Fast times, perfect weather at Flagler Palm Coast's 22nd annual East Coast Classic track and field meet

Sprinters lead the way for second-place FPC boys team.

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The weather was great, and the times were blistering at the 22nd annual East Coast Classic track and field meet on Friday, Feb. 20, at Flagler Palm Coast High School.

FPC coach David Halliday said the field of 20 schools and 1,257 athletes produced one of the deepest talent pools in the history of the meet.

“We had some really good, quality teams,” he said.

There were so many teams and athletes that entered, that Halliday said they had to enforce the minimum qualifying standards that were posted for each event. As a result, he said, about four teams dropped out.

“That was fine. They had to do what was best for their teams,” he said.

What he didn’t want was for the meet to go late into the night. In fact, it was done in under five hours with the last event ending at 8:58 p.m.

“To be able to roll through that many athletes right under five hours is pretty amazing,” Halliday said. “A lot of other track meets take eight hours. I’m proud of my staff for making it run so smooth. And it was nice to have a little warmer weather. We were very blessed with 80 degrees.”

Niceville won both team titles. Thanks to four sprint championships, the Flagler Palm Coast boys placed second. Jordan Haymon won both the 200- and 400-meter dashes with personal-record times of 21.90 seconds in the 200 and 47.74 seconds in the 400.

Logan Jacobelli won the 100 meters with a PR time of 10.68 seconds despite rolling back on his back foot in the starting block. That was the third fastest 100 time in school history. Jacobelli also placed second in the 200, two-hundredths of a second behind Haymon at 21.92 seconds.

The Bulldogs also won the night’s final event, the 4x400, with Jacobelli, Haymon, Michael Najpaver and Will Roberts winning by nearly 8.5 seconds wih a time of 3:24.70.

“That's not our best 4x4,” Jacobelli said. “But after such a rough day running so many events, we said, ‘We got to put out.’ When it comes down to the 4x4, that's where we win.”

Haymon is now ranked first in the state in Class 4A in the 400 and sixth in the 200. Jacobelli is ranked seventh in both the 100 and 200. The Bulldogs’ 4x400 relay is ranked fourth with its time of 3:19.70 set at the Louie Bing Invitational in Miami on Feb. 13.


TWO WINS FOR MARCELUS

FPC’s other top athlete at the meet was Karina Marcelus, who won both the 100 hurdles (14.45 seconds) and the triple jump (37 feet, 10.75 inches) and added an eighth-place finish in the 200-meter dash.

Marcelus placed fourth in both the 100 hurdles and triple jump at state last season. This year, she’s aiming for titles in both events. She is currently ranked first in the state in Class 4A in the triple jump and second in the 100 hurdles.

“I did great,” the senior said of her day. “I had a season PR in the 100 hurdles race. I would say the hurdles is my best event, but now I'm starting to think the triple jump as well, especially how this season has been going so far.”

FPC girls coach Alycia Williams said Marcelus is on track to break the school’s triple jump record set 24 years ago by Williams’ twin sister, Alyce. 

Marcelus, who also finished 11th at state in long jump last season, didn’t compete in that event at the East Coast Classic. She’ll go back to both jumping events moving forward, but she said she’s more comfortable in the triple jump.

“I think the dynamics with triple jump just works best for me, especially working on my first and second phase,” Marcelus said. “In the long jump, I just have to go. In triple jump, I get to recover and fix my jump.”


PERSONAL RECORDS GALORE

Seabreeze coach Matt Coleman said he likes that the East Coast Classic has qualifying standards.

“I brought 25, 26 kids, and they all had to qualify, and they've all done really well today,” Coleman said. “I think all but five or six of them hit PRs. They're going up against quality competition, and it really pushes them. I've had so many of them come and tell me, ‘Wow, this is awesome. I didn't win, but I set a PR because I was going against faster kids. It's really helping them.”

Seabreeze’s Dominic Dowell placed second in the 400 hurdles with a time of 58.85 seconds. Aidan O’Brien placed third in the 200 with a PR time off 22.55 seconds and fifth in the 100. Jeremias George was fourth in the 110 hurdles in 16.93. Tabitha Hicks placed third in the girls 400 hurdles in 1:10.16.

Mainland’s Ethan Figueroa won the boys long jump (21 feet, 11.75 inches) and placed second in high jump (6 feet, 1.5 inches). Jae’lyn Thompson was fourth in high jump. Michael London was fourth in discus and fifth in shot put. Aquila Rivers was third in girls 400 meters in 1:00.14. The Bucs girls 4x100 team placed third. Makayla Dow was fifth in long jump.

FPC’s Najir Eddins placed second in boys 110 hurdles with a PR time of 16.34 second. LaDarius Simmons was fourth in javelin. Roberts was fifth in the 400. Arianna Slaughter placed fifth in the girls 3,200 with a PR time of 11:32.01. Grace Taylor was fifth in javelin.

Halliday said probably 90% of FPC's competitors set personal records.

Jacksonville Providence’s Charles Loftin was among the top performers in the meet with a state-best time this season of 4:13.19 to win the 1,600 and 1:55.39 to win the 800. Bartram Trail freshman Avery Hartley won the girls 1,600 with a time of 5:00.40 and the 800 in 10:53.95.

 

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