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The Spruce Creek Hawks' girls track team celebrates its win at the Five Star Conference Championship. Photo by Ray Boone
The Hawks' Samantha Gayton hands the baton off to a teammate during the 4x800-meter relay. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek's Jordan Di Verniero does the long jump. She finished fourth in the event. Photo by Ray Boone
Contestants leap over the first set of hurdles in the 100-meter hurdles. Photo by Ray Boone
Atlantic's David Long does the long jump. Long finished third in the event. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek's Connor Sheedy does the pole vault. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek competed in the Five Star Conference Championship on Thursday, April 5. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek's Vann Meadows hurls a discus. Photo by Ray Boone
Spruce Creek's Raymond Maldonado leaps over a hurdle. Photo by Ray Boone
The Hawks' Samantha Gayton (left) and Camryn Cooney prepare for the 4x400-meter relay.
Spruce Creek's Camryn Cooney runs in the 3,200-meter. Photo by Ray Boone
When the Hawks’ Camryn Cooney walks off the track following a blistering 3,200-meter run (that’s 1.99 miles), her fourth event of the day, Cooney doesn’t slump over in a heap on the ground like some of the opponents she overlapped. She’s only in a light sweat.
While some of her opponents still had multiple laps to go, Cooney completed the eight laps in the span of 11:38.60.
“It was a comfortable run,” she said. “Today was just a workout.”
Cooney, a North Florida signee, claimed first place in four out of the five events she competed it, taking the crown in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs, as well as taking part in the relay teams that took gold in the 4x400 and the 4x800.
“We have a saying: Train hard, win easy. Camryn's definitely an example of that.”
Hawks coach Stephon Gallon
She — along with top finishes by teammates Dasia Stevens, Jordan Di Verniero and Jasmyn Dorsey — helped lead the Hawks’ girls track team to its third Five Star Conference title in a row on Wednesday, April 4, at Spruce Creek High School. The Lady Hawks have won 17 out of the last 18 conference championships.
The one blemish?
Cooney’s freshman year.
“Ever since then, we were like, ‘We’ve got to win this.’”
Despite the medal count, however, Cooney said she took it easy on Thursday. Her main goal is to be ready for the state meet, which she missed by three seconds a year ago.
“That’s definitely what will motivate me these next few weeks,” Cooney said. “Knowing my competition, knowing how they run and just doing the best training I can so that I can be as ready as possible.”