State Track and Field: Resumes of Marion County's male and female qualifiers
The state track and field championships are nipping at our heels. With electric athletes all over Marion County, quite a few Ocala area schools are represented at the toughest meet of the season.
While several athletes put their best foot forward to qualify for the state meet, Vanguard made noise throughout the season. With so many runners and throwers that score points, the Knights were the only Marion school to win their district championship.
“We have kids that win, but we scored points in every event that we competed in to put us over the top,” Vanguard head track coach James Travieso said. “Other schools have very good sprinters, jumpers, or distance runners, but at Vanguard, we’re fortunate enough to have good kids at every event.”
We’ve compiled times from the MCIAC, district, and regional track meets to review our state qualifiers’ resumes. Let’s see how our track and field athletes improved over the season and who should do well May 17-20.
West Port
Girls
Mia White, Ximena Diaz, Isabelle Rhodes, Natalie Nelson
4 x 800M - MICAC Time - 10:20:59 - state qualifier
West Port finished in fourth place with a time of 10:33:10.
Natalie Nelson
800M - MCIAC Time - 2:19:55
She took fifth place, running a 2:22.11 at districts. Nelson joins the 4x400M and the 4x800M relay team at the state meet.
Sa’nijah Houston
200M - MCIAC Time - 25:47
400M - MCIAC Time - 58.61
The MCIAC champion ran a 25.27 in the 200M to take second place at districts and first place (58.78) in the 400M. At regionals, Houston ran a 25.36 in the 200M to place ninth and a 58.01 in the 400M for sixth place. She joins the 4x400M and the 4x800M relay teams at the state meet.
Gabriella Evangelista
300M Hurdles - MCIAC Time - 48:58
At districts, Evangelista ran the 400M hurdles, finishing 1:08.15, taking fifth place. She’ll join the 4x400M relay team in Jacksonville.
Alison Solomon, Mia White, Natalie Nelson, Sa’nijah Houston
4x400M - MCIAC Time - 4:12:08 - state qualifier
The Wolf Pack took second place at district, cutting their MCIAC winning time down five seconds to 4:07:45. The 400 relay team continued cutting their time at regionals, finishing in 4:01.42.
Boys
Brandon Noble, Certain Williams, Yaakov Barlevy, Isaiah Rios
4 x 800M - MCIAC Time - 8:30:90
The Wolf Pack qualified for regionals with an 8:25.61 time at districts. While running at regionals, the Wolf Pack ran a season-best 8:17.27 to earn eighth place.
Brandon Noble
400M - MICAC Time - 48.26 - state qualifier
Noble doubled up on his MCIAC 400m titles with a 49.76 at districts. Dustin Harrell took third in 51 seconds. At regionals, Noble took fourth, and Harrell took 12th with respective times of 48.53 and 51.36.
Trenton Bryant
300M Hurdles - MCIAC Time - 42.00
Bryant ran the 400m hurdles at districts and ran a 59.3 to take fifth.
Brandon Noble, Certain Williams, Peter Finn, Dustin Harrell
4x400M - MCIAC Time - 4:12:08 - state qualifier
The Wolf Pack’s 4x400m team took third place at districts with a time of 3:24:73. West Port continued to cut its time at regionals, running a season-best 3:24:14 to earn eighth place.
Vanguard
Girls
Jahhi Clarke
100M - MCIAC Time - 12.33 - state qualifier
The times continue to improve for Clarke as she dropped to 12.26 to win the district 100-meter title. At regionals, Clarke took first place with a personal best of 12.22.
Rachel Hill
1600M - MCIAC Time - 5:29.61
800M - state qualifier
Rachel Hill took third place at the county meet in the 800M in 2:30.96. A fourth-place 2:24.4 800M at regionals qualified her for the state meet.
Jahhi Clarke, Trinity Harris, Ky’Dreona Means, Arianna Reason
4x100M - MCIAC Time - 48.92 - state qualifier
The Knights 4x100 team cut .68 seconds to win districts by over 1.5 seconds. The team ran a season-best 47.53 to take second at regionals.
