Day 2 FHSAA Class 3A state track winners in their own words
By Brian Miller, Special to Distance Preps

We at Distance Preps thought it would be a good idea to catch up with as many state champions as we could, so we did, sloshing our way around in rain and mud to hear what was on their mind. Here are the thoughts of numerous winners on Day 2, immediately following crowning achievements in their high school track careers.

FHSAA Class 3A state winners

4x800 (G) - Miami Northwestern, 9:13.10
"I feel like we messed up because when she was doing the stick, I wasn't paying attention to the runner," third leg DeAndreah Young said about a slight slip-up with the handoff. "When I turned around, my left leg stumbled a little bit, but I managed to finish the race. We feel like since we're already this good, we try not to make mistakes."

4x800 (B) - Niceville, 7:50.56
"I was hoping for it, I was praying for it," said Thomas Howell about getting the baton to anchor Nick Morken close enough for him to win. "I knew it was going to be close, but I always have faith in Nick. He could be 100 yards back and I still have faith. That's Nick's forte: he runs best when he's behind."

High Jump (G) - Talia Falco (Lakewood Ranch), 5-06.00
"It's definitely not as nerve-wracking as running, but it just clicks," Falco said about two jumping titles. "I didn't start jumping until my sophomore year. I came out, my coach said, 'We're going to make you a jumper.' I just started jumping and I ended up being pretty good at it."

High Jump (B) - Chris Rogers (Pine Forest), 6-08.00
"Trying to get that extra inch, I was thinking too much," Rogers said. "If you think too much, you won't get it. When you stop thinking, breathe, calm down and relax, you'll get it. I got it. I got it because I was calm and doing my thing."

Long Jump (G) - BeJai Fray (Lake Weir), 18-11.00

Long Jump (B) - Tyler Byrd (Naples), 23-07.50
 

Triple Jump (G) - Talia Falco (Lakewood Ranch), 38-02.00
"It's obviously difficult to do, but I know if I just focus, I can do my best," said Falco, who braved the pouring rain. "I got a PR, so I did awesome. I kept moving around, trying to stay warm so I could do my best."
 

Triple Jump (B) - Dwayne Lawson (Hillsborough), 47-06.75
Discus (G) - Lloydricia Cameron (Northwestern), 160-03.00
"It wasn't by best, but rainy day. . ." said Cameron, underselling her double victory in throws, after doing the same last year. "No weightlifting for me. I'm not strong, I'm just technical."
 

Discus (B) - Freddick Jones (Central), 186-04.00
 

Shot Put (G) - Lloydricia Cameron (Northwestern), 46-08.00
"Today was a very difficult day," said Cameron, who won her fifth throws title in three years. "Rain was slipping the discus and shot. Technique got it through. I'm happy for it. Last state meet, didn't do my best, but in my heart I knew I accomplished something."
 

Shot Put Adaptive (G) - Scarlett Lawhorne (Zephyrhills), 12-07.00

Shot Put Adaptive (B) - Matt Giardino (Lecanto), 24-03.00

Shot Put (B) - Freddick Jones (Central), 58-00.50
"Just gotta warm up, stay warmed up, keep staying warm," said Jones, who had to throw in cold wind and rain. "I was running. You do what you gotta do. But if you're a thrower, you're a thrower no matter what the elements are."
 

Pole Vault (G) - Taylor Anderson (Mitchell), 11-06.00
 

Pole Vault (B) - Devon Jerothe (River Ridge), 14-00.00
 

100 Hurdles (G) - Timetria Mitchell (Northwestern), 14.16
"It's exciting because last year I didn't get to run because I got disqualified," Mitchell said. "This year was my time to make it up. She (Norland's Kimani Austin-Reese) was always head to head with me, every hurdle. I tried to push a little harder."

110 Hurdles (B) - Justin Cromartie (Chiles), 13.97
"I could feel him the whole time, but I couldn't see him after the fourth hurdle," said Cromartie, who nipped Lincoln's John Burt by one one-hundredth of a second. "I'm not sure who won. I thought it was him."

100 (G) - Jadzia Beasley (Lincoln), 11.78
"I didn't feel like I'd been running my best 100s," Beasley said. "My start wasn't good, it's something I need to keep working on, but I just had it in my head I couldn't take second."

100 (B) - Kendal Williams (Stanton Prep), 10.33
"The whole week I was working on my start, get out, get my transition right," said Williams, who ran the third fastest time in the U.S., of which he already has No. 1. "By that time I'm just leaving them. I'm raced a lot better than I thought. Mentally before the race, I thought I could dominate. I guess I did."

4x100 (G) - Miami Northwestern, 47.16

"Getting off to a good start is important," first leg Robyn Jones said. "At first, it was hard to learn, but then I got used to the stagger. It all comes from God. If you pray, he will bless you with strength. I knew we had it."

