Carrollton girls make every point count in securing first state track and field title
When Carrollton track and field athlete Arianna Garcia was a freshman, she and her coach Dylan Hermelee spoke after a state meet.
The topic was how to make the dream of winning a state championship as a team come true.
After building and improving in multiple events over the past couple of seasons, the Cyclones reached their goal on Friday afternoon.
And they needed every single point they earned to do it.
Carrollton scored 65 points to edge Montverde Academy by half a point and secure the Class 2A team title - the school’s first - at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
“It’s a little bit surreal and still hasn’t hit me,” Hermelee said. “The state of Florida is so competitive, and you never know what will happen. I’ve been at Carrollton for a while and started seeing these girls winning middle school titles so it’s great to see them finally win a state title.”
Hermelee said Carrollton brought nine competitors to Friday’s meet.
They needed contributions from several of them to hold off Montverde in a race that came down to the final leg of the final event - the 1,600-meter relay.
The Cyclones did not win that event as Montverde Academy took the relay title. But Carrollton finishing second secured its tiny margin of victory overall in the team standings.
“With 200 meters left we were in fourth place. With 100 meters to go, we were third,” Hermelee said. “And then Emma Filippi pulled it off for us by getting us to second, running the anchor leg. A quarter of a second here or there and this doesn’t happen.”
Garcia was on that relay as well, but she also achieved a personal milestone when she swept both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles championships. Garcia won the 100 hurdles in 14.09 seconds and then took home the 400 meter hurdles in 58.97 seconds.
Grace Aldrich, who finished second individually this fall at the state Class 2A cross-country meet, didn’t settle for silver on Friday as she won the 1,600 meter race in 4:52.98. She was also key in the Cyclones winning the 3,200-meter relay with a time of 9:15.87.
“(Aldrich) got really sick last year and ran the mile and finished 12th. That took everything out of her at the time,” Hermelee said. “For her to come back this year with specific goals and anchor that relay, and also win the 1,600 in dominant fashion, she’s been amazing to watch.”
But Carrollton’s individual wins weren’t enough. The Cyclones needed Daniela Hernandez’s runner-up finish in the 800 meters and her teammates - Gabriella Socarras and Filippi to finish sixth and seventh respectively. And they needed Andrea Gross to finish fifth in the 400 meters.
At the end of the day, it all equaled school history.
“I’m so proud of my team because we did it all together,” Garcia said. “It was such a team effort. We definitely kept giving each other pep talks to keep things going. By the end it was definitely more about heart than legs. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for for two years.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ North Broward Prep senior Alexa Schwartz won the state title in javelin and set a new state meet record with a throw of 47.04 meters.
▪ Miami Sunset’s Gabriel Carr was the only boys’ individual state champion in 2A from Miami-Dade County, winning the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:17.71. Carr is the first Sunset athlete to win an individual track state title since Edel Fonseca in 1987.
RESULTS
Note: Only events with South Florida top 8 finishers listed.
Team scores - Girls: 1. Carrollton 65; 2. Montverde Academy 64.5; 3. Jacksonville Bolles 39; Other South Florida top 10: 6. North Broward Prep 28.5; Boys: 1. West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman 53; Others: 8. Key West 26; 13. Calvary Christian 18.
