Region 1-3A at Chiles is the last call for track in Tallahassee

Your last chance this year to see high school track and field competition in Tallahassee comes Thursday, 24 April 2014, at the Chiles High track up in Bradfordville. The Timberwolves will be hosting the 2014 Region 1-3A championships, with the first field event starting at 1:00 PM ET and the last ribbon being handed out at 9:00 PM. That's a full day of athletics.


As to what you can expect to see, here's what will be happening in the 800, the 1600, and the 3200. It's not that I don't value the other events, but I can't write about everything, so I'm going to concentrate on what I know best. For the throws, maybe someone has a "Weighty Matters" blog that can give you a preview, the sprints could get covered in "Fast Tracks," and the jumps in "Leaps of Faith." It's not my fault that those blogs don't exist. Maybe it's an opportunity for someone.


So here we go, starting with the 800 and working up. First, the heat sheets for the girls' 800:

2014 FHSAA Region 1-3A Girls' 800 Meters
Section One
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1	550	Jessica Brinson	11	Terry Parker	2:32.95
2	397	Cheyenne Andrew	12	Pace	2:31.01
3	404	Haley Kling	9	Pace	2:28.84
4	506	Kelly Aponte	10	St. Augustine	2:27.30
5	281	Gabrielle Krajniak	11	Mosley	2:27.92
6	405	Rachel Kling	11	Pace	2:30.42
7	23	Juliana Krueger	10	Chiles	2:31.90
8	25	Jianni McDole	9	Chiles	2:40.02
Section Two
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1	110	Allison Ammons	10	Crestview	2:27.14
2	326	Karen Xiang	12	Nease	2:26.86
3	5	Sydney Grier	11	Bartram Trail	2:26.68
4	169	Emma Rudman	10	Fort Walton	2:24.35
5	86	Alexis Jackson	12	Creekside	2:24.95
6	58	Sara Steele	12	Choctawhatchee	2:26.77
7	456	Aaleiyah Knight	10	Pine Forest	2:26.98
8	74	Emma Tucker	10	Columbia	2:31.46
Highlight indicates a District champion in the event.

The times listed are from the district meets, and don't necessarily reflect the best performances of the athletes. For instance, Fort Walton Beach sophomore Emma Rudman has run 2:17.72 this season, one of the fastest times for class 3A girls, and the fastest girls' time in Region 1-3A. If there's any reason not to consider Rudman the favorite in this event, it's that it will be her third race of the day. Rudman won the 1600, the 800, and the 3200 in the district meet, as well as anchoring Fort Walton Beach's winning 4 x 800 relay. That means she's entered in all four events at the Region. But Rudman isn't the only quadruple qualifier in the 800, and she's still the fastest runner in the field.


The girls' 800 is scheduled for 7:15 PM.


Let's move on to the boys' 800.

2014 FHSAA Region 1-3A Boys' 800 Meters
Section One
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1	411	Colton Currier	12	Pace	2:05.67
2	182	Trace McMullen	10	Fort Walton	2:04.39
3	356	Jack Massey	12	Niceville	2:02.72
4	489	Sean O'Linn	12	Ponte Vedra	2:01.47
5	533	Wesley Norton	12	Stanton	2:02.40
6	102	Youry Pierre-Louis	11	Creekside	2:03.59
7	206	John Taylor	12	Gulf Breeze	2:05.22
8	549	Tony Wiggins	12	Tate	2:07.03
Section Two
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1	351	Tripp Davis	12	Niceville	2:01.46
2	43	Sean Turner	12	Chiles	2:00.36
3	107	David Cash Tampa	11	Creekside	2:00.22
4	509	Ryan Aponte	11	St. Augustine	1:58.99
5	29	Avery Bartlett	11	Chiles	2:00.05
6	505	Rayford James	12	Robert E. Lee	2:00.27
7	358	Nicholas Morken	12	Niceville	2:01.31
8	472	Stefan Pressley	10	Pine Forest	2:04.69
Highlight indicates a District champion in the event.

Don't be fooled by the times from the district meets. Niceville senior Nick Morken is the athlete to watch in this event. The future University of North Florida Osprey has run 1:53.45 this season; in class 3A only Boyd Anderson junior Javon Patterson has run faster. Patterson is the state leader at 1:52.04. The next fastest 800 runner in Region 1 is Chiles junior Avery Bartlett, who recently ran 1:55.89 at the Capital City Classic. Morken and Bartlett haven't met in the 800 this season, but they did go head-to-head in the 1600 at the FSU Relays, where Morken was second in 4:15.82 and Bartlett fifth in 4:17.15.


