.
RELAYS
4x800
Oak Hall and the Master's Academy come to State with 1A State Rankings of #2 and 3. The Oak Hall girls have gone 9:40.39 this season and the Master's Academy girls have gone 9:45.25. It should be those two atop the podium in 1st and 2nd. Expect the girls from Admiral Farragut Academy to be in the mix as well. Farragut has gone 9:47.29.
4x100
So much depends on the exchanges in the 4x100m Relay. Three teams come in with times under 49.00. Holy Trinity has run 47.94. American Heritage went 49.05 at Regionals, but has run 48.63. Canterbury won their Regional in 48.71. It should be a good one.
4x400
Two teams come out of Regionals and they are the two teams to watch. Pahokee ran 3:56.04 and Admiral Farragut ran 3:57.04. In the 1A State rankings, they are flip-flopped with Farragut having run a 3:54.39 and Pahokee 3:56.04. If the Farragut girls show up, they should take the title to close out the Championship. They are the only two teams under 4:00.