Vanessa Waite Poised to Join Florida's Elite Sprinters

Vanessa Waite winning the 2024 NBIN Middle School 60m
Photo: David Nguyen/MileSplit

- - -

Vanessa Waite is poised to join Florida's elite female sprinters. The freshman running for Power House Athletics has already demonstrated her talent in middle school.

We first saw her in 2017 when she ran the 100 and 200m in the AAU Club Championships. She was 50th in the 100m prelims with a 16.83. In the 200m, she was 65th in the prelims with a 35.99. In 2024, indoors, she won the Florida HS/MS Indoor Championships in the MS 60m and 200m, with times of 7.72 and 24.55.  She burst onto the National scene, winning the NBIN MS 60m with a 7.60 and was sixth in the MS 200m with a 24.26.

Outdoors, she continued her winning ways with wins in the 100 and 200m at the FLYRA MS State Championship, running 11.53 and 23.37, and at the AAU Club and Junior Olympic Championships, winning the 15-16-year-old 100m and 200m with an 11.62 and a 23.70 in the Club Championship and an 11.68 and 23.56 in the JO's. Waite's resume in between is remarkable. She is one of Florida's future stars and has demonstrated that she is one to watch as we head into 2025.

2024 AAU Junior Olympics Youth Girls 15-16 100m