3A state track & field headquarters (It's over)

The meet is over. Below, you'll find the team standings and a few notes from the day:

Boys: 1. St. Thomas Aquinas 65; 2. Dwyer 49; 3. Miami Washington 48; 4. Hillsborough 42; 5. Navarre 40; 9. Wharton 18; 13. Plant 14; 24. Jefferson 8.

Girls: 1. Oak Ridge 89; 2. Wharton 48; 3. Miami Washington 46; 4. Pine Forest 36; 5. St. Thomas Aquinas 35; t20. Seminole 8; t20. Brandon 8; t20. Tampa Bay Tech 8; 26. Hillsborough 7; t29. Blake 6; t29. Dunedin 6; t34. Osceola 5; t34. Lakewood 5; t34. Central 5; 42. Newsome 4; 46. Plant 3; 50. Jefferson 2; 53. Tarpon Springs 1.      

-Wharton has another state champ: Wildcats junior Amani Bryant has just claimed the 300 hurdles after finishing in 42.92. The runnerup was well back at 43.59. Minutes earlier, Bryant was DQ'd in the 100 hurdles after she hit a hurdle and fell off the course. "I'm really happy," Bryant said. "I was down about falling in the 100." Her time was a PR.

-Heralded Florida Gator football recruit Jeff Demps (10.40) won the 100. Hillsborough's Lindsey Lamar was fourth (10.86).

-Skinner earns another medal: Wharton senior Katrina Skinner won the bronze in the 1,600. She finished in 5:01.95. Skinner took gold earlier in the 4x800.

-Wharton girls win 4x800: The Wildcats posted a time of 9:22.43 to beat runnerup Satellite by more than two seconds. The Wharton team included Kathia Skinner, Shannon Meggs, Erin Bailey and Katrina Skinner. According to Flrunners.com, the group broke the school record.

-Ridgewood pole vaulter wins state: Behind a personal best vault of 11-0, senior Keari Brink has taken the title. She bested her previous PR by five inches. "When they shouted out that I got first, I was so excited," Brink said. "I've been working really hard for the last four years."

-Blake senior top five in high jump: Anthony Hill placed fifth with a jump of 6-6, the best effort of his prep career. "I'm not really satisfied," Hill said. "If I would have jumped 6-8, I would have had a school record. I had it, but I hit (the bar) with my elbow going up."

-Brandon thrower medals: Megan Fenzau, a senior for the Eagles, was third in the discus with a throw of 124-03.

-Blake's McEleveen takes bronze. Marissa McEleveen placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 37-10.

-Wharton boys third in 4x800: The girls won. The boys didn't do so badly either. The Wildcats took third with a time of 8:01.46.

-Hillsborough County comes up big in the long jump: Darrell Young of Jefferson (23-10.50) and Terrence Mitchell of Hillsborough (23-10.0) just took second and third. Wharton's Keyon Jones was eighth in the same event.

-Gibbs senior disappointed with finish: Austin Rembert was eighth in the 110 hurdles and 10th in the high jump (just missing a medal in the latter). He wasn't pleased with either result. Rembert's jump of 6-2 was well off his personal best. And in the 110, he was hurt by a bad start. "That," he said, "was one of my slowest times."

-TBT jumper takes third: LaVaughn King of Tampa Bay Tech was third in the triple jump with a leap of 45-03.75. In his first appearance at state, he posted a PR -- and it could have been better. King said his hand kind of got stuck in the ground on his final attempt. Still, not a bad effort.

-Two top-eight finishes in discus: Jamie Van Pelt of Plant (166-7) and Charlie Hughlett of Hillsborough (155-03) took fourth and seventh, respectively. Hughlett set a PR.

-Enos shines in pole vault: Wharton sophomore London Enos just took second with a personal best of 10-6. Her previous best was 10-0. "I wasn't expecting to win, so I came in having fun," Enos said. "I think I'm going to do a lot better next year."

-KEITH NIEBUHR

Comments

[j]

What??? No mention of Megan Lawrence from Seminole?? Only the third time running the 800m individually and she is now 2nd in the state?

[OK MOM]

OK MOM PROUD OR WHAT

[j]

Get use to it j, Tarpon has been trying to tell these writers about Maryah Finch for the past two years. Congrats to Megan Lawrence. She is very talented.

[Keith Niebuhr]

Yes, Megan ran a fine race and took second ... Problem was, I was covering athletes from four counties (I work in Tampa so I don't know the faces of athletes from other counties) and she slipped away before I could reach her for an interview .... Her efforts were not overlooked, I can assure you. I simply dropped the ball when it came time to locate her afterward. It was my fault and my fault alone ... Here's a link to Megan's results --- (http://www.halfmiletiming.com/Datafiles/Spring2008/FHSAAFinals08/3AResults/)

[plah]

Tikeira Relaford, a FRESHMAN from Central--4th in the high jump!!!