After an extended spring break, the Key West track and field team traveled to Belen Jesuit School for the Ripoll Invitational on March 31, and the Conchs produced some record-breaking performances.
Junior Jordan Greene finished in second place in the triple jump, but her 35’ 0.25” feat surpassed that of teammate Capri Miner’s school-record-breaking jump just three weeks ago. Prior to Miner’s leap, the record had stood for a quarter century.
Record-holder Ariel Newton won the nine-team competition outright in the pole vault competition, clearing the bar at 12’ 3.5”. Newton was close to breaking her own record but brushed the bar, bringing it down at the 12’ 9.25” height.
The two Lady Conch field standouts were joined by a pair of track stars. Junior Aly Camargo finished sixth in the open 800, moving to fourth in Key West’s record book with a 2:34 performance. Fellow junior Mirakle Humphrey finished the 100-meter race in 13.09 seconds, finishing sixth. Humphrey set a new school record in the event in March, but a strong headwind last week prevented her from eclipsing her own record.
Jeff Dejean was the overall winner in the long jump event. Dejean’s 22’ 1.5” leap was good for gold. Once he was finished in the sand pit, Dejean teamed up with Roman Van Loon, Walson Morin and Cavane Herron to take second place in the 4×200 relay. The fast foursome was within two seconds of the Conchs’ record in the relay.
The Dolphins of Marathon traveled to Miami’s Southridge High School for the Superfly Athletics Under the Lights meet on April 1, and several Fins made statements on the track and in the field. Freshman Lucian Burns won three events, finishing two laps of the 800-meter event in 2:04 for a new PR and a win. His second was a 4:36 1,600, and he added another eight laps for a win in the 3,200-meter race. The two miles took Burns just 10:26 to complete.
Tony Bursa was second in the 3,200 and third in the 800 to pick up points for the Dolphins. The Fins’ 4×100 relay team of Sean Nelson, Tariq Patterson, Sean Westerband and Shamar Wright finished in third, but their 44.99-second time was good for a new school record. In the field, Israel Gonzalez placed second in the javelin event to round out Marathon’s top three finishers at Southridge.
The Lady Fins stacked up their wins in the field. Senior Daysi Williams won the high jump competition with a 1.52-meter leap. Justice Lee Isom won the javelin (32.64 meters) and shot put (11.74 meters) and placed second in the discus. Ava Merryman cleared the bar at 2.7 meters for a second in the pole vault. All three athletes are seniors.
The Hurricanes chose the Bronco Nation Last Chance event in Homestead on April 2 for their meet of the week. Junior Mikel Castellanos finished second in the shot put for the lone top-three spot for the boys team. Julieanna Oddo finished the 100 hurdles in second place with a new personal best; the girls’ 4×800 team finished third.
April 10 is the final regular-season date for meets this season. Key West and Coral Shores won’t have to wait too long for the postseason; both teams will compete at the 2A District 16 Championships at Southridge on April 15. 1A Marathon competes at Palmer on April 23.
