State Track and Field: 8 Treasure Coast-area athletes to watch at state meets this week

The 2024 high school track and field season has reached its final leg after two months of regular season, district and regional competition.

The FHSAA Track and Field State Championships begins a four-day stretch of competition on Wednesday from Hodges Stadium on the University of North Florida campus in Jacksonville. Class 1A gets everything started on the first day. The activity concludes with Class 4A on Saturday.

Region Track: After sweeping districts, Vero Beach boys and girls teams do the same at regionals

Region Baseball: Vero Beach erases 21 years of frustration, earn first state berth since 2003

Mulligan’s Athlete of the Week poll: Check out the top local prep sports performers!

Throughout the week, plenty of the athletes from Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties will be on the state's biggest stage, with a select few expected to be in contention for a state title.

Here’s a look at some of the athletes to watch this week:

Addison Boyer, South Fork

This list starts with the lone area athlete to nab the No. 1 seed in an event, as the junior is the top seed in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10 minutes, 48.71 seconds. Seven girls produced better times than the senior this past spring. That list includes Ponte Vedra’s Lindy White, who is seeded fifth in this event. Boyer, an FSU commit, finished 11th in the event last season.

Emerson Brinn, South Fork

Another long-distance Bulldogs runner is primed for a solid result. Following an 11th-place finish at state last year, Brinn is the second seed in the 1,600 with a time of 5:01.96. The sophomore has sliced six seconds off her top time from her freshman campaign. Brinn is coming off a seventh-place finish at the Class 3A state cross-country championships.

Nyla Christian, Vero Beach

As part of Miami Northwestern’s Class 3A state championship team, Christian competed as a freshman and claimed titles in two events: long jump and 400-meter relay. Now, in her first season with Vero Beach, the sophomore has acclimated well while jumping up a class, as she is the only area athlete to qualify for four events. She’ll be the No. 2 seed in the 100-meter hurdles (13.93), No. 4 seed in the long jump (19 feet, 7 inches), No. 11 seed in the 100 (11.99) while helping the Indians’ 400 relay team capture the 14th seed (48.24).

Joniah Holson, Sebastian River

Another area sophomore is ready for an encore performance following a stellar effort at state a year ago. Holson earned two top-five state finishes in a pair of throwing events last season. This season, she’ll arrive at Jacksonville as the fourth seed in the discus (132-0) and sixth in shot put (39-6). Holson was the regional runner-up in each event.

Jaden Mackey, John Carroll Catholic

This Rams senior will make his debut appearance at state following performances in sprinting events. Behind personal-record marks set at regionals, Mackey is fourth seed in both the 100 (10.71) and 200 (21.73). He was a region runner-up in the 200.

Tyon Reed, Treasure Coast

The Titans junior enters state after sweeping the 110 and 400-meter hurdles at both districts and regionals. Setting a personal-record mark of 14.45 seconds, Reed is the No. 3 seed in the 110 hurdles. Meanwhile, his 400-hurdles regional time of 54.68 was just 0.02 seconds off his PR mark set two weeks prior at districts. The junior is seeded fourth in that event.

Alana Veal, Fort Pierce Central

This Florida International commit looks to improve on her seventh-place state finish in the triple jump. Fresh off a regional title, Veal is seeded fourth in the event this year with a personal-record mark of 38-8 3/4. That isn’t the only field event the senior will take part in as she will compete in the long jump as the 11th seed.

Derrick Williams, Vero Beach

Willams has been among the state’s best sprinters all season long, but he only seems to be getting faster at the right time. In helping the Indians boys team repeat as regional champs, the senior put up the best marks of his prep career in both the 100 (10.51) and 200 (21.36), where he’ll be seeded third and fifth, respectively. Last season at state, Williams claimed sixth in the 200 while aiding Vero’s 400 relay squad to seventh.

Area state qualifiers

(Event, seed, athlete, mark)

Class 4A - Boys

Fort Pierce Central

High jump: 7. Tyler Hughes - 6-5 1/2

Discus: 12. Colson Elisme - 146-10

Treasure Coast

110 hurdles - 3. Tyon Reed - 14.45

400 hurdles - 4. Reed - 54.68

1,600 relay: 18. Yaiden Beausejour-Joseph, Alexander Briscoe, Andrew Harper, Zaven Issac, Reed, Evan Richardson, Tyler Shelton - 3:23.87

Vero Beach

100: 3. Derrick Williams - 10.51

200: 5. Williams - 21.36

1,600: 14. Kenan Willard - 4:24.03

3,200: 17. Willard - 9:48.55

400 relay: 17. Michael Carter, Brian Carter, Taunaseyon Dillard, Williams, Tyler Jansky, Tyrece Lewis - 42.36

3,200 relay: 11. Parker Banzhaf, Marcus Campione, Evan Dunham, Sage Morrow, Willard, Andrew Youssef - 8:05.8

Long jump: 13. M. Carter - 22-2 1/2

Triple jump: 13. M. Carter - 44-1 1/2, 14. B. Carter - 44 1/2

Shot put: 10. Anthwone Montgomery - 50-4 1/2

Class 4A - Girls

Fort Pierce Central

400: 18. La’Neal Wilder - 58.31

Long jump: 11. Alana Veal - 17-9

Triple jump: 4. Veal - 38-8 3/4

Shot put: 15. Nikayla Wilder - 34-10 ¼

Vero Beach

100: 11. Nyla Christian - 11.99

100 hurdles: 2. Christian - 13.93

400 hurdles: 11. Viviandra Phinizee - 1:05.12

400 relay: 14. Phinizee, Azariah Gibson, Cettirria Evans, Christian, Tatianna Lundy, Jaylynne Moise - 48.24

Long jump: 4. Christian - 19-7

Discus: 18: Camryn Reid - 110-7

Shot put: 11. Reid - 34-9 1/2

Class 3A - Boys

Sebastian River

Discus: 17. Joseph Butler - 142-2

South Fork

1,600: 11. Macum Kornilov - 4:19.06

110 hurdles: 14. Blake Patch - 15.07

Class 3A - Girls

Sebastian River

High jump: 13. Madyson Kaszas - 4-9 3/4

Discus: 4. Joniah Holson - 132-0

Shot put: 6. Holson - 39-6

South Fork

1,600: 2. Emerson Brinn - 5:01.96

3,200: 1. Addison Boyer - 10:48.71

3,200 relay: 15. Talia Brown, Emma Ensor, Sophia Ragazzon, Ada Robinson, Sydney Schiff, Sawyer Spatara, Amelia Yanora - 10:06.69

Class 2A - Girls

Lincoln Park Academy

1,600: - 15. Jacey Lane - 5:18.23

Class 1A - Boys

John Carroll Catholic

100: 4. Jaden Mackey - 10.71; 16. Jaydien Pittman - 11.03

200: 4. Mackey - 21.73; 12. Pittman - 22.33

Class 1A - Girls

St. Edward’s

Shot put: 16. Meagan Baker - 32-11 3/4

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: State Track and Field: 8 Treasure Coast-area athletes to watch at state meets this week