Local athletes represented Tallahassee at three separate venues this past weekend. Each competition provided yet another showcase of the outstanding talent of the Big Bend.

On Friday, Maclay hosted the Last Chance Meet, which, as the name implies, gave many JV runners their last chance at a personal best (since the remaining meets are varsity-only). Notable performances on the girls’ side included a victory in the 1600m run by Maclay’s Jana Stolting (5:12.07), and first place finishes in both the 800m run (2:23.16) and the 200m dash (25.98) by Godby’s Christine Poole. On the boys’ side, Darius Jones of Rickards clocked a 51.55 400m, giving him the win. As predicted, the boys’ 800m race proved to be the one to watch, as Maclay used it to determine its 4x800m team for the post season. Godby’s Terrel Bryant won in a time of 2:01.90, followed closely by Maclay’s Patrick Swain, who ran a 2:02.30. Fifth through twelfth place were all Maclay runners, showing just how close the battle was. To view the full video of the race, go to www.maclayrunners.com and click on the “scorpions in a bucket” link- you won’t be disappointed.

Chiles hosted the Capital City Track and Field Classic on Saturday. The Timberwolf ladies stomped all over their competition, including previous 1A state champions, Port St. Joe. They were led by a second place finish in the 100m dash by Ashton Gallaher (12.53),a first place finish in the 800m run by Rachel Phipps (2:30.31), a first through fourth sweep in the 1600m run by Lily Williams (5:19.69), Kendall Andrews (5:21.73), Carly Thomas (5:22.77), and Kaia Hampton (5:36.25), a first through third sweep in the 3200m run by Lily Williams (11:24.56), Kaia Hampton (11:24.78), and Kendall Andrews (12:08.02), and a first place 4x800m relay team (10:22.58). Local teams, Lincoln and Leon finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The Chiles boys’ proved equally dominant, winning the overall title with a score of 183 points. They were led by a first place 4x400m relay team (3:33.68), a first place 4x800m relay team (8:44.06), and outstanding depth in everything from the 3200m run, where they claimed fourth through seventh, to the discus throw, where they took second, third, fifth, and eighth place. Leon’s distance squad demonstrated their state-winning abilities, taking first through third in both the 1600m run (Matt Mizereck- 4:20.08, Will Stanford- 4:26.00, and Riley Doherty- 4:34.70) and the 3200m run (Will Stanford- 9:32.49, Matt Mizereck- 9:48.75, and Riley Doherty- 9:57.49). The Big Bend took the top three spots at the meet, with Chiles in first, Lincoln in second, and Leon in third.

A few hours down the road, at the University of Tampa, Whitney Strickland ran a 1:54.7 800m, good enough for third place in the elite division of the UT Distance Carnival. Strickland’s time bodes well for his chances at defending his titles in the post season. He, along with other 1A area athletes will have the chance to set new PR’s this weekend at Districts, which is being hosted by Maclay. The meet begins Saturday at 9 AM and volunteers are needed. If you are interested in helping out, contact Gary Droze at (850) 942-7333.