Florida has incredible cross-country and track and field athletes year in and year out. 2024 was no exception, with some remarkable performances by some of the state's athletes. It wasn't easy to select just 10, but here are the 10 nominees for the 2024 Florida Performance of the Year.
NOTE: The poll closes on Tuesday, December 31st at midnight and the winner will be announced on New Year's Day.
Junior Lauren Kirby of Somerset Academy Pembroke Pines established a new girl's state shot put record with a throw of 15.58m (50-09.50). Her throw at the National Scholarship Invitational at IMG Academy on June 2 broke the long-standing record of Seilala Sua of St. Thomas Aquinas who threw 15.39m (50-06.00) in 1996 at the Arcadia Invitational.
The Montverde Academy girls set a new National 4x400m Relay Record of 3:31.68 on June 16 at the New Balance Nationals Outdoors. Senior Alivia Williams anchored the squad of sophomores Nakira Hudson, Skylar Franklin, and Dasia Reed. The record broke the existing record of 3:35.17 set by the Bullis School at the Penn Relays Carnival earlier in the year.
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Sophomore Skyler Franklin of the Montverde Academy ran a U.S. No. 3 All-Time 400m on July 19th at the PUMA American Track League's Holloway Park Pro Classic. Franklin's 51.01 broke her previous sophomore class record of 51.57, run at the FSG Athletics Best of the Best Memorial Weekend Championship.
The American Heritage boys' 4x100m relay team, composed of senior Xavier Lucas and sophomores Zamarii Sanders and brothers Braylen Bennett and Brandon Bennett, shattered the 26-year-old state record of 40.09 held by Boyd Anderson from 1998. The Heritage boys clocked a 39.39 in the FHSAA 3A State Track & Field Championships. It was the first sub-40 performance in state history.
Leon's Patrick Koon ran an 8:34.82 2-mile on June 12 at the Brooks PR Invitational. His time is a Florida No. 1 All-Time in the 2-mile shattering the previous record of 8:53.00 run by St. Petersburg's Brett Hoffman in 1977 and a Florida No. 1 All-Time for the 3200m eclipsing Buchholz's Riley Smith's 8:39.71. It is a U.S. No. 3 All-Time 3200m.
The Dillard girls 4x800m ran a Florida No. 1 All-Time 8:49.73 in the FHSAA 3A Girl's State Championship. It is a U.S. No. 11 All-Time and a Florida No. 1 All-Time. The team was composed of senior Christiana Coleman, 8th grader Shynah Collins, senior Raquel Edwards, and junior Abigail Richards.
Sophomore Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit ran a U.S. freshman No. 1 and Florida freshman No. 1 All-Time 8:50.02 3200m at the 2024 Arcadia Invitational.
7th grader Shynah Collins of Dillard ran a Florida No. 3 All-Time 2:06.51 800m at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. Her second-place finish is a U.S. No. 1 800m for 7th graders All-Time and a Florida No. 1 for 7th graders All-Time.
Creekside Senior Christian Miller, running for the Saint John's Striders, ran a U.S. No. 2 All-Time 9.95 100m at the 2024 New Balance National Outdoors. His time is also a Florida No. 2 All-Time.
Buchholz senior Riley Smith ran a 4:04.65 Florida No. 1 All-Time indoor 1 Mile at the Florida HS Challenge. It is the Florida No. 3 All-Time 1 Mile indoors or outdoors.