Windermere, West Orange win titles
Junior Ugarte boosts Wolverines; Robinson sets PR in 300-hurdles
For Windermere High junior Amaya Ugarte, Saturday’s Metro Conference West Division track and field championship meet started a stretch run she hopes will bring her back to the state meet in peak form. So far so good. Ugarte posted wins in the high jump, the long jump and the 300-meter hurdles race, and finished second in the triple jump, to help the second-year Wolverines win the girls team title. Windermere hosted the event at Deputy Scott Pine Community Park.
As a sophomore, Ugarte placed in three events at state but came up short of winning an individual state title — a disappointment that left her hungry coming into 2019.
“I was really motivated,” Ugarte said. “After I saw what [the competition] was like [at state], I got more excited and prepared myself for this year.”
Ugarte’s strong performance Saturday included a season-best high jump of 5 feet, 5¾ inches that helped Windermere toward its total of 143 points, topping runner-up Dr. Phillips’ 127.
“The girls are setting what the standard is. The standard is to win a state title,” said Wolverines coach Jason Greer, who came over to the new school after a successful run at Olympia that included a 2013 boys FHSAA championship. “We’re deep all around the track. What we’re trying to do is take a well-balanced team to the state meet.”
Ugarte, who has the area’s top time in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.96 seconds, did not compete in that Metro event but will add that to her workload next Saturday at the FHSAA Class 4A, District 3 meet.
West Orange, led by its own standout hurdler/ jumper, senior Russell Robinson, was the boys team champion. Robinson, who is signed to the University of Miami for track, set a personal record while winning the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 38.94.
Robinson, who was the 4A state long-jump champ as a junior, also won that event with a leap of 22-11¼. The Warriors piled up points with freshman Matthew McDoom second and junior Jaylon Carlies third in the long jump.
“It’s great to see,” Robinson said of the 1-2-3 sweep. “We have a jump squad this year. I can’t wait to see what they do this year and next year.”
The Warriors also won the boys 4x100 relay with a time of 41.51 seconds — just off its season best of 41.50 seconds. Nicholas Miller added a 1,600 win for the Warriors, and West Orange outscored runner-up Olympia 151 points to 95.5.
The area-leading Jones girls 4x100 relay team cruised to victory in a time of 46.85 seconds and came close to catching its school record time of 46.58 — set earlier this season. The Tigers, with two seniors, a junior and a sophomore on the relay, have their sights set on continuing to lower an already impressive time.
“We’ve got great chemistry on the team,” said senior Jaela Hollie, who also won the girls 100-meter dash. “We help each other out and lift each other up.”
Ocoee senior Jeremiah Fails — a Western Kentucky signee for football — won the boys 100 in a tight finish. His time of 10.77 was just ahead of Edgewater sophomore 10.82.
“It means a lot to me,” Fails said afterward. “I know a couple of those guys have really fast times from playing football against them.”
Evans junior Michaelle Valentin became the area’s first 40-foot girls shot putter with a mark of 40-7½.
Some athletes sat out events they normally enter, in part because district meets are on the horizon. Seven of the Metro West teams have a full week before returning to Windermere for the 4A-3 meet. But Dr. Phillips will compete in Tuesday’s 4A-4 meet at Showalter Field.
Jones goes to Lake Highland Prep on Friday for the 2A-8 meet. Christian Leary’s