GAINESVILLE - Among the best track and field athletes in Florida, Middleburg discus thrower Madison Underwood and Fleming Island 800 meter specialist Roman Mollicone produced rankings-shaking results in their events on Friday in Gainesville at the prestigious PEPSI Relays on the University of Florida campus.

Underwood, who winged the saucer 133 feet, one inch to a win at the Don Hall Invitational on Thursday at Orange Park came back on Friday to place fourth in an elite field with a 132'-5" toss with the top five throwers all over 130 feet. Underwood's two tosses put her in a strong top-five position; fourth, in Class 3A with two throwers; Julia Lemmon of Fort Myers and Lauren Kirby of Somerset both over 150 feet.
"I'm getting in my groove after an injury last year," said Underwood, who finished fifth in 3A last year with a 123'-0" toss with Lemmon the defending champion with a 148'-0" toss last year. "I'm stronger and getting faster in the circle."
Faster around the track oval has been the story of Mollicone who has second by second inched down to record-setting splits with a recent 1:55 then 1:54 times topped with a third place 1:53.51 Friday in Gainesville. Mollicone is known for his final 200-meter surge and pulled away from a fast pack to finish behind frontrunners Riley Smith of Buchholz in 1:50.96 and Alejandro de Bastos of Pembroke Pines in 1:51.85. Mollicone's split, a new school record that has eclipsed his previous records set this season, is also on the path to putting Mollicone in position to earn a state title which Fleming Island grad Cameron Davis achieved in 2011 with a 1:54.53 split.
Mollicone has improved steadily from his fourth at state 1:56.28 with Smith, in Class 4A, third in the 1600 last year, running more 3200s this season and ranked number one in Florida with an 8:39.71 ahead of Patrick Koon of Leon.
Mollicone is now ranked fifth in Florida with Smith's time the top split in 2024 followed by Belen Jesuit's Joseph Socarras and de Basto third. Fleming Island's Graham Myers is eighth-ranked in Florida with a 9:05.76 on March 1. Myers finished 12th in the 1600 in Gainesville with a 4:22.66 but has a 4:17.69 from February as his top time.
With Smith leading the Buchholz 4 x 800 relay and winning at Gainesville in 7:47.81, Fleming Island finished sixth in 8:00.47.
On Saturday, the Fleming Island boys 4 x 100 relay team took eighth with a 42.45 split on the legs of heels of a school-record 41.70 split in prelims. The relay squad; Trace Burney, Sebastian Cruz, Cibastian Broughton and Kaylib Singleton, are tied for 10th-ranked in Florida with 41.70 clocking with American Heritage on top at 40.36. Three teams; American Heritage, Creekside and Miami Northwestern all have times under 41 seconds. Fleming Island's 4 x 400 boys relay was sixth in 3:22.20 with the winners at 3:09.95.
For Oakleaf, triple jumper Takoda Brown continues his ascent up the ranks with a fifth place 46'-.75" leap against a 51'-6.25" winning leap from Winter Haven's Jaden Lippett. Brown is fifth-ranked in Florida with a 47'-3.75" leap on March 16. Lippett leads the state with his 51'6.25" leap.
In the long jump, Oakleaf's Devin Collins was eighth at 21'08" with Orange Park's Nethan Verger ninth at 21'-5.50".
Collins is ninth-ranked in Florida with a 22'11" leap in February.
At the Don Hall Track Invitational at Orange Park High School, highlights included a Devin Collins-anchored 4 x 100 relay win by Oakleaf in 42.28 over Fleming Island, with Oakleaf's sprint team of Josber Stimphil, Brown and Collins going 1-2-3 in the 200 with Stimphil winning in 22.71. Stimphil ran a state-ranked 50.32 to win the 400 with Miami Northwestern's Tywan Cox clocking a 46.42 to win the event in Gainesville.
Verger won the Don Hall triple jump with a 43'-3.75" leap and long jump with a 21'-0" leap beating Takoda Brown's 20'-7.75" leap.
In the girl's 4 x 100, Fleming Island edged Oakleaf with a 49.12 split.
Orange Park's boys 4 x 400 relay won that event in 3:40.29 behind Jacob Gaskins, James Riley, Anthony Ress and Shawn Crockett II. Oakleaf's girls won in 4:12.87.
Oakleaf sprinter Rayna Lawson won the 100 in 12.53 with freshman Timia McMillan second in the 200. Morgan Wade won the 1600 in 5:31.32.
For Fleming Island, Brooke Reynolds won the 800 in 2:24.29 with Clay's Erika Martinez third in 2:26.54 and Wade fifth.
Oakleaf hurdler Keira Smalls won her 110 hurdles event in 14.72 over Orange Park's Aaliyah Abbasi in 15.22.
Fleming Island sophomore Mikayla Shavers won the long jump at 17'-7" but did not jump her specialty, the triple jump, where she is ranked second in the state with a 39'-3.25" leap on March 9 with Chelsi Williams of George Jenkins leading the state at 39'-11.5". Ridgeview sophomore Avi Miller won the Don Hall triple jump with a 36'-3.5" leap ahead of teammate Ann-gelica Taravine at 35'-5.25".
Ridgeview also got a win in Javelin from senior Rikki Blaylock with a 98'-1" throw.
In the shot put, Orange Park state medalist Mychaela Parker won by five feet with a 40'-1.25" put. Lauren Kirby of Somerset Academy leads the state with a 49'-1" put on March 1.