All three of Monroe County’s high schools will be represented at the 2026 FHSAA State Championships in Jacksonville after standout performances from local athletes on the track and in the field.
Marathon’s Justice Lee Isom added to her extensive medal collection, picking up two golds and a silver at the 1A regional meet last week at Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar. Lee Isom started the day with a second-place finish in the javelin event, tossing the spear 99’ 1”. She followed that up with first-place finishes in the shot put (38’ 7.5”) and discus (112’ 4”). Her accomplishments in the field on May 1 automatically qualified Lee Isom for the state meet. Athletes placing first or second receive automatic bids and the next 10 best times or marks in each event at each classification qualify those athletes for at-large bids.
Joining Lee Isom at states with automatic bids are the members of Marathon’s 4×800 meter relay team. Kristel Morales, Landon Anderson, Lucian Burns and Tony Bursa set a new school record of 8:16 with their first-place finish at regionals. Burns will be busy at states, as he will run his leg of the relay and compete in the individual 1,600-meter race after placing second in 4:34. Burns set a new PR with his runner-up finish, and he was not done yet. The fierce freshman set another PR in the 3,200-meter race with a third-place 10:05 finish and an at-large bid in a third event.
Caleb Shelar set a school record of his own, racing the 400-meter hurdles in 59.17 seconds to finish fourth and add to Marathon’s team point total. His strong finish also gave him a coveted at-large bid to the big show.
Daysi Williams matched her PR and school-record high jump mark. The 5’ 1.75” leap was the best of the day, giving the senior a shot at a state medal to cap off her final season. Fellow senior Ava Merryman’s third-place pole vault finish (9’ 4.25”) was good for an at-large spot at states, where she has lots of potential to medal.
The Dolphins collected their final points from freshman Isabele Wiseman, eighth grader Maverick McDonald and seventh grader Molly Joly. Joly’s 3,200-meter run was good for sixth place and Wiseman and McDonald both placed eighth in the pole vault.
In the 2A competition, Coral Shores sophomore Ali Wheatley ran a spectacular 3,200-meter race, finishing first in the region and securing a trip to states. Wheatley finished her eight laps in 11:44. She will be joined by senior Alaric Rodriguez, who set a new PR and school record in the 400 hurdle race with a 57.32-second finish. Rodriguez finished third and qualified for states with an at-large bid. Rodriguez also ran a leg of the Hurricane 4×800 relay team that placed eighth. Joining Rodriguez for the point-grabbing finish were Adrik Mayer, Victor Lopez and Jaime Cary.
Key West also had several strong finishes in the 2A event. The Conchs brought home a pair of golds, both in the pole vault event. Junior Ian Torrealba Lopez cleared the bar at 11’ 9.75” and classmate Ariel Newton scaled 11’ 3.75” for Key West’s best performances of the day. Both will compete at states. Also picking up points for the team in pole vault were Maya Gray, who placed fifth; Lilly Good, who was sixth in the girls competition; and Jorge Sanchez, Kovey Castillo and Saul Ramirez, who finished fourth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Joining Newton and Torrealba Lopez at states will be a trio of seniors who qualified for at-large spots in field events. Audrey Smith’s fourth-place javelin toss (109’ 8”) and seventh-place discus throw (98’ 3”) made the cut, as did Jeff Dejean in long jump. Dejean placed sixth with a 21’ 4” leap. Leo Batista’s third-place toss of the shot put landed 47’ 0.25” away and was good for a spot in Jacksonville.
Key West’s final qualifier was the 4×100 team of Mirakle Humphrey, Jordan Greene, Janiliah Moore and Damarla Thompson. The fearsome foursome finished third and easily made the cut for states.
Athletes have a quick turnaround before heading off to the state meet, held this year at University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville. Marathon competes in the 1A competition Thursday, May 6 while Key West and Coral Shores take their marks the following day.
