3A Girls State Preview by Ricky Quintana - Florida FHSAA Outdoor Championships 2013

Northwestern is becoming synonymous with Team Championships. The Bulls have won 9 of the last 14 state championships and 4 straight. If they win on Friday, they will move into a tie for first with Glade Central for the most state track and field championships and into a 3^rd place tie for the most consecutive titles in Florida track and field history. Since 1998, they have also claimed 6 runner-up titles. Carmen Jackson has been at the helm of the juggernaut that the Bulls have become for all 9 of their state championships.

The Bulls are projected to score in 8 events on Friday; 35.2 coming from the field and another 36 coming from the track events. Junior Lloydrici Cameron will be favored in the discus and shot put accounting for a possible 20 points for the Bulls. Cameron’s toss of 158-02.00 to win the Florida Relays ranks her 6^th in the nation. They also stand in the runner-up position for the 4 x 800m and 4 x 400m relays.

Pine Forest, winners of the 2010 and 2011 3A titles, are favored to finish second. They will have a strong presence in 7 of Friday’s events with predicted scoring in all 7 of the 17 scored events. Johna’ Whitaker, a Kentucky signee, will be favored in the 100m hurdles where she ranks 4^th in the country with her time of 13.70. In the 300m Hurdles, she is ranked second, but has a personal best of 42.42 which is 6^th best in the nation.  Miami Central's Kimani Austin-Reese could push her to a state meet best of 41.34 (Tiffany Ross, Miami Northwestern) set in 2000. Ross went on to earn a place on the 2008 Olympic team and the 2009 World Championship team in the 400m hurdles.

Other individual and nationally ranked stars to watch in Friday’s action are:

Nicole Greene, sophomore from Ponte Vedra, is currently ranked 5^th in the nation in the high jump. She will be seeking her second consecutive title. She has cleared 5-10 on three occasions and has won titles at the Taco Bell Classic this year and the Golden South Classic last year.

Clermont's East Ridge frosh Kaylin Whitney will seek to win her first 100m title. She is currently ranked 6^th in the nation. Only 2 others have won the 100m title 4 consecutive years in the 3A classification; Olympic, World Champion and American 400 meter Record holder Sanya Richards- Ross (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale) and current University of Florida freshman, Robin Reynolds (Jackson, Miami, FL).

She is also favored in the 200m. No runners in class 3A have won 4 consecutive championships. She is currently ranked US #2 (all conditions) with her 23.30 at the Region 2 Championships. With a legal (under the 2.0 meter per second allowable) performance of 23.35 or better, she will eclipse the FHSAA state meet record of Erica Whipple (Palm Beach Lakes) set in 2001. The frosh class record is 23.06 by Bianca Knight (Ridgeland, MS, 2004) and the age 15 record is 22.76 by Marion Jones (Rio Mesa, Oxnard, CA, 1991). Whitney is the age 14 200m record holder with her time of 23.41.

Dillard senior Shakima Wimbley is the 3^rd ranked 400m runner in the nation with her 53.67 at the Broward County Championships.