BEACHSIDE - Fleming Island sophomore triple jumper Mikayla Shavers, intent on repeating her visit to the Class 3A championships with a one-step improvement, hit her best leap of the season while doubling up with a Grandma best in the long jump as the Golden Eagles got a first place for boys and a runner-up finish for girls in the district 4-3A track and field championships at Beachside High School on Thurs., April 25.

Note: Orange Park High School will host the district 3-3A track and field championships on Tues., April 30.
Fleming Island's boys won with 204 points over Ponte Vedra at 195.50 and Beachside third at 79.50. For the girls, Ponte Vedra won with 192 points with Fleming Island second at 128. Ridgeview's girls scored 60 to finish sixth with Middleburg eighth with 33.50 and Clay ninth with nine points. Ridgeview and Clay tied in the boys' scores for sixth with 34 points with Middleburg ninth with 14.
"I've been away from the triple jump a little this season to improve my speed with the coaches putting me in the 100 now and then," said Shavers, who ripped off a first jump of 12.15 meters; 39 feet, 10.5 inches, in the triple jump to clear her best jump of the season and then leaped 18'-7" in long jump to set another personal best for the day. "My long jump was a little bit of a family thing as my grandmother; Linda Jackson 1976, 18'-6", was a long jumper and that jump was better than hers. It was kind of a family joke that I couldn't beat Grandma. All good motivation."
Shavers, now a repeat district champion with a region title of 39'-3.75" a week later, was second last year in Class 3A with a 39'-6.5" leap that was half an inch less than Leon senior's Alexandria Kennedy at 39'-7".
"Right now, I'm first in 3A, about 2-3 in all of Florida," said Shavers, listed number three as of April 25 behind jumps of 12.18 (39'-11.5") by Chelsi Williams of George Jenkins and 12.16 (39'-10.75") by Sanaa Geter of Lehind; both jumpers in Class 4A.
At number five in Florida, though, is Miami Northwestern senior Shakynah Tresvant, who has a best of 11.94 meters this season, but finished third last year to Shavers by just 1.25 inches.
"I know she is out there," said Shavers. "I just do what my coaches say and I am seeing good jumps at the right time."
In the long jump, Shaverss topped the district field with her leap with Ponte Vedra's Adrienne Edwards second at 17'-8" and Fleming Island teammate Kennedy Berkley this at 16'-9.75". Berkley is one of Fleming Island's top sprinters with a fourth in the 100 behind high jumper Gabrielle Flores in second, 12.43 to 12.68. Shaver's jump is sixth-ranked in Class 3A with a 19'-9.5" leap in the top jump.
Flores earlier won the high jump at 5'-1.75" then returned to the track to win the 200 in 26.03 just ahead of Middleburg softball centerfielder Mika Wesley, third in 26.59 and Berkley, fourth in 26.73.
In the boys 100 and 4 x 100 relay, Fleming Island's football trio of Sebastian Cruz, Cibastian Broughton, Trace Burney and Kaylib Singleton dominated both events again with another school record in the relay; 41.38 to best their previous split of 41.70, while Cruz, Singleton and Broughton went 1-2-3 in the 100 with clocks of 10.92, 10.96 and 10.97 with Ridgeview running back Kimal Marshall fourth in 10.98 to finish the Clay County finish. Clay soccer ace Jack Wilkening, with a starting block, was sixth in 11.16.
In the 200, the lineup also dominated with Singleton, Cruz and Broughton doing the 1-2-3 at 21.66, 22.10 and 22.18 with Wilkening fifth in 22.61.
Clay High's Alex Weiss got six of the Blue Devils' points with a third in the 400 at 51.18.
In the field events also, shotputter Braden Cunningham hammered away all season with a tender ankle and got a first-time district title at 45'-1.5" with Ladarius Jackson third in the discus at 124'-8".
Pole vaulter Gideon Gillaspy finished second at 13'-1.5".
Fleming Island also took the top spot in the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400 boys relays with a third in the 4 x 800.
In the 800, Fleming Island senior Roman Mollicone tacked on another sub-1:55 finish with a winning 1:54.05 split to win that event over a Ponte Vedra trio all under 1:58.
In 1600, Fleming Island's senior duo Graham Myers and John Keester IV were shoulder to shoulder with Ponte Vedra's Tanner Andrade Brinsko for the final lap with Andrade Brinsko getting the lean at the tap with a 4:18.09 finish; Myers at 4:19.27 and Keester at 4:21.36.
For the girls, Fleming Island's distance duo of Brooke Reynolds and Allie Knotts battled with the top-ranked Ponte Vedra cadre of runners with Lindy White, top-ranked in 3A in the 3200; third in the 1600, and Daisy Ross third in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600.
Reynolds stayed in a lead pack of Ponte Vedra runners to the final lap where White surged decisively to win in 5:08.17 with Reynolds fourth in 5:18.31, one of her fastest times of the season.
In the 800, Reynolds was fourth in 2:24.06.
In the 3200, White again surged away from teammate Ross to win in 10:59.97 with Knotts in sixth at 12:02.07.
For Middleburg, discus thrower Madison Underwood hit her best toss of the season with a 140'-8" winning throw to win by 33 feet.
"Everything hit right and we had a good windy day," said Underwood, sixth last year in Class 3A and ranked fifth in Florida now with a 158'-9" toss by Lauren Kirby of Somerset Academy tops in 3A. Underwood is third-ranked in Class 3A.
Also for Middleburg, javelin thrower Anthony Pasquale took third in the district meet with a 146'-1" throw on his first attempt. Vincent Jackson of Ponte Vedra, top-ranked in 3A, won at 164'-1".

