Florida Relays 2009

In an effort to honor the top track and field performers from Kentucky, KYtrackXC.com will have a weekly set of Athletes of the Week.  There will be Middle School, High School, and College awardees.  Former Kentucky High School Track and Field athletes currently running in college are eligible for the College award, even if he or she attends a school out-of-state.   

The Eleanor Roosevelt came all the way down to Gainesville, Florida to find some competition and great weather to post swift relay times. Their times at the Florida Relays indicate that the girls from Greenbelt, Maryland found a worthy opponent in the Miami Northwestern girls and warm and sunny Florida weather as the Eleanor Roosevelt girls rolled to national leading times in the 4x100 at 45.38 and 4x400 at 3:41.40. Miami Northwestern, second to Eleanor Roosevelt in both races with respectable times of 47.48 and 3:45.15, was able to claim at least one relay victory on the weekend in the 4x800 with a US #2 performance of 9:17.45. Their 4x800 squad featured Skyler Wallen, who broke 2:10 and became the new US leader in the 800 on the first day of high school events on Friday. While Friday's highlights were focused on individual performers, the theme seemed to focus on the relay times on Saturday as the Flagler Palm Coast boys were sensational in relay action with four victories over the course of the weekend in the 4x800 (US #3 7:46.57), 4x400 (US #2 3:13.15), 4x200, and 4x100 (42.35). Austin Gamble of Cypress Bay proved his first 200 foot performance last week was no fluke in the discus throw as he won at the Florida Relays with a best mark of 195'6". Florida Relays Saturday Results: High School Boys - High School Girls

 GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Freshman Ana Ruzevic set a new personal best to finish second in the javelin with a regional qualifying mark of 45.00 as the Tulane track & field team wrapped up comeptition at the Florida Relays Friday at Percy Beard Track in James G. Pressly Stadium.

Tatianna Fisher of Oak Ridge and Dentarius Locke of Chamberlain both rolled to victories in the 100 meter dash on Friday at the Florida Relays with Fisher defeating all-conditions US leader Octavious Freeman in a US wind-legal US #1 clocking of 11.70. Freeman, who has ran 11.52 this season, was second at 11.72. Locke, one of the top returning 100 and 200 dash sprinters in the nation, took the boys race with ease in a 10.57 performance. Skyler Wallen (pictured left by Don Rich) of Miami Northwestern is the first girl under 2:10 this season in the 800 with her 2:09.00 win to move ontop of the national leaderboard. Wallen had a previous personal best of 2:11.99 from the 2008 Nike Outdoor Nationals where she placed 9th overall. Derek Wehunt continued his amazing spring of big personal best drops in the distance races as the Sickles (FL) senior followed up his US #7 9:06.78 3200 win last week at the FSU relays with a US #1 time of 4:11.14 to take first in the 1600 meter run at the Florida Relays. Similar to last week's 3200, Wehunt led several others well into the US top 10 rankings. Race runner-up Connor Revord also ran under the previous US #1 time (4:13.16) in second place at 4:13.12 and Bishop Kenny's Colin Barker is also now high in the 1600 meter national rankings with his third place effort of 4:13.96 (US #4). More to come from Gainesville... Florida Relays Day 1 Results: High School Boys - High School Girls