Girls’ Individual results (winners and top 8 Dade/Broward) - Long jump: 1. Victoria Hill (Trinity Prep) 5.80m; 3. Ella Munoz (NBP) 5.41m; 4. Evelyn Cortes (Pace) 5.29m; 5. Nina Sanguino (NBP) 5.20m; 7. Krystal Inhoof (LaS) 5.19m; Javelin: 1. Alexa Schwartz (NBP) 47.04m; 2. Elizabeth Sauby (PC) 40.72m; 5. Rowan Sundevall (PC) 36.88m; 6. Jordana Friedman (PC) 36.81m; Triple jump: 1. Christina Morris (Godby) 12.35m; 6. Krystal Inhoof (LaS) 11.36m; 7. Ella Munoz (NBP) 11.35m; 8. Idorenyin Essiet (Pomp) 11.24m; High jump: 1. Victoria Hill (TP) 1.72m; 4. Ellie Schnur (GP), Ysamar Pimentel (NBP) 1.52m; Javelin ambulatory: 1. Liviah Diego (Cen) 16.70m; Discus: 1. J’Niah Simpson (Tampa Catholic) 46.16m; 6. Raziyah Gibson (CC) 37.77m; 7. Amethyst Folk-Arnaud (Pomp) 37.27m; Shot put ambulatory: 1. Abigail Byrd (Frostproof) 5.65m; 3. Liviah Diego (Cen) 5.10m; 3200 relay: 1. Carrollton 9:15.87; 7. Cardinal Gibbons 9:45.31; 100 hurdles: 1. Arianna Garcia (Carr) 14.09; 5. Lamayah Howard (Cen) 15.11; 6. Kayla Williams (Cen) 15.13; 100: 1. E’tesia Forbes (GC) 11.51; 6. Ivory Edgecomb (NBP) 12.06; 7. Alexcia Liverpool (C-M) 12.08; 8. Rebekah Christie (Pomp) 12.09; 100 ambulatory: 1. Liviah Diego (Cen) 14.61; 1600: 1. Grace Aldrich (Car) 4:52.98; 400 relay: 1. Cocoa 45.60; 2. Carol City 47.17; 3. Pompano Beach 47.32; 4. Calvary Christian 47.59; 8. North Broward Prep 49.12; 400: 1. Nakira Hudson (Montverde) 54.48; 4. Gillian Carvalho (RE) 56.40; 5. Andrea Gross (Car) 56.67; 400 hurdles: 1. Arianna Garcia (Car) 58.97; 3. Kyara Belfort (Calv) 1:02.25; 5. Sade Franco (Pomp) 1:03.47; 6. Kavay Johnson (Cen) 1:03.51; 7. Kayla Williams (Cen) 1:03.67; 800: 1. Elizabeth Williamson (Holy Names) 2:11.18; 2. Daniela Hernandez (Car) 2:12.25; 6. Gabriella Socarras (Car) 2:16.32; 7. Emma Filippi (Car) 2:16.87; 200: 1. Dasia Reed (Montverde) 23.89; 5 Alexcia Liverpool (C-M) 24.90; 8. Ja’Kayla Milton (CC) 25.22; 200 ambulatory: 1. Liviah Diego (Cen) 29.97; 1,600 relay: 1. Montverde Academy 3:45.50; 2. Carrollton 3:50.60; 3. Central 3:52.46; 5. Pompano Beach 3:53.99.
Boys’ Individual results (winners and top 8 Dade/Broward) - Long jump: 1. Arman Truitt (West Florida) 7.10m; 6. Jonathan Clarke (Sun) 6.67m; High jump: 1. Jeremiah Lysius (Canyons) 2.02m; 7. Jayden Smith (NBP) 1.87m; Discus: 1. Ryan Peterson (Verot) 52.48m; 3. Liam Marley (Calv) 48.95m; 8. David Diez (Calv) 44.94m; Triple jump: 1. Dylan Allen (WF) 14.15m; 3. Dwight Whipple (WC) 13.92m; Javelin: 1. Luke Twardy (Fernandina) 57.43m; 4. CJ Sanchez (WC) 51.36; Javelin ambulatory: 1. Giovanne Jones (CC) 23.15m; Shot put ambulatory: 1. Giovanne Jones (CC) 10.06m; 2. Joshua Louvia (Cen) 7.76m; 3. Richard Leung (Ed) 6.70m; 800 ambulatory: Nevian Brooks (Am) 2:20.83; 3200 relay: 1. Cardinal Newman 7:47.73; 7. Jackson 8:06.37; 8. Pine Crest 8:12.74; 110 hurdles: 1. Arman Truitt (WF) 13.89; 2. Synard Young (Ed) 13.93; 6. Markell Dolce (Jac) 15.02; 7. Kennedy Garay (LaS) 15.08; 100: 1. Zamarii Sanders (Newman) 10.40; 5. Luke Chichoski (CGib) 10.94; 8. Isaiah Bynum (Cen) 10.96; 100 ambulatory: 1. Nevian Brooks (Am) 12.21; 3. Richard Leung (Ed) 12.90; 5. Joshua Louvia (Cen) 15.98; 1600: 1. Gabriel Carr (Sun) 4:17.71; 400 relay: 1. Boca Ciega 41.29; 2. Chaminade-Madonna 41.93; 5. La Salle 42.02; 400 ambulatory: 1. Nevian Brooks (Am) 58.24; 2. Richard Leung (Ed) 1:01.87; 4. Dillon Tisdale (SR) 1:08.30; 400 hurdles: 1. Neiko Garnes (Andrew Jackson) 53.17; 3. Markell Dolce (Jac) 55.47; 800: 1. Joe Licata (Newman) 1:52.54; 5. Jonathan Anthony (Calv) 1:55.39; 200: 1. Zamarii Sanders (Newman) 20.97; 6. Synard Young (Ed) 21.813; 7. Luke Chichoski (CGib) 21.815; 8. Isaiah Bynum (Cen) 21.84; 200 ambulatory: 1. Nevian Brooks (Am) 25.58; 3. Richard Leung (Ed) 26.96; 4. Giovanne Jones (CC) 28.74; 5. Dillon Tisdale (SR) 31.78; 6. Joshua Louvia (Cen) 36.05; 1,600 relay: 1. Andrew Jackson 3:17.52; 5. La Salle 3:23.21; 7. Calvary Christian 3:23.51; 8. Carol City 3:23.78.
