FPC's Karina Marcelus won the triple jump and was runner-up in the 100 hurdles at the Class 4A state track and field championships. Courtesy photo
FPC's state champion 4x400 relay team: Jordan Haymon, Will Roberts, coach David Halliday, Mikey Najpaver and Logan Jacobelli. Courtesy photo
FPC's state champion 4x400 relay runners take the center spot on the medal stand. Courtesy photo
Matanzas' Peyton Cerasi placed fourth in the 1,600 and seventh in the 3,200 at the Class 3A state track championships. Courtesy photo
FPC's boys medal winners, including Logan Jacobelli who earned three medals, at the Class 4A state track championships. Courtesy photo
Because of a rain delay, Karina Marcelus’ state championship events were condensed into a 60-minute time frame.
During that hour, the Flagler Palm Coast senior won the girls triple jump title and finished second in the 100-meter hurdles — breaking her own school records in both events — at the Class 4A state track and field championships Saturday, May 9, at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.
FPC also won the boys 4x400 relay in the last — and most exciting — race of the night. The relay team of Logan Jacobelli, Will Roberts, Mikey Najpaver and Jordan Haymon won the race in a photo finish by eight-thousandths of a second over Miami Columbus. The Bulldogs finished in 3 minutes, 14.342 seconds, with Columbus finishing in 3:14.350.
“It was pretty crazy,” FPC coach David Halliday said. “Jordan’s leg is not 100%, and the kid from Columbus (Alexander Lopez) is really, really good. But Jordan just outleaned him at the end. It was very exciting for the whole state, and a little bit of a heart attack for me. But I’m excited for the kids. They sealed the deal on what they wanted to do, which was to be state champions in the 4x4.”
The Bulldogs have had some exceptional 4x400 relay teams in past years. Their 4x400 teams placed second at state in 2013, 2019 and 2023, but Jacobelli, Roberts, Najpaver and Haymon are the first in school history to win the state championship.
“They set the school record at the Florida relays, so they definitely solidified themselves as the best ever 4x4 here by having the record and winning the state title,” Halliday said.
Haymon also placed second in the 400-meter dash, finishing with a time of 47.82 seconds in the slow heat with only Devin Matthews of Ocoee topping that in the second heat with a time of 47.24.
“Jordan has not been 100% for four weeks, and he almost stole the 400 title out of the slow heat,” Halliday said. “So, I was happy for him after battling that injury.”
Matanzas sophomore Peyton Cerasi collected two medals at the Class 3A state championships on May 8, at UNF.
She broke her own school record in the 1,600-meter run to place fourth with a time of 4:55.78. She also placed seventh in the 3,200 with a time of 11:03.41.
Cerasi has now won three medals at state. As a freshman last year, she placed second in the 3,200.
Mainland’s Michael London placed seventh in discus with a personal-record throw of 49.47 meters.
For FPC, Marcelus was the star of the day, or at least the star of the hour.
“She had an amazing 60 minutes,” Halliday said. “She got pushed back, so we really wanted to get all of her triple jump done before she got to the hurdles. And we got it with about 12 minutes to spare. She did a great job by going out and putting her best jump on the first jump and put all the pressure on the rest of the girls. And it was over after the first jump.”
Her 12.41-meter leap broke the school mark of 12.29 meters that she set a week earlier at regional. Marcelus then hopped over to the track and ran her fastest 100 hurdles in 13.69 seconds, finishing second behind Nia Armstrong of Tampa Sickles, who finished in 13.41. Marcelus broke her school record of 14.11 seconds.
“She came in ranked about fifth,” Halliday said. “I knew she could be in the top four, probably top three. Top two? I knew she was going to have to do something special. And then she just crushed it.”
Marceulus came away with her first state championship plus a silver medal. She dedicated her final high school meet to her brother, Malique Joseph, who died on Nov. 4, 2025.
“It was a very special day for her and her family,” Halliday said.
Jacobelli came home with three medals. In addition to running first leg for the winning 4x400 relay, the junior broke the 15-year-old school record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.53 seconds to place seventh. He also placed fifth in the 200 with a time of 21.27 seconds. La’Darius Simmons placed fourth in javelin with a throw of 54.18 meters to help the FPC boys team placed sixth overall.
Several other FPC athletes had a record-breaking day but could not place in a highly competitive Class 4A meet. The girls 4x800 relay broke the school record by three seconds with a time of 9:32.05 but finished ninth, less than a second from gaining an eighth-place medal and All-State recognition.
“They ran 10 seconds faster than they did last year when they placed seventh,” Halliday said.
The boys 4x800 relay runners finished 10th with a time of 8:00.58, their best time of the season. Arianna Slaughter nearly tied her best time in the 1,600 with a 5:06.94 and finished 14th. She was also 14th in the 800 in 2:18.04, the second fastest time in school history.
“It’s just crazy, the amazing performances. But the kids fought hard,” Halliday said. “Obviously, when you get a rainstorm, that changes stuff up. The kids were disappointed. But, if you go out and you run your best by several seconds, it's hard to be disappointed. I understand the kids were really gunning for medals, but it just shows how dominant 4A is.”
