Key West and Marathon sent squads to Palmer Trinity School on March 7 to compete at the annual Falcon Relays. When the final event was completed, Key West’s boys were first out of a field of 17 teams. The Lady Conchs one-upped them, beating out 18 for the top spot.
Jeff Dejean was busy, winning the long jump event with a leap of 21’6”. Dejean also ran a leg of Key West’s winning 4×100 team, which also included Shane Lavallee, Walson Morin and Jayden Gist. Gist, Lavallee and Morin then teamed up with Leo Batista to claim first in the 4×200. Ian Newton cleared 13’3.5” to take first in pole vault, while Josh Johnson won the shot put with a throw of 45’9” and Noah Mercer tossed the discus 137’6” for another first in the field events.
The Lady Conchs’ Audrey Smith won two individual events. Smith was first in discus with a 108’8” toss and first in javelin with a best distance of 124’7”. Jordan Greene won the triple jump event, leaping 30’11”. Greene then teamed up with Mirakle Humphrey, Capri Miner and Katelyn Sambrana for a first in the 4×200. Caylaa Makimaa went the distance, winning the 1,600-meter race in 5:29. Alyssandra Camargo, Ariel Newton, Lilia Mook and Naima Thomas won the 4×100 relay for the Lady Conchs’ final top finish at the meet.
Marathon had a strong showing, with five individual winners at Palmer. Mikail Marshall outsprinted a field of 56, winning the 100-meter dash in 11.50 seconds. Vance Bursa won the 1,600-meter race in 4:47 and Fab Louis Jeune took first with 5’9.75” in high jump. Daysi Williams cleared 4’9.75” to win the girls high jump and Justice Lee’s best shot toss landed 34’7.75” away for the best throw of the day in that event.
Earlier in the week, Monroe County’s three varsity track and field teams joined South Dade High School at Coral Shores. South Dade took the top spot in team points in both the boys and girls events. Coral Shores was the top-scoring Keys team in boys events, with Marathon claiming that honor in the girls events. Key West traveled light, bringing a limited roster to the March 4 meetup.
The Hurricane boys had two first-place finishers on their home track. Sean Harm won the 100- and 200-meter races, finishing the 100 in 11.86 seconds and the 200 in 23.96. Alaric Rodriguez was first in the 800-meter race, completing the two laps in 2:10. The Dolphin boys had six first-place winners, though four of them had to settle for sharing their honors. Tony Bursa crossed the line first in the 1,600-meter race. Bursa outkicked teammate Lucian Burns by less than a tenth of a second, finishing in 5:08. Older brother Vance Bursa opted for the two-mile race, completing the eight-lap event in 10:36. In a four-way tie for first place, Dolphin high jumpers Daeshawn Holmes and Louis Jeune cleared 5’5.75”, splitting the points with a pair of South Dade jumpers. And in boys pole vault, Marathon’s Maverick McDonald and Cullen Coleman-Sayer tied for first with 7’10.5” vaults.
For the girls, Marathon’s Daysi Williams and Justice Lee were dual winners. Williams was first in the 200-meter race, finishing in 28.36 seconds, then cleared the bar at 5’1.75” in the high jump. Lee’s 34’4” shot put mark and 108’11” discus toss were good for a pair of firsts. The Lady Fins’ final first was Ava Merryman, who cleared 8’6.25” in the pole vault event.
Coral Shores’ Ali Wheatley was a dual winner, with firsts in the 800- and 1,600-meter events. Wheatley crossed the line in the 800 in 2:39, then took another four laps to finish the 1,600 in 6:02. The Lady ’Canes had another first-place finisher, Julieanna Oddo, who finished the 100-meter high hurdles in 22.02 seconds. Key West’s Jordan Greene claimed a first for the Lady Conchs, landing a 30’2” triple jump to grab 10 points for her team.
