By JONATHAN WARREN
This season marked the most successful season for the boys track team since 1961, finishing sixth in the state.
“Our guys team has done awesome this season. It seems this year we had a complete team, with good sprinters, distance runners and field events.
Our biggest strength is how hard we work every single day. I don’t ever see anybody slacking off,” junior John-Logan Hines said.
Hines runs both the mile and the two-mile, but injured his hamstring three days before the third meet of the season which slowed his progress this season. Hines and junior Phillips Duncan lead the boys distance team.
“We have some real strong kids in distance in both Phil and JL,” boys coach Joshua Shearouse said.
Duncan won the mile and two-mile at districts with times of 4:24 and 9:44 respectively. He posted a 25 second personal best at Pepsi Florida Relays and placed eighth at states.
The sprinters have also found success this season, especially breakout sophomore Marvin Bracy who made the Orlando Sentinel’s Track and Field Honor Roll in both the 100 and 200 and set school records in both events. He then won the 100 and 200 at states setting a state record in the 100 with a time of 10.19.
The 4×100 team (Akil Hanson, Blake Harrington, Marvin Bracy and team captain Tabarie Sullivan) also earned the Honor Roll and placed second at states. The 4×100 team broke the school record they set last year, despite two new members.
Cameron Hooper, one of the team’s captains, placed eighth in the pole vault at states with a 12 foot, six inch vault.
“The team improved immensely. We started the year being a young team and not knowing what our potential was. We have some guys that really surprised us in what they were able to accomplish this year. It’s been pretty awesome to be a part of,” Shearouse said.
The team won districts by 33.5 points.
“We’re a lot more hardworking this year. There’s a change in attitude on the team going from goof-off mentality to really working hard,” Hines said.
The girls team has also become more hardworking.
“Our strength is that we work together as a team. We know how to focus and work on what needs to be worked on,” senior captain Tyesha White said.
White runs the 100 and 200 in addition to long jumping. At state, White placed seventh in long jump with a jump of 18 feet. She placed fourth and seventh in the 100 and 200 at districts. White has been recovering from a hamstring cramp she suffered at the Lake Highland Invitational on March 13.
“Since I’m injured, I haven’t shown as much speed as last year,” White said.
White is a leader on the team along with senior Courtney Capehart, who won the state title in the high jump matching her season-high jump of 5 feet, 6 inches.
“Courtney is a leader on the team because she’s really good at keeping everyone in line,” White said.
White says that an upcoming leader on the team is freshman Justice Donald. Donald burst into high school track this season placing in the top six at districts in four events: the 100, 200, long jump and 4×100.
Donald was a part of a 4×100 team that included White, senior Nicole Leveille and junior Melissa Marlin that placed seventh at states.
“They definitely work together as a team; they really support each other,” girls coach Laurie Stanton said.
The girls team placed third overall in the district behind Winter Park and Colonial.
“We’ve done well this season. We worked really hard and showed good performances,” White said.