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Who are the Southwest Florida boys track and field athletes to watch in 2024?

Dustin B Levy, Fort Myers News-Press
·6 min read

The high school track and field season is underway.

With a handful of meets in the books, area athletes have begun to separate themselves from the pack.

More: Meet The News-Press 2023 Boys Track and Field All-Area Team

More: Meet the Naples Daily News 2023 Boys Track and Field All-Area Team

The Dunbar Tiger Classic, the CSN Invitational, the Loretta Purish Invitational and the Edison Relays are some of the events that have been held so far.

Here are some of the male athletes to watch for the rest of the season:

Sprints (100, 200, 400)

The 64th Fort Myers High Edison Relays were held Friday, March 8, 2024 at Edison Stadium. The meet marked the debut of the newly installed track around Sirianni Field,
The 64th Fort Myers High Edison Relays were held Friday, March 8, 2024 at Edison Stadium. The meet marked the debut of the newly installed track around Sirianni Field,

Jyden German, Fort Myers, freshman

German is one of the most exciting young track athletes in the area, having finished in first last year in the 60m at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. German is already improving on his eighth-grade season at ECS, coming in second in the 100m at the Dunbar Classic and first in the event at the Edison Relays.

Dorian Mallary, Lehigh, junior

Mallary is coming off a successful season in which he won the district title in the 400 and came in second and eighth, respectively, at regionals and states. At the CSN Invitational, Mallary had a pair of first-place finishes in the 100 and 200.

Dandre Morrison, Dunbar, senior

Morrison has long been a threat on the track in Southwest Florida with a particularly stellar campaign on the track in 2022 at Ida Baker. Now running at Dunbar, the speedster won the 200 and ran a leg on Dunbar's winning 4x100 relay team.

ALSO WATCH: Jadrien Carmo, Bishop Verot; Eric Fletcher, Dunbar; David Johnson, SFCA; Damari Loggins, Dunbar; Joshua Philogene, Lely; Winston Watkins Jr., First Baptist; Marquan Young, Bishop Verot; Marquis Young, Bishop Verot

Hurdles (110, 400)

The 64th Fort Myers High Edison Relays were held Friday, March 8, 2024 at Edison Stadium. The meet marked the debut of the newly installed track around Sirianni Field,
The 64th Fort Myers High Edison Relays were held Friday, March 8, 2024 at Edison Stadium. The meet marked the debut of the newly installed track around Sirianni Field,

James Little IV, Bishop Verot

Little won the LCAC championship in the 110 hurdles competing for Lehigh last year. Now at Bishop Verot, he had an eye-opening result at the Berkeley Track and Field Invitational where he came in second in the 400 and first in the 110 with a PR of 14.95.

Thiago Lopes, Fort Myers, senior

Last year, Lopes had a breakout season in which he won the 110 and 400 hurdles at districts and added a regional title in the 110. He is having a promising start to this year, coming in first in hurdling events at the Loretta Purish Invitational and Edison Relays.

ALSO WATCH: Kobe Johnson, Dunbar; Zechariah Joly, Gulf Coast; Ramon Martinez, Dunbar; Dylan Schmid, Barron Collier; Noah Tafoya, SFCA

Distance (800, 1600, 3200)

Joshua Dorestin, Dunbar, senior

Dorestin has put together a nice career competing for the Tigers, and it's looking like he will continue to build. Last year, he won the district title in the 800 and came in second at regionals to qualify for states. He came in first in the event at the Edison Relays with a PR of 1:55.73.

Joseph Koraya, Fort Myers, senior

The 64th Fort Myers High Edison Relays were held Friday, March 8, 2024 at Edison Stadium. The meet marked the debut of the newly installed track around Sirianni Field,
The 64th Fort Myers High Edison Relays were held Friday, March 8, 2024 at Edison Stadium. The meet marked the debut of the newly installed track around Sirianni Field,

Koraya is a well-known commodity as an impressive distance runner for the Green Wave. He earned an eighth-place medal at states last year in the 1600 after coming in third at regionals and winning districts.

Reece Lolly, Naples, sophomore

Look for this young runner to continue to improve. After making a splash as a freshman, he had a strong meet at the Edison relays, coming in second in the 1600 with a PR and helping the Golden Eagles win the 4x800.