Audrey Taylor
3200M - MCIAC Time - 13:12:92
Taylor will join the 4x800M relay team at the state meet.
Aniyah Hope
High Jump - MCIAC - 5 feet, 2.25 inches - state qualifier
Hope earned her district title by jumping 5’-1.5". At regionals, she took second by jumping 5’-1.75".
Keyonis Smith
Long Jump - MCIAC distance - 17 feet 4.75 inches
Smith captured second place (17'-.25") as Trinity Harris took first place. Smith qualified for the state meet with the 4x100M relay race.
Shantoya Davis
Javelin - MCIAC distance - 79 feet
Davis posted an insane personal best of 28.35 meters (93 feet) for third place at districts.
Boys
Javarien Salter
100M - MCIAC Time - 11.17
200M - MCIAC Time - 22.27
400M - disitrct time - 49.52 - state qualifier
Salter ran 11.05 in the 100 and 22.35 in the 200 at district, earning second place in both events and advancing to regionals. He won the district 400 title in 49.52 after taking second place at the MCIAC meet. Salter holds Vanguard’s 400M record and qualified for state with the 4x400M relay team.
Clayton Knight
800M - MCIAC Time - 1:59.35
1600M - MCIAC Time - 4:41.40 - state qualifier
3200M - MCIAC Time - 10:40:.85 - state qualifier
Knight had a season for the record books. At districts, Knight won the 1600 and 3200-meter races in 4:38:41 and 10:09.97. The all-county cross-country runner then took second place at regionals with a 4:23:52 in the 1600M and first in the 3200M with a 9:44:48.
Fred Gaskin III
Triple Jump - MCIAC distance - 41’-3.25" - state qualifier
Gaskin took second at districts with a personal best and regional qualifying 44’-4". He finished fourth at regionals jumping 43’-8.5".
Johntavious Davenport
Javelin -MCIAC record - 133’ 2" - state qualifier
Davenport just missed the podium after throwing 130’-11.25" at districts. He recorded a personal-best 145’-1" to take fifth place at regionals. The junior also qualified for state with the Knights' 4x400M team.
Knights dominate at Districts
Vanguard won its district 4x100 meter dash in 42.57. The Knights shaved .32 seconds from their MCIAC race. Their 4x800 boys relay team took first at 8:23.30, improving by 3.08 seconds and qualifying for state. After taking second at the county meet, Anthony Reason recorded a 22-4" high jump for the district championship. Reason won the 3A Region 2 long jump title by jumping 22’ 1.5" to qualify for state.
Arianna took second in the 200m with a 26.21. The Knights swept the 800m podium, with Rachell Hill (2:22:69) taking first, Rhema Taylor (2:25:81) second, and Riley Carter (2:26:65) at third. Asia Nettles took second, and Aniyah Hope took third in the 100m hurdles. Nettles won first place in the 400m hurdles with a 1:09.24. The Knights' 4x800m girls’ team won a district title in 9:58.82 and took third in regionals with a 9:50:84.
Trinity Harris took the district title with a 35’-8.25" triple jump. At regionals, Harris jumped a 36’ 1.5" to take second at regionals and qualified for state. David Reed took second place at district in 2:00:41. He ran a 1:58.52 at regionals taking fourth place and a trip to the state meet.
Forest
Girls
Zuriyah Oats
110M Hurdles- MCIAC Time - 16.98
Coralei Deriso
Pole Vault - MCIAC height - 7’-6"
Boys
Ryan Jackson
110M Hurdles - MCIAC distance - 15.94
Long Jump- MCIAC distance - 22’-.75" - state qualifier
At districts, Jackson took fourth in 15.32. During the regional, he ran a season-best 15.14. During districts, he landed in third place with a 21’-7.75" long jump. The MCIAC long jump champion leaped into fourth place at regionals with a 21’-10.75" flight.
