Columbus, Niceville share Class 4A track championship after electric final race
JACKSONVILLE
Columbus had a twopoint lead over Niceville High School going into the 1,600-meter relay. A Niceville victory would have made the schools cochampions, or Columbus could have clinched the solo title with a win.
Columbus junior Adrian Cardero closed the gap in the final leg but came up just short, as Niceville finished just ahead of Columbus for second place in the event.
Columbus’ and Niceville’s boys teams tied for the 2024 Class 4A Track & Field state championship with 70 points each at Hodges Stadium on Saturday night.
“We’re just grateful to be in this position that we were in, contending to win,” Columbus coach Danny Areces said. “It was fantastic being on top with Niceville, that program is incredible… If it’s any other team we’re sharing that thing with,
I’m glad it’s Niceville.”
While Cardero and his team weren’t able to win the 1,600-meter relay, he grabbed his own individual gold earlier in the night. Cardero won the 400-meter dash with a time of 46.73 seconds after taking the lead on the final 100 meters.
“I knew I could (win the 400-meter),” Cardero said. “All season I couldn’t figure it out… I stuck to my race. I knew my last 100 is my strongest, and that’s where I kicked it in.”
Columbus also earned gold medals from the 400-meter relay, which won with a time of 41.01 seconds and junior Shaddai
Carter, who won the long jump with a distance of 7.35 meters.
On the girls’ side of the meet, Miami Southridge scored 52 points, behind Creekside High School’s 84.5-point total, to become the state runner-up.
The Southridge girls swept the relays, winning the 400-meter relay with a time of 46.54 seconds, the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3:47.64 and the 3,200-meter relay in 9:14.51.
“That group is a special group,” Southridge coach Erin McCray said. “(I’m) very, very proud of my girls.”
Southridge’s boys relay team also won the 1,600meter relay with a time of 3:12.87.
St. Thomas Aquinas High School left with a few medals, as the school tied for 10th among the boys with 18 points and earned fifth in the girls portion with 40 points.
Junior Arianna Allen achieved first place in the 400-meter hurdles with her time of 1:01.43, barely beating her teammate, junior Kelyse Jackson, who finished in 1:01.63. Freshman Lee Prince Jr. earned first with a 10.77-second time in the 100-meter dash, beating the secondplace time of 10.78, and second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.49 seconds.
“Coming into states as a freshman is already a win,” Prince said. “Winning that 100 was amazing to me… That was a really good race.”
Miami Beach senior
Jolie Dormus-Bayer won the girls high jump with a distance of 1.72 meters. Braddock’s boys 3,200meter relay team won with a time of 7:51.61. Flanagan junior Jonathan
Carter completed the 400-meter hurdles in 52.76 seconds for second place and a top-10 time in the nation.
RESULTS
Boys’ team scores - Winner plus top 10 Dade/Broward: 1. Columbus and Niceville 70; 6. Southridge 26; 7. Flanagan 22.
Boys’ individual winners plus top 8 Dade/Broward - 100: 1. Prince Jr (STA) 10.77; 2. Moss (Col) 10.78; 100 ambulatory: Jones (CC) 12.41; 2. Washington
(CC) 12.84; 4. Gold (Gul) 14.37; 200: 1. Lewis (Man) 21.20; 2. Prince Jr (STA) 21.49; 5. Bain (SR) 21.73; 6. Moss (Col) 21.79; 7. Beckford (SB) 21.89; 200 ambulatory: 1. Jones (CC) 25.40; 2.
Brooks (Am) 25.42; 3. Washington (CC) 26.19; 4. Gold (Gul) 32.18; 400: 1. Cardero (Col) 46.73; 2. Bain (SR) 46.95; 3. Wallace (Col) 47.39; 400 ambulatory: 1. Brooks (Am) 56.35; 2. Jones (CC) 1:01.72; 3. Delancy (CR) 1:13.53; 800: 1. Fleming (Buc) 1:54.50; 4. Oliviera (CR) 1:55.26; 8. Henry (Flan) 1:56.56; 800 ambulatory: 1. Brooks (Am) 2:18.57; 2. Washington (CC) 2:20.31; 4. Delancy (CR) 2:35.65; 1600: 1. Fleming (Buc) 4:14.96; 3. Henry (Flan) 4:17.36; 3200: 1. Thomas (Nease) 9:02.07; 6. Romagosa (Col) 9:24.51; 400 hurdles: 1. Swart (Chiles) 51.93; 2. Carter (Flan) 52.76; 6. Ward (Col) 54.82; 400 relay: 1. Columbus 41.01; 5. Southridge 41.82; 1600 relay: 1. Southridge 3:12.87; 3. Columbus 3:13.80; 4. Western 3:19.74;
3200 relay: 1. Braddock 7:51.61; 3. Columbus 7:53.76; 6. Flanagan 8:01.21;
Pole vault: 1. Carter (Nice) 4.50m; 2. Smith (Mir) 4.50m; Long jump: 1. Carter (Col) 7.35m; 2. Smith (Mir) 7.27m; 5. Hawkins (Flan) 7.10m; Shot put: 1. Cronk (FPC) 19.22m; 3. Young (Pip) 16.66m;
Shot put ambulatory: 1. Gold (Gul)
9.60m; 2. Jones (CC) 8.70m; 3. Washington (CC) 6.73m; Discus: 1. Atwood (Chiles) 59.67m; 7. Young (Pip) 49.08m; Discus ambulatory: Gold (Gul) 25.20m; Javelin: 1. Broussard (Nice) 59.07m; 4. Goins (Col) 54.80m.
Girls’ team scores - Winner plus top 10 Dade/Broward: 1. Creekside 84.5; 2. Southridge 52; 5. St. Thomas Aquinas 40.
Girls’ individual winners - 100: 1. Uvieghara (PHU) 11.72; 4. Arscott (Tar) 12.00; 5. Rasul (SR) 12.14; 8. Marshall (SR) 12.21; 200: 1. Uvieghara (PHU) 23.70; 3. Rasul (SR) 24.56; 8. Jackson
(SP) 24.95; 400: 1. Moorer (Creek) 53.75; 5. Green (SR) 55.42; 6. Barbary (Flan) 55.53; 7. Arscott (Tar) 55.78; 800: 1. Rose (Creek) 2:11.67; 7. Ferrell (SR) 2:15.51; 1600: 1. Johnson (Creek) 4:53.34; 6. Finneran (STA) 5:01.78; 100 hurdles: 1. Williams (GJ) 13.64; 5. Allen (STA) 14.47; 6. Ferguson (SR) 14.51; 8. Modile (Mir) 14.71; 400 hurdles: 1. Allen (STA) 1:01.43; 2. Jackson (STA) 1:01.63; 400 relay: 1. Southridge 46.54; 1600 relay: 1. Southridge 3:47.64; 2. St.
Thomas Aquinas 3:48.75; 3. Flanagan 3:52.63; 3200 relay: 1. Southridge 9:14.51; 5. Braddock 9:33.33; High jump: 1. Dormus-Bayer (MB) 1.72m; 6. Harris (Flan) 1.57m; Long jump: 1. Gordon (Oly) 6.32m; 8. Pleas (SR) 5.48m; Shot put: 1. Lowther (Riv) 13.27m; 5. Kentis (Gol) 11.64m; 6. Francois (DB) 11.58m; 8. Bennett-Page (STA) 11.44m; Discus: 1. Lowther (Riv) 45.45m; 2. Kentis (Gol) 43.14m; 3. Thomas (STA) 42.55m; 8. Singleton (SR) 36.91m.