4x100 (B) - Liberty, 41.33
"I knew D was going to take it," said third leg Josh Wilson, who pumped his fist as he saw anchor Devarius Turner break down the final stretch. "I saw him try to clear and I yelled 'D, you better kick it!' And he kicked it. I knew he got it. Once I gave it to him, I knew he was going to take it home."

1600 (G) - Emily Harding (Sarasota), 4:51.61
"I didn't really have a goal time today," Harding said. "My PR for the season was 4:56 a couple weeks ago at UF (Relays). I wasn't necessarily worried about time, but these girls took it out quick. I figured, hey, it's going to be a great race and great times. That's what happened."

1600 (B) - Sukhi Khosla (Leon), 4:05.96
"I really wanted to break 4:06 because after regionals someone ran 4:06.00," said Khosla about his new U.S. No. 1 time. "I wanted (the record) back again."

400 (G) - Janae Caldwell (Spoto), 55.50
"Honestly, that was one of the easier races I've run this year, just because my problem is usually at the start," Caldwell said. "Once I got out good, I pretty much was able to coast the rest of the way and get first. My biggest struggle is the mental part. No one wants to run the 400, so no one wants to get out fast. I've been working on that."

400 (B) - Jeffery Green (Northwestern), 47.44
"It's fun, you get to run each leg with your teammate," said Green, who went 1-2 with fellow Northwestern sprinter Cordell Lamb in a photo finish. "We compete in practice and push each other. We run faster because we push each other all the time. And that's my best friend, so it's fun."

300 Hurdles (G) - Kimani Austin-Reese (Norland), 42.29
"Actually, my coaches have been working with me on not gliding over the hurdles since they come to my knees," said Austin-Reese, whose height and leg length aid her invaluably. "It's just incorporating it into my steps, so I can just jump them. I jumped a 42-inch hurdle the other day like it was nothing. I was pretty excited about that."

300 Hurdles (B) - Brandon Cachon (Barron Collier), 37.59
"It feels good and I can't believe I won," said Cachon, a sophomore. "At the beginning of the day it was all rainy and I wasn't running that well. It became sunny and I ran great. My first race this year I ran 41 (seconds). It was just my goal to run in the 39s. I was stuck for a while, but when I hit a 38, I knew I'd be running good."

800 (G) - Emily Harding (Sarasota), 2:15.12
"I really wasn't expecting or planning on getting the double," Harding said. "My goal was maybe top three podium in the 800. I'm just over the top happy."

800 (B) - Avery Bartlett (Chiles), 1:52.27
"It's kind of what I've always done, so if it's not broke, don't fix it," said Bartlett, who chased down six runners in the last 300 to run a two-second personal best. "I actually went out faster than I usually do."

800 Adaptive (B) - Joey Gibbs (Ocala Vanguard), 2:45.16

200 (G) - Jadzia Beasley (Lincoln), 24.59
"The lean is the most important thing, period," said Beasley, who was partial to the lean after it won her the race. "Even if it's not close, lean. It's not about time.

200 Adaptive (G) - Chryst Christopher (East Lee County), 1:19.57

200 (B) - Kendal Williams (Stanton Prep), 20.96
"This year was all about proving I got the scholarship for a reason," said Williams, who is headed to Florida State, and now owns two gold medals. "It's going out there and running the best I can do. It's pretty good, I guess. I'm really excited to get into the (FSU) training program, the team mentality of being part of a program that's bigger than yourself."

200 Adaptive (B) - Matt Giardino (Lecanto), 36.58

3200 (G) - Emma Rudman (Fort Walton Beach), 10:55.52
"I was like, 'I've gotta do this,'" said Rudman, who put her head down with 125 meters to go as Nease's Karen Xiang hugged her shoulder in a kick. "I was like, 'I know this hurts, but I can do it. I'm going to stay with her and get this race.' It worked out. I'm just happy the other girls had great races, I had great races. I'm known for collapsing or throwing up at the end of my races, but, hey, it means I pushed myself to the limit."

3200 (B) - Sukhi Khosla (Leon), 9:05.75
"I was pretty tired coming off of the mile, a little more than I usually am," said Khosla about his distance double. "My coach didn't give me a race plan. He just said, 'You know how to do it.' With three laps left, I made a move, but couldn't maintain it. I just had to relax again, reset for another move."

4x400 (G) - Miami Northwestern, 3:50.64

4x400 (B) - Miami Northwestern, 3:14.71
"Just recently at the last track meet, they moved me to the fourth leg," anchor Cordell Lamb said. "They knew I'd run my split whether I had competition or not. Coming to that last 100, it was exciting. I could hear the crowd. I tried watching the clock because I wanted 3:13 or 3:12. I used the crowd, and by God's grace we ran a 3:14."