Alvaro Colon
Pole Vault - MCIAC height - 12’ - state qualifier
Colon vaulted 13’-11.25" at district to take second place. At regionals, the senior pole vaulter climbed to 13’-9.25" for third place.
Israel Evans finished fourth in the 200M, running a 23.21 during the MCIAC meet. He improved to 22.27 to take second at districts and qualify for regionals. Tyhreerah Rushing ran a 12.8 at districts for third place. At regionals, Rushing ran a 12.23 for sixth place.
Dunnellon
Girls
Tatianna Matthews
Triple Jump - MCIAC distance- 34’ 3.5" - state qualifier
After winning an MCIAC title, Matthews took second in the high jump at 4’-11" and first in the triple jump with 35’-6.5" at districts. At regionals, her 5’-3.75 long jump earned her first place and fourth place in the triple jump with a distance of 36’-2.75.
Shamyra Reid
Shot Put - MCIAC distance - 34’-8.5" - state qualifier
Reid took first place in shot put (35’-3"), discuss (97’-3"), and third in javelin (73’-2"). She took gold at regionals with 34’-11" shot put and third in discus with a 98’-1" flight.
Lake Weir
Boys - state qualifier
Alcarlos Richards took second at districts with a 5’ -1.5" high jump. Richards was one of five athletes to jump 6’-1.5" at regionals, earning him second place and a spot in the state meet.
Belleview
Girls
Samya Tuggle
Discuss - MICAC distance - 92’-5"
Boys
Cornelius Bentley Greene
Discuss - MICAC distance - 128’ 6" - state qualifier
Greene threw a personal best 142’-6.25" to win districts. He improved on his county record by over 14 feet. At regionals, he took sixth place with a 139’ toss.
North Marion
Boys
Mitchel Brown, Elija Walton, Caleb Rollerson, Chris Foster
4x100M - MICAC Time - 42:65 - state qualifier
The North Marion 4x100M team won districts with a 42.48 sprint. The Colts shaved more than half a second off their MCIAC time at regionals taking third place with a 41.93.
Elija Walton
High Jump - MICAC distance - 6’-2" - state qualifier
The Marion County high jump champion also took second in the 200M dash at districts in 22.49. He won the district championship high jump, leaping 6’-1.5". He won the high jump title at regionals with a 6’-3.5" leap.
Arkese Heath
Shot Put - MICAC distance - 41’4.5"
Heath secured first place at districts with a 44’-3.25” throw. He took seventh at regional (43’-3.25”).
Christopher Foster ran a 10.85 to capture the district crown in the 100M dash, as well as the long jump (22’-3"). He finished in third place with a 42’-4.75" triple jump. Foster ran a 10.87 100M at regionals, booking his ticket to Jacksonville. He’ll compete in the 4x100M, triple jump and long jump.
Walton, Foster, and Caleb Rollerson qualified for the triple jump. Rollerson jumped 44’-7.5" for second at regionals, and Walton jumped 43’-11.25" for fourth. Foster took seventh at regionals with a 42’-10.75.
Trinity Catholic
Girls - state qualifiers
Hope Willis qualified for three events at the state meet. Willis took second place in the high jump (4’-9.75"), shot put (35’-6"), and first in discus (110’-7"). At regionals, she took second in all three events, posting totals of 5’-1.75" in the high jump, 115’-3" in discus and 36’-3" in the shot put.
Zoe Zinnie competed in the 100M dash, long jump, and high jump this season. Her third-place finish in the long jump (15’-10.5) at regionals pushed her to a state tournament berth.
Boys - state qualifier
Cedric McFadden earned a spot at the state meet with a first-place finish in 1:58.06 during the 800M at regionals. McFadden also won districts in the same event with a 2:01.67 finish. He ran the 1600M taking first place (4:34.30) in districts and third (4:31.86) in regionals. He’ll compete in the 4x800 at state as well.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: 40 plus athletes from Marion County make state track meet in Jacksonville