Class 3A Rankings (Top 20)

100: Top time 10.47
5. Kaylib Singleton FIHS, 10.54

200: Top time 20.96
13. Kaylib Singleton FIHS, 21.66

800: Top time 1:51.32
4. Roman Mollicone FIHS 1:53.51
9. Graham Myers FIHS, 1:55.20

1600: Top time 4:12.74
8. Graham Myers FIHS 4:17.69
12. John Keester IV FIHS, 4:21.36

3200: Top time 8:42.74
5. Graham Myers FIHS, 9:05.76
10. John Keester IV FIHS, 9:22.45
13. Jacob Campbell FIHS 9:28.67

110 Hurdles: Top time 13.93
9. Nethen Verger OPHS 14.66
19. Jarius Rodgers FIHS 14.95

4 x 100 Relay (Boys): Top time 40.36
3. Fleming Island 41.38

4 x 400 relay (Boys) Top time 3:11.93
10. FIHS 3:22.02

4 x 800 (Boys): Top time 7:53.77
5. FIHS 8:00.47

High Jump: Top jump 6'-9.5"
4. T'Vario Willis RHS, 6'-7.5"
12. Jarius Rodgers FIHS, 6'-3.5"
16. Alton Bacon FIHS, 6'-3"

Pole Vault: Top vault 5.0M/ 16'-4"
9. Gideon Gillaspy FIHS 13'-3.5"

Long Jump: Top jump 24'-3"
14. Nethan Verger OPHS 22'-3"

Triple Jump: Top jump 47'-11.5"
16. Nethan Verger OPHS, 44'-2.5"

100 Hurdles (Girls): Top time 13.12
19. Aaliyah Abbasi OPHS 15.22

4 x 100 Relay (Girls): Top time 46.29
15. FIHS 48.61

4 x 800 Relay (Girls): Top time 8:58.50
19. FIHS 10:20.75

High Jump (Girls): Top jump 5'-9"
10. Gabrielle Flores FIHS, 5'-1"

Long Jump (Girls): Top Jump 19'-9"
6. Mikayla Shavers FIHS, 18'-6"

Triple Jump (Girls): Top Jump Mikayla Shavers FIHS 39'-10"
15. Avi Miller RHS, 37'-2"
17. Taravine Ann-gelica RHS 36'-10"

Shot Put (Girls): Top throw 49'-11"
7. Mychaela Parker OPHS, 40'-1"

Discus (Girls): Top throw 158'-9.5"
3. Madison Underwood MHS 140'-8"