For her first few competitive seasons, Jackie Areson of Delray Beach was unquestionably one of the best prep distance runners anywhere to not win most of her races. Now preparing for her senior year, Areson was the 2A State 800-meter champion as a sophomore at Pope John Paul II High School in 2004, but her achievements on the turf and the oval were often partially obscured by the other half of Pope's extraordinary one-two punch, Wake Forest University-bound Nicole Schappert.
That changed this spring at the Nike Outdoor National Scholastic Championships, where Areson, having transferred to Atlantic High School over the winter, erased a 25-year-old state record in the one-mile run by placing sixth in 4:46.67. That time converts to 4:45.01 for the much more commonly run 1600 meters; the old record, held by Clearwater's Robin Beck, was nearly two seconds slower.
An illness-marred spring made Areson's slam-dunk season finale all the more sweet. "I was sick with strep going into ...
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