The boys' 800 is scheduled for 7:25 PM.


Which is a good cue to move on to the Region 1-3A 1600. Let's start with the girls.

2014 FHSAA Region 1-3A Girls' 1600 Meters
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1A	154	Brooke Crane	10	Fort Walton	5:21.56
1B	404	Haley Kling	9	Pace	5:39.49
2A	55	Shawna Lindsay	9	Choctawhatchee	5:20.76
2B	405	Rachel Kling	11	Pace	5:29.04
3A	58	Sara Steele	12	Choctawhatchee	5:20.38
3B	23	Juliana Krueger	10	Chiles	5:27.74
4A	326	Karen Xiang	12	Nease	5:14.83
4B	74	Emma Tucker	10	Columbia	5:26.16
5A	169	Emma Rudman	10	Fort Walton	5:16.59
5B	26	Ashton McMurray	12	Chiles	5:27.14
6A	506	Kelly Aponte	10	St. Augustine	5:20.71
6B	72	Nicole Morse	10	Columbia	5:28.02
7A	4	Hannah Giangaspro	12	Bartram Trail	5:21.21
7B	397	Cheyenne Andrew	12	Pace	5:35.39
8A	93	Jessica Van Cleave	12	Creekside	5:25.30
8B	401	Bailey Ellis	12	Pace	5:41.04
Highlight indicates a District champion in the event.

The top competitors in the Region 1-3A girls' 1600 are Nease senior Karen Xiang and Emma Rudman. Back in March, Xiang and Rudman both raced the 1600 at the FSU Relays, with Xiang taking fifth in 5:05.57 and Rudman seventh in 5:06.70; still their best times for the distance. Xiang, who will be running for Pennsylvania next year, also finished ahead of Rudman in the State Cross-Country Finals. Xiang then went on to make it to Footlocker Nationals. Just as Rudman is entered in four events, so is Xiang--the 4 x 800, the 1600, the 800, and the 3200. Xiang, the senior, seems to hold a slight advantage, but it should be a good race either way.


The girls' 1600 is scheduled for 6:20 PM.


Now for a look at the boys' 1600.

2014 FHSAA Region 1-3A Boys' 1600 Meters
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1A	428	Mark Robertson	12	Pensacola Washington	4:25.02
1B	549	Tony Wiggins	12	Tate	4:47.71
2A	505	Rayford James	12	Robert E. Lee	4:24.23
2B	95	Zack Bias	11	Creekside	4:37.10
3A	355	Thomas Howell	12	Niceville	4:21.83
3B	20	Ryan Stellhorn	11	Bartram Trail	4:33.65
4A	227	Sukhi Khosla	11	Leon	4:17.63
4B	107	David Cash Tampa	11	Creekside	4:33.20
5A	358	Nicholas Morken	12	Niceville	4:21.61
5B	353	Caden Ewing	12	Niceville	4:33.40
6A	29	Avery Bartlett	11	Chiles	4:23.46
6B	388	Joshua Bigden	12	Orange Park	4:36.09
7A	43	Sean Turner	12	Chiles	4:24.62
7B	427	Taylor Perkins	11	Pensacola Washington	4:47.69
8A	178	Trey LaNasa	11	Fort Walton	4:26.36
8B	413	Andrew Payne	11	Pace	4:51.26
Highlight indicates a District champion in the event.

Nick Morken is the defending state champion in the boys' 1600, and his 4:15.82 at the FSU Relays stands as the state's second-best time this season. However, the first-best 1600 time in the state belongs to Leon junior Sukhi Khosla, who is also entered in the Region 1-3A race. Khosla and Morken haven't raced against each other during the 2014 track season. You could look at cross-country season, where Khosla finished consistently ahead of Morken--and everyone, Khosla was undefeated through the State Cross-Country Finals. Of course, 5000 meters on the turf isn't really a good indication for what would happen in 1600 meters on the track. But if you have to pick, pick the state leader, Khosla.


The boys' 1600 is scheduled for 6:15 PM.


Next, let's examine the girls' 3200.

