Florida has had an annual high school state track and field championship for 100 years now, from 1915 to 2014. There have been several venues for the State Meet over the years, but for most of those years the races have been contested on tracks with no more than eight lanes. Probably fewer than eight in some years, but I haven't asked any old timers about the configuration of the track at Gainesvilleís Graham Field. Most recently the track and field championships have been in Jacksonville at the University of North Florida. There, the track in Hodges Stadium has nine lanes. What did that mean for the sixteen teams in the opening event, the 4 x 800 relay? It meant that instead of running the race in two sections of eight teams each, there were seven teams in the first section (the "slow" section) and nine teams in the second (the "fast" section).


So the 4A girls competition started on Saturday morning, May 3, with the 4A girls' 4 x 800 relay. St. Thomas Aquinas senior Christina Kalis led off that event for her team.


"I ran about 2:15," said Kalis. "I wanted to run faster."


Most girls would be happy with a 2:15, but Kalis competes in Region 4, where her 2:14.70 PR was only good for third place in the open 800. 2:15 may not have been good enough for Kalis, but it was good enough to put Aquinas in first when she handed off to junior Alon Lewis. Ferguson and Winter Park followed. Winter Park maintained a firm grip on third but drifted out of contention. Ferguson, on the other hand, was threatening to take it all when Aquinas' third runner, sophomore Alexa Cruz, handed off to anchor Narinah Jean-Baptiste. The Ferguson fans tipped off Jean-Baptiste, however.


"I heard the crowd shouting, Get her! Get her!", recalled Jean-Baptiste. "And knew they were talking about me."


With that timely warning Jean-Baptiste put on a little more steam to cap a 9:15.65 Aquinas victory. Ferguson was second in 9:16.67. Winter Park took third in 9:28.06.

St. Thomas Aquinas Girls 4x800

The St. Thomas Aquinas may have won the 4A girls' 4 x 800, but that didn't earn the Aquinas boys any respect from Hialeah American. American's lead-off runner, sophomore Dawun Hylton, went out hard and put his team in front before handing off to junior Ari Cogdell. Aquinas and Coral Reef trailed in second and third. During the second leg Olympia got into the mix, passing first Coral Reef and then Aquinas. Aquinas regained second at the halfway point exchange. Olympia was in third, but American was still far out in front.


While Olympia and Aquinas struggled for second, Dr. Phillips crashed their party. American led comfortably when senior Brandon Damon handed the stick to anchor man Yohance Haynes. Dr. Phillips was the second team to start the anchor leg, followed by Aquinas and Olympia. No one was going to catch sophomore Yohance Haynes, though, and American got the win with a 7:48.22.


"It was a little cold out there," said one of the American runners. That's not something you often hear in Florida in May. Don't tell the people at Visit Florida.


Aquinas fought back up into the runner-up spot, taking second in 7:52.51. Dr. Phillips finished right behind them, but placed behind the team from defending champion Bloomingdale in the final standings. Bloomingdale may have been one of the seven teams in the "slow" section, but their 7:54.07 was fast enough for third place. Dr. Phillips was fourth in 7:54.85. Olympia made it five teams under eight minutes, placing fifth in 7:56.71.

American's 4x800 Relay Team

Lanes were not an issue in the girls' 1600, where the runners only spent the first 100 meters in lanes before breaking for the pole. Cypress Bay senior Katherine MacNeal led the pack through the first 400, her closest followers Winter Park senior Charlotte Stephens and Lake Brantley sophomore Sinclaire Johnson. During the second lap Olympia junior Emily Headley moved up to take the lead. MacNeal and Johnson stayed right behind Headley through the third lap, which split about 80 seconds for the leaders. In the sky the sun had come out, but on the track a storm was gathering.


Johnson and MacNeal took off. What was left of the pack strung out as the runners rushed for the finish, but the race belonged to Johnson and MacNeal now. And at the finish line it was all Sinclaire Johnson's, as the Lake Brantley runner edged MacNeal 5:01.49 to 5:01.80. Winter Park sophomore Katherine Kuhn was third in 5:05.37.

Lake Brantley's Sinclaire Johnson and Cypress Bay's Katherine MacNeal finish 1-2 in the Girls 1600

I've annoyed my relatives in Tampa enough that I shouldn't bother them even more by naming them here. Let's just say that they know a little bit about the program at Plant High School. Looking over the times from the regional meets, I saw that Plant junior Jack Guyton had the fastest time out of the regional meets in the boys' 1600. So, I asked, what about Guyton?


