What a weekend for Tallahassee track and field! At the FSU Relays, local runners, jumpers, and throwers got the chance to rub elbows with some of the nation’s top collegiate athletes, and these prepsters proved that they will carry on the tradition of track and field excellence set by their predecessors.

The action kicked off on Friday, with the 4x800m relay. Lincoln posted an impressive school record time of 8:06.20 to take third place. Next up were the girls 100m hurdles. Florida High’s LaKetra McGee finished in second with a time of 14.88. Moving into the 400m dash, Florida High’s Elizabeth Ichite narrowly edged out Godby’s Christine Poole to take the win- 55.61 to 56.85. On the boys’ side, Lincoln’s Jabriel Giddins out-dashed his 400m competitors, winning in a time of 49.16. Keeping in the sprinting spirit, Godby’s boys won the 4x100m relay in 42.64, with Lincoln taking third in 43.08.

As the skies grew dark and the track lights came on, Friday night’s distance carnival began. First up was the 800m run. Maclay’s Stefanie Kurgatt won in a meet record performance of 2:15.33. Godby’s Terrell Bryant took third with a 1:54.99. The grand finale of Friday night was the 3200m run. Maclay’s Jana Stolting won the girls’ race with a meet record of 10:41.54. Carly Thomas, of Chiles, placed fifth in 11:12.23. In the boys’ race, one which saw ten competitors dip under 9:20 and six go below 9:10, Leon’s Matt Mizereck outkicked his nearest competitor to take the win in a meet record of 9:02.87. His teammate, Will Stanford finished twelfth in 9:31.69.

The record-setting performances continued on Saturday. Dorian Corbett, of Florida High, took third in the girls’ high jump (5-02.00). In the girls’ pole vault, Chiles’s Haley Watts and Maclay’s Lilly VanWinkle finished fourth and fifth respectively, each one vaulting 10-00.00. North Florida Christian’s Darielle McQueen claimed second in the girls’ triple jump (36-09.75). Godby athletes took three of the top four spots in the boys’ triple jump, with Quayshun Smith jumping 46-09.25 for first, Jamar Cull going 44-04.25 for third, and Treavis Livingston jumping 43-07.50 for fourth. The Godby streak was broken up by Maclay’s Lee Williams, who went 45-08.25 for second. Chiles thrower, Stargell William, won the boys’ shot put with a meet record of 53-10.00. Florida High’s Ana DeTorres won the girls’ 300m hurdles in 44.76. Maclay’s Stefanie Kurgatt returned from her record-setting 800m to set another record, this time in the 1600m, winning in 5:03.82. Leon’s Matt Mizereck also followed a Friday night victory with another victory in the 1600m, in a time of 4:16.60. Maclay’s Lee Williams finished third in the 100m dash in 10.97. In the 4x400m relays, Florida High’s girls claimed second in 3:58.08. Lincoln’s boys also finished second, in 3:18.02.

After all the points were totaled up, Florida High was the top local girls’ team, taking third overall. Chiles finished in fifth, Maclay in sixth, and Godby in tenth. On the boys’ side, Godby triumphed, taking the overall win. Lincoln took fourth, Leon and Chiles tied for eighth, and Maclay finished in eleventh. It was a successful meet all around, and an excellent kick-off to a well-deserved Spring Break for the trackies of the Big Bend.