Flanagan’s Thomas, Dillard’s Frazier are Broward Track Athletes of the Year
Flanagan’s Jacob Thomas and Dillard’s Desiree Frazier were each at the heart of their respective track and field teams’ push for state championships this season.
For Thomas, a junior, it was the culmination of a gradual progression to turn the Falcons boys into state champions for the first time.
And for Frazier, a senior, it was about not letting down the established tradition by the Panthers’ girls’ program as they won their third consecutive state team championship.
Thomas and Frazier are the Miami Herald’s Broward County Track and Field Athletes of the Year.
Frazier, who is headed to UCF this fall, personally clinched Dillard the team title by running the anchor leg of the winning 1,600-meter relay at the end of the Class 3A meet. The victory secured the points necessary for Dillard to edge Niceville for the top spot.
“I just knew I didn’t want to let my team down,” said Frazier, who plans to study kinesiology at UCF. “The back stretch was perfect and came around the curve and it got a bit scary because I heard people yelling when she was catching up to me.”
Frazier was dealing with a mild injury to her IT band, but found the strength to reach the finish line ahead of anyone else. She also ran a time of 53.33 to finish second in the 400 meters. Dillard’s winning time in the relay was 3:45.71.
Thomas medaled in three events, including a state championship anchor leg of Flanagan’s 1,600-meter relay to cruise to the team title in Class 4A.
Thomas helped the Falcons finish with a winning relay time of 40.75 seconds. He also finished second in the 100 meters in 10.43 seconds and third in the 200 meters in 21.19 seconds.
“We started off grinding and we knew what we had in mind,” said Thomas, who is one of several Falcons returning next season. “Nobody complained and everyone put in the work and we got it done.
“We all had a team bond and we trusted each other, and knew what we could do.”
