Osceola County will be well represented at this weekend’s FHSAA state track meet at the North Florida University in Jacksonville. Osceola County has qualified 17 athletes, including four regional champions, in 15 events.
Maxwell Garcon and Jose Calderon headline a group of four Gateway High Panthers who have qualified for Friday’s Class 3A meet. Garcon won the triple jump in the Region 3A-3 meet last week Embry Riddle University with a leap of 46’-8 1/4” that won by over a foot.
Garcon, who also qualified as an at-large in the high jump, will be joined by Panthers Jose Calderon (400 meters), Dalton Gould (pole vault) and Jazmin Brown (javelin), who were all regional runners-up. Last year, Calderon reached the podium with a seventh place finish in the 400.
Poinciana’s Levi Lee, one of the most decorated middle distance runners in recent county history, heads into Saturday’s Class 4A meet winning the 800 meters (1:54.37) and 1600 (4:17.70). Teammate Tyler Johnson grabbed an at-large spot in the triple jump.
Two St. Cloud pole vaulters earned automatic bids to Saturday; senior Mason Shafer (13’-3 1/2”) won the boys event and Brooke Bonesteel (9’-10”) was second in the girls contest. Shafer’s height was fifth best among all state qualifiers; while Bonesteel set a personal record. Bulldog Kyla Perez is headed to states, earning an at-large spot for her third place finish in the women’s 800.
Osceola is sending three jumpers to the 3A meet. Aaliyah Strachen qualified in the long jump; while Cheyenne Price and Korbyn Jones both made the field in the triple jump.
Celebration senior Gavin Konopka qualified after finishing second at regionals in the discus (138’-9”) and an at-large spot in the shot put (3rd-48’-5 1/4”). The Storm will send its girls 4x800 relay team of Anna Balba, Evelyn Juden, Sophia Meadows, and Carly Robbins –after they posted a second place finish at regionals.
The top eight finishers in each event earn all-state honors.
