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Highlights
Lily Williams Runs Solo 4:46.15, Punches Ticket to NYC
The top Florida story on the night has to go to Lily Williams who continues to put the !! on her already amazing year. Earlier this month she pulled of the incredibly rare feat of sweeping all three distance races at state; this time around she helped to further etch her name into the list of all-time greats. The Chiles senior and Vanderbilt signee ran the second fastest Florida time in Mile/1600 ever with a 4:46.15 for the full mile, which translates into a 4:44.49 for the 1600. In doing so she also won the event a with a sub 4:50 mile performance, earning her an automatic Golden Ticket and invitatation to the Dream Mile in New York City.
The four lap race was highly hyped, but largely under-delivered... with the exception of Williams. It was expected that she'd have company at least pushing her toward that low time... if not joining her under 4:50. Regardless, Wiliams didn't need the help and blasted her nearest competition, Carmen Carlos of Alabama, by about 13 seconds.
Tyreek Hill's 20.14 200m US #2 All-Time
He's not a Florida athlete so I won't gush over him too much here. But how can we ignore mentioning this performance even in a Florida summary. WOOOO!! After running a 10.19 100m in the prelims, then a 20.49 in the prelims, Tyreek Hill of Georgia ran a second place 10.41 behind Levonte Whitfield. Maybe the fast prelim times finally got the best of him? Maybe not! He boomed out and made Teray Smith's 20.88 (blazing in its own right) look slow. Tyreek ran a 20.14.... that's not a typo! And it was under the wind legal limit. Holy cow! That's the second fastest time ever for an American high schooler and fastest since 1985.
Full Story with Video Interivew and Race Video...
Teray Smith New Florida and Bahamas Leader with 20.88
Although he took second in the race, who could fault him with a ridiculous 20.14 in front of him.
Regardless, Teray Smith of American Heritage laid it out there for a new personal best and state leading and wind legal 20.88. Smith is a native of the Bahamas living in Ft. Lauderdale with family to work for opportunities to excel in this country and thus far he sure has. The junior's time puts him as the national Under 19 leader in his native country this season, a country which he proudly represented in April's CARIFTA Games.
Tristie Johnson Shines With National Leading 11.28 (aided), Earns Her Golden Ticket
A very happy Tristie Johnson did it! She earned her season goal by getting that coveted ticket to the Dream 100 in New York City. She will join Floridians Shayla Sanders and Kali Davis-White in that great, elite battle next month. She joined those two girls plus Keana Gray later in the night for a KILLER 4x100 all-star team that ran a smoking 44.39.
In the post-race interview Tristie was quick to thank those girls, presumably for letting her run uncontested in the 100m .. allowing her to get the auto-bid for the Dream 100 ... those two girls went 1-2 in the 200. Todd Grasley of flrunners.com was quick to remind her that she did that all on her own!! Johnson's time of 11.28 was the fastest all-conditions time in the country this year (was 3.3 wind), over Shayla Sanders' (wind legal) 11.32.
Congrats to Tristie for her great accomplishment and good luck in NYC!
Texan Aldrich Bailey 45.58 in 400, Juan Paul Green 2nd in 46.87
Aldrich Bailey is for the 400m this year what Marvin Bracy is to the 100m. He is the national leader in that event with a 45.19 that is a whopping 1.3 seconds faster than super-stud and defending world junior champ Floridian Arman Hall who is #2 in the country at 46.41.
Bailey has already qualified for the Olympic Trials perhaps a better chance of making the finals (or even the team) than Bracy does, especially given Bracy's unfortuate injuries this season. So anyway... everyone in Orlando got the pleasure to watch this major future star in action on Saturday night and he didn't disappoint. Bailey ran a 45.58 to earn the GSC title.
Second place in this one was Juan Paul Green of Miami Carol City, who was just off of his personal best time with a 48.87 that is third fastest in Florida this year.
Sanders, Davis-White: Teammates 1-2 in 200m
Boyd Anderson teammates Shayla Sanders and Kali Davis-White finished in their familiar 1st and 2nd place positions in the 200m going 23.44 and 23.61, respectively. White was the top seed out of the prelims with a 23.57 (aided). The two teammed up with Tristie Johnson and Keana Gray for an all-star 4x100 earlier that night for a blazing 44.39 relay.
Arroyo Florida #17 All-Time Mile, Over Georgian Josh Brickell
Colonial junior Andres Arroyo worked really hard to try to earn that auto-bid for the Dream Mile, but came up just shy. He won the Mile in a tough battle over Georgia's Josh Brickell (4:12.37). Arroyo needed to win and run sub 4:10 to hit the Dream Mile standard. He came up short of it with a 4:11.70 instead. That time though converts to around a 4:10.24 1600m which puts him as #17 all-time in the competitive Florida 1600/Mile list. Only three Floridians have run faster than that in the past decade (Armando Del Valle, Justin Harbor, and Sam Vazquez).
Robin Reynolds 53.61 400m
Reynolds went for the 100m/400m double with a 11.51 for third place in the 100m and then won her signature event in the 400m with a 53.61.
She says she is aiming to make Team USA again for the World Junior team and shooting for a 51-point to cap her high school career.
Phillips Edges Freeman by 1/4 Inch in Long Jump
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Daesha Rogers "Easy" 2:10 in 800m
She makes it look too easy! Daesha won her latest race over the much older field. The seventh grader is already a veteran and nailed a 2:10 and continued her individual unbeaten streak while in high school competition.
Freshman Nicole Greene US #3 High Jump
Ponte Vedra freshman Nicole Green made a big statement by clearing a five feet, ten inches to win the high jump title. That jump ties her for third in the country this year and also ties her at #4 all-time in Florida. Not bad for a frosh!
Griffiths Discus
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Sergeant Matches State Winning 12-0 Over Gale
Erica Sergeant is just a sophomore, but she has already seen more air time than some comuter planes. She continued her winning streak, having not lost a competition all year, with a Golden South championship over Emily Gale 12-0 to 11-6. Sergeant's 12-0 was seven inches from her personal best , but matched her 4A State Championship mark.
Whitfield Edges Out Hill, 10.38 to 10.41 in 100
After Tyreek Hill wallopped the prelims in a top seed 10.19, Whitfield got his revenge. He edged out Hill at the line to win in 10.38.
Kimlon Dillon Reigns Supreme in Hurdles
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Apopka Boys Fly to 41.08 4x100
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Nice Double for Bahamian Carmiesha Cox, Fast 100H for Devynne charlton
As I pull the extra duty of Bahamian webmaster, it's worth pointing out that Teray Smith was not the only Bahamian with a great night!
Nassau junior Carmeisha Cox respresented the Bahamas Star Trackers and earned a second place finish in the 100m with a PR 11.50 (+3.3 aided) and then a third place 23.77 in the 200m. Those times put her at third place among high schoolers in her native country in those events this year behind the greats Shanae Miller and Anthonique Strachan... whose names we will likely be hearing in the Olympics this summer. The Bahamas is a true powerhouse of only 250,000 people with more per capita 100m-400m talent than any country in the world!
And teammate Devynne Charlton won the 100 Meter Hurdles in a blazing 13.86, with a strong wind at the back. That time is just off her personal best of 13.82 from a couple of weeks ago in Nassau's Fritz Grant Inviational.
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