UF next stop for Storm standout

By Rick Pedone

Sports Editor

Tyler Osorio blazed a path at the Class 3A state track meet Friday that will be difficult for anyone to follow.

Osorio, a senior who recently signed a scholarship to the University of Florida, became Celebration High’s first state track champion by winning the 100 meters (10.56) and 400 meters (47.86) titles in dominating fashion at Showalter Field.

“It feels really good, I’m happy to be a state champion,” he said. “There were actually a lot of people from my school who went there to cheer for me, so that was great.”

After winning district and regional championships in both events, Osorio hardly slipped into the state meet unnoticed, but even he was surprised to win the races as easily as he did.

The 10.56 in the 100 was a personal record, and the 47.86 in the 400 was just a tenth of a second off his best time.

“My coaches (Joel Fox and Corey Green) helped me with my start all last week in the 100, they helped me shave about a tenth of a second off my time,” he said. “I was surprised to run a 10.5, I didn’t really see that coming.”

Coach Fox said Osorio had a great week of practice building up to the state meet.

"It went about as well as we could have hoped," he said. "Coach Green spent the whole week working on his starts, because we thought that is where we could improve his time the most. That was probably the difference in the 100."

Osorio, 6-2 and 200 pounds, started the season as a favorite to win the 400 meters, but he started slowly while recuperating from shoulder surgery after the football season.

“I was in the 49s at the start of the season, and I was wondering a little bit,” he said. “But, then, at FSU (in March), I ran 47.76 and after that I started feeling pretty confident about it again.”

Osorio never ran a competitive 100 meters until this season.

“The first time I ran it, I had a hand-held time of about 10.6, which isn’t bad. So, I decided to keep at it,” he said. “Last year, I mostly concentrated on the 400 and the 200. I kind of wish I had gotten a time in the 200 this year, but instead I ran the 4 x 400 relay, and we qualified for state in that, so it was worth it.”

Osorio teamed with Foster Starks, Zack Brown and Jordan Rains to run a 3:24.41 in the 4 x 400 Friday and finish 11th.

Osorio didn’t have much time to prepare for the 400 meters final after winning at 100 meters.

“We had to go to the podium, and I was happy that I had accomplished my goal of winning a state championship, but there was only two events between the 100 and the 400, so I had to get over there and get ready in a hurry,” he said.

His main competition at 400 meters was the same four runners who competed at the regional meet at Harmony, so Osorio felt confident.

“I knew my main competition would come from Lane 4, he actually ran a better time in the preliminaries than I did,” Osorio said. “I didn’t really feel him at 200 meters, though, and I felt like I had a lot left in me. When it got down to 100 meters I went as hard as I could because I didn’t want anyone to sneak up on me.”

He didn’t have to worry. Pensacola Escambia’s D’Anthony Lewis finished 9/10ths of a second – a lifetime in the 400 – behind.

Celebration’s Quincy O’Connor ran a 4:20 at 3,200 meters to place seventh.

Celebration (22) placed sixth in the team standings behind champion Charlotte Punta Gorda (53).

Jessica Harter pole vaulted 11 feet and finished third for Celebration.

Harmony discus thrower Kendall Pollock (103-5) placed eighth and was the only other county athlete to score at the 3A meet.

Fourteen athletes from St. Cloud High competed.