Area track athletes set gold standard

Droogsma, Whitaker headline area's regional champions entering Class 3A state meet

1:29 AM, May. 3, 2012

Area high school track athletes ,from left, Jacob Kotick, Lamia Miller, Johna' Whitaker, Pershawna Williams, Jarvis Sumler and Ausstin Droogsma are contenders for state titles at this weekend's Class 3A state meet in Jacksonville. / Ben Twingley / [email protected]

Written by

Jamie Secola

With offers already in from Kentucky, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson, Gulf Breeze High junior Austin Droogsma knows he’ll earn a scholarship to play football in college.

But Droogsma hasn’t let that stop him from becoming one of the top discus and shot put throwers in the country.

At the Region 1-3A meet in Jacksonville last week, Droogsma blew out the competition, throwing 193 feet in the discus — a distance which ranks Droogsma No. 1 in the state and No. 9 in the country.