"He is very competitive and usually has a fast last lap," was one response.


"He's got a kick," was another.


It was Miami Sunset junior Nick Diaz, though, who led the 1600 field through the first 400. Coral Reef junior Kurt Convey took over during the second lap and was still setting the pace at the bell. With 300 to go, Guyton struck.


"I was originally planning to go at 400," admitted Guyton. "But I didnít want to be anxious."


For Guyton, patience was a true virtue. Diaz swung around Convey to give chase, but Guyton was gone. Covering the final 400 in close to 60 seconds, the Plant runner won the race in 4:11.86. Diaz outfought Convey 4:16.11 to 4:16.32 to take second. After picking up their medals on the awards podium, Guyton and Convey would be back later in the 3200.

Plant's Jack Guyton winning the Boys 1600 in 4:11.86

The 800 came before the 3200, though. After a fast first 400 in the girls' two-lapper, Wellington sophomore Maddie Beaubien was ten meters up on the field. Sinclaire Johnson was back for another helping after the 1600, though, and she devoured those 10 meters on the way to the 600 meter mark. Beaubien never gave up, but Johnson took the race in the end, 2:12.30 to 2:13.41. Johnson was not only a double champion, but also the new state leader in the girls' 800. Aquinas junior Alon Lewis was third in 2:13.78.

Lake Brantley's Sinclaire Johnson wins the Girls 800

In the boys' race Aquinas senior Gabriel Darosa ran his best 800 time ever, 1:54.55. It was fast enough for the silver medal but just a hair short of gold. Instead the first-place medal went to Olympia junior Hollis Kyren, who squeaked by Darosa with a 1:54.49. Columbus sophomore Humberto Freire was third in 1:55.41, with three more athletes less than half a second behind him. Nine lanes didn't change the fact that it was a crowded finish.

Olympia's Kyren Hollis following his 800 victory

Classes 3A and 4A both ran on Saturday, and the class 3A girls' 3200 had preceded the class 4A race. In 3A, Emma Rudman and Karen Xiang had posted 3200 times of 10:55.52 and 10:55.82. If this was a challenge to the 4A girls, Aquinas sophomore Alexa Cruz met that challenge. The state leader in the event with a 10:43.79 at the Texas Relay, Cruz ran from the front while clocking a winning time of 10:52.44. Ferguson senior Katrina Santiago ran a personal best of 11:08.11 to finish second. Lourdes senior Brea Lourdes took third at 11:11.67, just ahead of Aquinas junior Margaret Schloss, fourth in 11:13.70.

St. Thomas Aquinas' Alexa Cruz leads the Girls 3200 en route to victory in 10:52.44

The 4A boys' 3200 immediately followed the girls' race. Aquinas senior Manuel Velasquez set the early pace, but Kurt Convey of Coral Reef took over the lead after the third lap. At the halfway point Convey was still out front with Sickles junior James Zentmeyer half a step back. Plant's Jack Guyton followed in third.


Convey continued to push going into the second half, opening a gap on the field. With 800 meters left, the Coral Reef junior was so far ahead that it looked like he had broken the race open. Guyton had a different opinion.


"At 600 to go I thought I could catch him," recalled Guyton. "But with 400 left I knew I had to go or I never would."


So Guyton went. Countryside's Andrew Llewellyn went with him. On the backstretch of the final lap it looked like Guyton was closing, but not like he would catch Convey.


"He is very competitive and usually has a fast last lap."


On the final turn Guyton was still closing, and it looked like he could catch Convey.


"He's got a kick."


Guyton flashed by Convey then drove to the finish line in 9:20.35, completing his 1600/3200 double with a second win. Llewellyn caught Convey as well, taking second in 9:23.40. Convey was third in 9:23.40, holding off homestretch challenges from Martin County senior Tyler O'Brien (4th, 9:23.48) and Zentmeyer (5th, 9:23.85).

Jack Guyton seals the victory in the Boys 3200

With the results of the 2014 State Meet logged, athletes are allowing themselves to think about post-season competition--e.g., Golden South, New Balance Nationals, the Dream Mile. Jack Guyton is thinking even farther ahead as well, to next cross-country season. Pre-State at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee?


"I'll be there," said Guyton.


Hodges Stadium track has nine lanes. Apalachee Regional Park has just one big one.