Catalina Edwards, the Osceola News Gazette’s Cross County Athlete of the Year, made her bid to also earn Track Athlete of the Year this past weekend as she took double All-State honors at the Class 4A state track meet Saturday in Gainesville.
Edwards reached the podium in the 800 (fourth place, 2:16.88) and 1600 meters (fifth, 5:05.04). Athletes had to finish in the top eight to earn team points and garner All-State recognition.
Edwards was the only athlete from Osceola County to finish in the top eight in two individual events. Edward’s classmate, senior Jared Falchook, also earned All-State honors with a fifth place finish in the 800-meters (1:52.71).
A pair of high jumpers from Harmony came up with a pair of podium finishes, as Drea Thompson (5’-1 ¾”) and Anthony White (6’-1 ½”) each placed eighth in the girls and boys event.
Osceola had a pair of relay teams earn all-state recognition. Shannon Levy, Quanaya Jenkins, Aaliyah Strauchen and Zanaya Bright clocked a time of 48.03 in the 4x100 to place sixth; Taevion Swint, Jakeem Jackson, Henley Placide, and Bo Mascoe ran a 42.22 in the boys 4x100 to place eighth. All eight runners are underclassmen and will return next season.
Representing Tohopekaliga, Orlando Descartes placed fifth in the high jump with a leap of 6’-3 ½”. Kameron Davis just missed all-state honors with a ninth place finish in the javelin as his toss of 166’-11” fell 11 inches short of eighth.
Other top 15 finishes by county athletes included 12th place finish by Harmony’s Elizabeth Hernstrom in the pole vault (9’-10”) and a 15th place finish by Thora Gaston in the javelin (104’-1”). Osceola’s Levy was 10th in the 100 meters (12.19), St. Cloud sophomore Tiffany Febus was 17th in the 800 meters (2:24.58) and Tohopekaliga’s Descartes was 11th in the javelin.
Niceville won both the boys (77) and girls (85.8) Class 4A Championship. Celebration’s nine points tied for 25th in the girls’ championship. Overall, Osceola County was represented by 22 athletes in the 4A meet.
Gateway had three athletes in the Class 3A meet on Friday. Aaron Campbell was 17th in the 400-meter run; Amela Johnson took 11th in the girls’ 400-meters and Paige Alise was 11th in the girls’ javelin. St. Thomas Aquinas (62) edged Dillard (61) for the boys’ 3A Championship. Miami Northwestern (94) ran away with the girls’ title.
