Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Glasco, Frye pace Aquinas to third straight girls title
St. Thomas Aquinas senior Alexis Glasco overcame a falsestart disqualification in the 100-meter dash to win her first individual state championship and helped the Raiders to a third straight FHSAA state girls track and field title.
Glasco won the 300 hurdles (41.58) for her first state championship and placed third in the 100 hurdles (13.87) at Hodges Stadium on the campus of North Florida University in Jacksonville on Saturday night.
St. Thomas Aquinas needed to defeat Niceville in the meet’s final race, the 4x400, to win the meet with 98 points. The Raiders finished second with a time of 3:51. 17, while Niceville took third (3:54.44) and wound up second in the meet with 95. Evans was a distant third with 47 points.
St. Thomas Aquinas coach Alex Armenteros said the meet fell the way he thought it would and that they needed to beat Niceville in the final race.
“This is huge,” Armenteros said. “We lost last year with COVID or we would have won another state championship, so the seniors got to go out big. We had the numbers to the tee. We did fall short in a few places, but we had others that stepped up big. It was a total team effort.”
It was the Raiders’ third straight state championship and sixth out of the past eight. They have won 14 state titles, second only to Miami Northwestern. Last year’s state competition was canceled due to COVID.
St. Thomas Aquinas senior Eddiyah Frye won the long jump (19 feet, 3 inches), 100 hurdles (13.53), and fourth in the 300 hurdles (44.29). Frye also ran the anchor leg on the Raiders’ winning 4x100 relay.
Flanagan (27) and Dwyer (26) finished seventh and eighth respectively to round out Broward and Palm Beach teams in the top 10.
Flanagan junior Jassani Carter was a double winner taking both the 100 (11.98) and the 200 (24.10). She was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200 in her freshman year at state.
“I am really grateful,” Carter said. “I really didn’t see myself winning a state title until my senior year, so to do it now is really big. I am very proud of myself and can’t wait to do it again next year.”
Dwyer senior Natalia Madison won the high jump (5-5 ¾), triple (39-6 ¾), sixth in the 100 hurdles (14.80), and eighth in the 200 dash (24.84).
St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Cha’iel Johnson won the 800 (2:11.42), while freshman teammate Lauren Thomas captured the discus (147-4).
St. Thomas Aquinas boys were third with 36.50 points, while Stoneman Douglas tied for fourth with Seminole (Sanford) with 36 points. It was the best finish for the Eagles in school history.
Douglas senior Isaiah Shaw was second in the triple jump (47-6 ½ ) and third in the 400 (47.62).
“I cannot express how proud I am of our team,” said Stoneman Douglas coach Michael Mauro. “They wanted to work hard since December to be great and they pushed themselves every single day at practice. Everyone performed great, unselfishly and beyond what we could have expected.”
Fort Lauderdale’s boys finished 10th thanks to senior Michael Fiore’s runner-up finish in the 1,600-meter run.
Broward teams went 1-2-3 in the 4x400 as St. Thomas Aquinas (3:16.51), Douglas (3:17.95), and Fort Lauderdale (3:19.01) delivered. St. Thomas was third in the 4x100, while Douglas was third in the 4x800 to lead all local finishers.
Other runner-up finishes in the Class 4A competition included Monarch senior Zayne Palomino (high jump); St. Thomas Aquinas junior Claude Campbell (long jump); St. Thomas Aquinas senior Sean Watkins (400); Douglas senior Sheldon McCullum (800); Fort Lauderdale senior Michael Fiore (1,600).
Flanagan senior Kynah Isaac was third in the 400.
In the 2A meet, Somerset Canyons seniors Cara Salsberry and Tremain Robinson swept the discus titles. Salsberry won the discus 158-3 and also took second in the shot put (40-11
Salsberry’s father, David, who serves as an assistant coach at the school, won a state title at Miramar in discus in 1985.
Robinson threw 153 feet and said not competing last year at state and going into quarantine helped. He finished 17th at state in this freshman year and 15th last year.
North Broward Prep junior Morgan King exceeded her expectations in winning the state high jump title. She leaped 5 feet, 7 ¾ inches, a 4-inch improvement on her personal best.
Fellow North Broward Prep senior Mackenzie Osher won the 200 (24.38), was second in the 400 (55.01), and fourth in the 100 (12.14). It was her first appearance at state as an individual.
Calvary Christian senior Kennedy Sauder came within an inch of breaking a 21-yearold state record in the boys’ high jump. Sauder cleared 7 feet and a half inch to win the title.
NSU University School senior Emile Aime became the first boy at his school to win an individual state championship when he won the shot put (54-6 ½).
“I really wanted a medal,” said Aime, who is headed to FSU on a football scholarship. “I PR’d on my first throw. Winning didn’t really surprise me. Every meet I improved and this has opened my doors. God forbid football doesn’t work out this is a good Plan B.”
St. Andrew’s senior Matthew Mule won the 1,600-meter run and was second in the 800. It capped a year where he also finished second in the state cross country meet.
Calvary Christian senior Jack Garey won the javelin (191-5) and said it was great to end his senior year with a win. He is a Bryant University signee.
FAU High junior Maisha Atkinson won the 400 (54.24) and took third in the 200 (24.66). It was a repeat performance for her as she won the Class 1A title in the 400 in 2019.
Cardinal Gibbons sophomore Akerah Jones was second in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles, while Cardinal Newman senior Abraiya Elam was third in the 100 and fifth in the 200.
Runner-up finishes in the Class 2A competition included Chaminade Madonna senior Torie Cox (boys 400) and Calvary Christian senior Simone Eloi (triple jump). Third places finishers in the Class 2A meet included FAU senior Devin ( javelin), Cardinal Gibbons Sam Mrky (pole vault), North Broward Prep junior Christian Dohler (triple jump), Hallandale senior Anaya Halloway (shot put). University School’s boys 4X100 was the top local finisher.