ALL-COUNTY GIRLS TRACK — OBC champ, state sprint qualifier Levy was tops

Osceola’s Shannon Levy won three individual events and ran a leg on a winning relay team at the 2023 OBC Championships and qualified for two events at the state championships. PHOTO/ERIC PINELLAS

Osceola High School senior Shannon Levy, who won Orange Belt Conference titles in the 100 and 200 meters, long jump and ran a leg on the winning 4x100 relay team is the Osceola News-Gazette’s Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year for 2023.

Levy capped her career winning district and regional titles in the 100 and qualified for the state Class 4A meet where she finished 14th. She also ran the anchor leg on Osceola’s 4x100 relay that finished in seventh place.

“Shannon certainly deserves Athlete of the Year honors and this is a great way to cap off her career,” Osceola Coach Eric Pinellas said. “She was dominant in the county in the sprints and always rose to the occasion in the big meets. She has been a pleasure to coach and I can’t wait to see what she does at the next level at Florida Memorial University.”

Levy was one of a number of talented athletes this year. They included Celebration distance runner Catalina Edwards, Harmony runners and jumpers Hannah Vickers, Brynn Magner, Leilana Decker and Drea Thompson, Gateway sprinter Amela Johnson and St. Cloud hurdler Prescilla Rodriguez.

Edwards capped her sensational Storm career by qualifying for the state championships in the 1,600 meters. She won the 800 and 1,600 at the Orange Belt Conference championships. She played a huge role in Celebration’s thirdplace finish at the district meet by having a hand in 26 of the Storm’s 95 points, winning the 3,200 meters and placing second in the 800 and 1600 and running a leg on the third place 4x400 relay team. Edwards scored points in the state meet with a seventh place finish in the 1,600.

Vickers, Magner, Decker and Thompson played key roles in Harmony repeating as OBC girls’ team champion. Vickers won the javelin, pole vault and was third in the triple jump; Thompson on the high jump, Decker won the 3200 meters and ran legs on relays and Magner picked up points in the 1600 and relay. At the district championship, Magner (800 meters and 4 x 400 meter relay) and Thompson (high jump) won district titles; while Vickers placed second in the pole vault and triple jump and also moved on in the javelin with a third place finish. Thompson advanced to states by winning a regional championship in the high jump; Decker (1600 meters, 4x800 relay) and Magner (4 x 800 relay) also advanced to states.

Gateway’s Johnson won the 400 and placed second in the 200 in the Orange Belt Conference meet, who regional titles in those races and reached the Class 3A state podium with a 6th place finish in the 400.

Rodriguez won the 100 hurdles at OBCs and was second in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 400 at the 4A, District 10 meet.

All-County Girls Track

Athlete of the Year:

Shannon Levy, Sr., Osceola

All-County Team :

100 Meters: Levy, Quayana Jenkins (O), Xelmar Rodriguez (SC)

200 Meters: Levy (O), Amela Johnson (Gateway), Jenkins (O)

400 Meters: Johnson (G), Jenkins (O), Hannah Kline (SC)

800 Meters: Catalina Edwards (Celebration), Shelby Fertic (Harmony), Byrnn Magner (Harmony)

1600 Meters: Edwards (C), Magner (H), Lailana Decker (H)

3200 Meters: Decker (H), Naomi Polete-Ortiz (Tohopekaliga), Hailee Schadt (C)

100 Hurdles: Prescilla Rodriguez (SC), Aniyah Radcliff (O), Alyssa Vargo (H)