She left her mark on Northwestern’s track program. USC (and maybe the Olympics) up next
Markalah Hart had already left a strong impression on the Miami Northwestern girls’ track and field program before her senior season even began.
She had won eight individual state titles in her first three years with the Bulls — not to mention the three team state titles that brought Northwestern’s state championship streak to 11 years — and was viewed as one of the top hurdlers in the country.
But Hart, with the desire to keep proving herself, was far from satisfied. She had one more season at Northwestern, one more opportunity to get a little bit better before heading off to the University of Southern California for college and start preparing for her dream of running in the Olympics.
“I wanted to go out my senior year breaking records,” Hart said, “my own records.”
She only had a few opportunities to do that with the Florida High School Athletic Association shutting down spring sports in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic and then canceling the seasons for good. Hart opened the season breaking her own school record with a 13.44-second mark in the 100-meter hurdles. The time still stands as the best in the state for the season.
“She came back and was back on fire,” Northwestern coach Carmen Jackson said. “She was ready to perform at her max. It’s just unfortunate that this year did not complete itself so she could have left a greater legacy in the state.”
‘The tools to be an Olympian’
Jackson noticed Hart’s immense potential during Hart’s freshman season at the 2017 state championship meet.
Hart dominated the competition in the 300-meter hurdles, completing the event in 40.28 seconds and 1.6 seconds ahead of the next competitor. She was the only Florida high school runner to post a sub-41 second mark in the event.
She also ran the anchor leg for Northwestern’s state-winning 400-meter relay and the third leg for the school’s first-place 1,600-meter relay to cap her freshman year with three titles.
“I knew Markalah had the tools to be an Olympian,” Hart said. “If she stays the course and keeps the fire, the burning desire to be great, she will be an Olympian.”
But success hasn’t always come easy. Even as Hart continued to rack up the hardware — she won three more state titles in 2018 (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 relay) and two more in 2019 (100 hurdles and 400 relay) — she was still mastering her craft. Practices became struggles as she tried to be perfect with each drill.
It was coming together her senior year. In addition to her 13.44 mark in the 100 hurdles, Hart also led the state this year with a 41.84-second showing in the 300 hurdles.
“I had to learn,” Hart said. “I had to keep doing it over and over until I got better.”
‘They look up to us’
It’s a mindset passed on each year throughout the Northwestern program. Jackson preaches from the beginning that results come from preparation.
Hart, and the rest of Northwestern’s senior class, also took it into their hands to make sure the underclassmen on the roster knew just what it takes to be successful.
“They look up to us,” Hart said. “When it’s time for us to go off to college, they look at us as something good. They want to do what we did. The important thing for them to understand is they have to work hard. You have to give everything you’ve got. ... Nobody else can do it for you. You have to understand what it really takes to be great.”
And this Northwestern team once again had the makings to be great.
De’Aria Smith was second in the state and led Class 3A in the 100 meters (11.79 seconds) and was fourth in Class 3A in the 200 (24.18).
Jacoria Burton’s 56.66 season-best in the 400 meters was sixth in Class 3A and led all runners from South Florida.
Hart, Burton and Smith made up three-fourths of Northwestern’s state-leading 400 relay team (45.91).
In the field, Stephanie Jobe was third in Class 3A for the triple jump (11.7 meters) and fifth in the long jump (5.52 meters). Summer Mosley ranked third in the state for both the shot put (12.65 meters) and the discus (46.26), the latter of which was the best in Class 3A.
“They were ready to perform well when it counted, which would have been those last three weekends at districts, regionals and state,” Jackson said. “It didn’t happen. I told them they just have to adjust to what has happened and at the end of the day it will work out.”
State leaders
But South Florida’s talent extends far beyond Northwestern’s long-standing dynasty.
Miami-Dade and Broward combined to win eight state team titles in girls’ track and field over the past three years. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and Hallandale have gone back-to-back in Class 4A and 2A respectively. Miami Southridge won the Class 4A title in 2017.
And South Florida had the potential to have another strong showing this season if the state championship took place at the University of Florida like originally planned.
A Miami-Dade or Broward senior was the state’s overall leader in six of the 18 events competed at the FHSAA state championship meet.
In addition to Hart pacing the 100 and 300 hurdles fields and Northwestern having the state’s best time in the 400-meter relay…
▪ Southridge had the state’s best time in the 1,600-meter relay (3:50.14). Senior Kasia Cooper ran the second leg for the Spartans. Southridge’s Janae Largins also led the state with a 12.97-meter mark in the shot put.
▪ Fort Lauderdale Dillard’s 3,200-meter relay, which included senior Samouya Nevers running the anchor leg, had the state’s best time in the event (9:22.04).
Ten more South Florida seniors were the leaders in 13 events in their respective class.
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas’ Emelia Chatfield, a Texas signee, paced Class 4A in the 100-meter hurdles (13.50 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (41.92). Chatfield was also part of the Raiders’ class-best 400- and 1,600-meter relays.
▪ Hallandale twins Ashantae Harvey and Ashanti Harvey had Class 2A’s top times in the 100 meter hurdles. Fellow Hallandale senior Kiah Williams led Class 2A in the 300 meters.
▪ Miami Braddock and Miami Gulliver Prep led their respective classes in the 4x800-meter relay. Seniors Rebecca Bergnes and Lisa Adjouadi were part of Braddock’s relay team. Senior Natalie Varela ran the lead leg for Gulliver.
▪ Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest’s Tsion Yared, a Princeton signee, paced Class 2A with a 4:59.50 in the 1,600 meters. Fellow Pine Crest distance runner Emily Faulhaber, a Brown signee, had Class 2A’s best time in the 3,200 meter run at 10:47.06.
▪ Pompano Beach Highlands Christian’s Sydney Blackburn led Class 1A with a 11.79-meter throw in the shot put and 46.04-meter throw in the discus.
▪ Weston Cypress Bay’s Grace Bustamante led Class 4A with a 44.16-meter throw in the discus.
This story was originally published May 25, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
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