Jack Marshall, Naples, junior

A district runner-up in the 800 and 1600 a year ago, Marshall is a key runner on the Golden Eagles' relay teams. At the Edison Relays, he set a PR of 1:56.72 in the 800 to finish in second.

William Montanye, Gulf Coast, senior

Last year, Montanye came in fifth place in the 3200 at the Class 4A state meet. At the Dunbar Tiger Classic, he came in fifth place in the 1600 with the best time of any Southwest Florida runner.

Hector Toro, Naples, senior

Expect a strong senior season from Toro after winning district titles in the 1600 and 3200 last year. He won the 3200 at the Edison Relays and helped the Golden Eagles win the 4x800.

ALSO WATCH: Elliot Anderson, SFCA; Michael Brewer, Naples; Jack Gifford, SFCA; Martin Mendoza, Immokalee

Jumps (long, triple, high)

Andrew Azunque of First Baptist Academy competes in the long jump during the FHSAA Class 1A, Region 3 track meet at Community School of Naples on May 6, 2023. He placed second an moves on to the state meet.
Andrew Azunque of First Baptist Academy competes in the long jump during the FHSAA Class 1A, Region 3 track meet at Community School of Naples on May 6, 2023. He placed second an moves on to the state meet.

Andrew Azunque, First Baptist, junior

Azunque made quite the impression in his sophomore season, taking home gold in the high jump, silver in the long jump and bronze in the triple jump at the Class 1A meet. He's off to a strong start this year, having swept all three events at the CSN Invitational.

Michael McDonald, South Fort Myers, senior

McDonald previously competed at Ida Baker and is poised for a big year with the Wolfpack. At the Edison Relays, he recorded a PR of 6.61m in the long jump to come in first.

Wade Noelma, Palmetto Ridge, senior

Last season, Noelma finished second in the high jump at districts and qualified for states, finishing just off the podium in ninth place. This year will be a chance for him to build on that success.

Alex Thelusma, Fort Myers track and field
Alex Thelusma, Fort Myers track and field

Alex Thelusma, Fort Myers, senior

Thelusma qualified for states in the high jump last year after capturing the regional championship in the event. He came in second in the high jump at the Dunbar Tiger Classic and first at the Edison Relays.

ALSO WATCH: Mike Luma, Ida Baker; Bradley Martino, Golden Gate; David Monteilh, Fort Myers

Throws (discus, javelin, shot put)

Brady Clark, Naples, senior

A consistent performer, Clark is the reigning champion in Class 3A-12 in the shot put and javelin. At the Eagle Invitational, he came in first in the shot put and discus.

Jace Jackson, Barron Collier, sophomore

The sophomore impressed at the Edison Relays, putting down a pair of PRs in the shot put and discus, coming in first in the latter. He also had runner-up efforts in both events at the CSN Invitational.

James Johnson, North Fort Myers, sophomore

Johnson, a talented defensive lineman for the North football team, started the season with some strong results in the shot put. He came in first place at the Dunbar Tiger Classic and the Loretta Purish Invitational.

Ryan Peterson, Bishop Verot track and field
Ryan Peterson, Bishop Verot track and field

Ryan Peterson, Bishop Verot, junior

Peterson is coming off a season in which he won a fifth-place medal in the discus at the Class 2A state meet. He is picking up right where he left off, coming in first at the CSN Invitational.

ALSO WATCH: David Bellman, ECS; Ezekial Dube-Garrett, Cypress Lake; Ted Eugene, Gulf Coast; Luke Walker, Naples

Vault (pole vault)

Luther Mogelvang, Naples track and field
Luther Mogelvang, Naples track and field

Luther Mogelvang, Naples, senior

Mogelvang captured a state championship in the pole vault last year in dramatic fashion after winning a jump-off at the Class 3A state meet. There is no reason to doubt his chances to repeat, especially after he posted a PR of 4.80m at the Edison Relays.

ALSO WATCH: Dustin Castagna, North Fort Myers; Braden Flynn, Fort Myers

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The top Cape Coral, Fort Myers Naples area boys track and field athletes to watch in 2024