Boys Pentathlon
Though it arguably crowns the best athlete in track & field, the multi-events often do not garner much notice in the sport--especially in high school. Though not typicaly contesed in Florida, three athletes from South Walton High School in the Panhandle qualified and traveled to compete in New York. And shining bright yesterday was Chris Sanders, finishing third just 42 points out of second and trailing a new national record by Gunnar Nixon of Oklahoma.
After an excellent opening performances in the 60 Meter Hurdles (8.35, 896 points) and solid showings in the long jump ( 22-3.75, 767 points), shot put (47-0.25, 749 points), and high jump (6-3.25, 723 points), Sanders was in third place going into the final round. Having 3135 point, the senior trailed Keith Andre Davis of New Jersey and Rich D'Ambrosia of Pennsylvania by about 31 and 27 points, respectively.
The 1000 meter run, after a long day of other events, is an exhausting event to finish with. Though tired and not his strongest event, Davis held on and mustered a 2:57.23 to earn 692 points. That was enough to propell him past Davis (who fell to fifth on a week 1000) and into third place.
Girls Pentathlon
Brittany Crittenden and Jessica Harrison of South Walton competed in the girls version of the event that includes the 60 Hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 800 meter run.
On an exceptionally strong hurdles opening performance of 9.44 (820 points), Crittenden struggled in the field. But with a strong closing performance in the 800 of 2:20.05, giving her a nice 823 point pop, she was able to finish the day on a high note. It put her in a solid 11th place finish.
Meanwhile, Harrison's day was highlighted by a 5-2.5 clearance in the high jump. She finished in 16th place with 2762 points.
Boys High Jump
Stephen Krupa of Lemon Bay cleared 6-3.25 to tie for 16th place on Saturday evening.
Girls 400 Dash
Joy Gilmer, a student at Winter Park (not competing for track team), ran a 57.69 in the prelims but failed to advance (20th pace) .
More On-Site Coverage