- April 25, 2024
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Jada Williams finished her FPC cross country career with a sixth-place finish at the Class 4A state championships. Courtesy photo
Jada Williams earned a medal for the second year in a row at the state cross country championships. Courtesy photo
Driving back from the state cross country championships, Flagler Palm Coast runner Jada Williams was already thinking about jumping into soccer season.
Her coach, Dave Halliday, was already thinking about the lofty track and field achievements she could reach this spring.
There was barely time to savor her sixth-place finish at the Class 4A state meet Nov. 12 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. But in the process, she secured her spot as the most dominant female cross country runner in school history.
“She came out and shined on the biggest stage, like she always does,” Halliday said.
The three-time state qualifier completed the 5-kilometer course in exactly 19 minutes, just seven-tenths of a second behind fifth-place finisher Kate Drummond of Gainesville Buchholz, who ran 18:59.3.
“I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get top five, but I’m really proud of myself,” Williams said. “It’s the fastest I’ve ever run at the course.”
Entering the final stretch, Williams had dropped back to seventh place, and finishing in the top five appeared to be out of reach, but she wasn't giving up in the final cross country meet of her high school career.
“There is a really big hill before that last stretch and (Annabella Cardona of Miami Braddock) moved ahead of me,” she said. “I had to work getting back into that spot and try to catch the fifth-place runner.”
She passed Cardona and began carving into Drummond’s sizable lead.
“I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get to her at all, but I got really close at the end,” Williams said. “If I had one faster step, I could have done it.”
Penelope Sosa of Miami Coral Park breezed to victory in the race with a time of 18:12.4. Williams finished in the top 10 for the second year in a row.
“I was real proud of her. She had a real strong race,” Halliday said.
Last year, Williams was 10th with a time of 19:17.7. In her first state meet as a sophomore, she finished 26th with a time of 19:19.10.
Williams will have no time to rest. There is no such thing as an offseason for the senior who has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old and competing in cross country and track and field since she was a freshman.
“I’m going to jump back into soccer practice and play in the next game if I can,” she said.
“She came out and shined on the biggest stage, like she always does.”
DAVE HALLIDAY, FPC cross country and track coach on senior Jada Williams
Williams followed her older brother into soccer and had hoped she would eventually play soccer in college. But her plans changed after her sophomore track season when she said she realized distance running was what she was meant to do.
Halliday expects Williams to sign a college track scholarship. She has some official visits planned in the next few weeks.
She is also going to ramp up her offseason track training while also playing soccer. In track and field this spring, she is going to try to break five minutes in the 1,600 meters. She already has the school record in that event at 5:09. She will also try to break the school record in the 3,200 meters.
“I’m looking forward to seeing her going after some of these records and medals,” Halliday said.
Williams has never trained for track and field during soccer season, but this will be her final chance to reach her goals and impress college coaches.
“When you have bigger goals, it takes more offseason training,” Halliday said.
Williams, who compares the double training to her sophomore cross country season when she also played club soccer, is ready for the challenge.
“I haven’t done (track training) during soccer season before, but I think it’s best,” she said. “If my future is going to be running, I don’t want to get behind.”