2014 FHSAA Region 1-3A Girls' 3200 Meters
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1A	55	Shawna Lindsay	9	Choctawhatchee	11:58.29
1B	403	Karly Johnson	12	Pace	12:46.39
2A	486	Maria Isabella Poole	12	Ponte Vedra	11:46.13
2B	524	Breck Peterson	12	Stanton	12:35.47
3A	88	Colleen Openshaw	11	Creekside	11:23.19
3B	216	Grace Lockhart	10	Leon	12:10.39
4A	326	Karen Xiang	12	Nease	11:07.63
4B	26	Ashton McMurray	12	Chiles	12:01.97
5A	4	Hannah Giangaspro	12	Bartram Trail	11:11.98
5B	72	Nicole Morse	10	Columbia	12:06.43
6A	169	Emma Rudman	10	Fort Walton	11:43.78
6B	405	Rachel Kling	11	Pace	12:21.87
7A	332	Claire Crist	9	Niceville	11:52.19
7B	397	Cheyenne Andrew	12	Pace	12:44.10
8A	56	Shelby Lindsay	9	Choctawhatchee	11:58.73
8B	462	Justice Waldrop	10	Pine Forest	13:11.44
Highlight indicates a District champion in the event.

Emma Rudman and Karen Xiang are both entered in the 3200, the fourth race of the meet where they both appear on the heat sheet. Like the 1600, it's also an event where they met at the FSU Relays. In that earlier race the advantage belonged to Rudman, as the Fort Walton Beach sophomore ran 10:50.96 to finish second to Fort Myers senior Emily Edwards. Seconds later, Xiang was sixth in 10:55.51--which should give you an idea of how wild a race that was. Edwards and Xiang have to be considered the prime contenders in this race, and it may come down to which runners holds up better in the second week of racing four events in one meet. Xiang may have the worst of it there, thanks to competition in the district from Bartram Trail senior Hannah Giangaspro. In the District 4-3A meet on 17 April 2014, Xiang had to run a swift 11:07.63 to finish ahead of Giangaspro, who took second with a 11:11.98 PR. Giangaspro, by the way, is only entered in the 1600 and the 3200. Let's just agree that this will be an interesting race.


The girls' 3200 is scheduled for 7:45 PM.


And let's finish with a look at the boys' 3200.

2014 FHSAA Region 1-3A Boys' 3200 Meters
Lane	Bib	Athlete	Grade	School	District Time
1A	355	Thomas Howell	12	Niceville	9:48.58
1B	200	Alex Hernandez	9	Gulf Breeze	10:56.12
2A	257	Hunter Scott	11	Lincoln	9:44.68
2B	428	Mark Robertson	12	Pensacola Washington	10:06.09
3A	511	Noah Kemp	12	St. Augustine	9:43.20
3B	19	Matt Neeley	9	Bartram Trail	10:04.13
4A	227	Sukhi Khosla	11	Leon	9:30.27
4B	488	Crisman Jones	12	Ponte Vedra	9:59.25
5A	185	Charles Shackelford	12	Fort Walton	9:38.77
5B	127	Evan Stegner	12	Crestview	10:00.61
6A	46	Cade Zimmerman	12	Chiles	9:43.57
6B	327	Jonathan Jackson	10	Nease	10:04.71
7A	33	Jared Grigas	11	Chiles	9:46.17
7B	412	Andrew Parrish	11	Pace	10:45.47
8A	178	Trey LaNasa	11	Fort Walton	9:54.42
8B	548	James Waldroup	11	Tate	11:08.32
Highlight indicates a District champion in the event.

In the boys' 3200, like the 1600 before it, the defending state champion is entered in this race. This time it's Niceville senior Thomas Howell, who got his ticket to the Region 1-3A 3200 by finishing second behind Fort Walton Beach senior Charles Shackelford in the District 2-3A meet, 9:38.77 to 9:48.58. Howell, though, has the second-fastest 3200 in the state this season, a 9:11.27 he ran at the FSU Relays in March. However, at the Region 1-3A meet, Howell will be up against Sukhi Khosla, who in the same FSU Relays 3200 ran the season's fastest time, 8:59.50. Both Howell and Khosla are also entered in the 1600, but Howell is also on Niceville's 4 x 800 relay squad. Look for Khosla to take care of business in the eight-lap race.


The boys' 3200 is scheduled for 8:00 PM.


There are bound to be surprises, of course. Athletes get sick, athletes get hurt, athletes have breakthroughs. If a top-ranked athlete shows up with his leg in his cast, he's gonna have a bad day. Additionally, the Region 1-3A meet is the qualifier for the State Finals. It's interesting to see who the Region champions are, but the purpose of the meet is to see who gets to make the trip to the State Championships. The top four advance, everyone else stays home. So watch the races for fourth place. You can still win a state title if you finish second in the region, but not if you finish fifth.


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