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 track and field 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.
In all, FPC athletes won two events and placed second in two others, and FPC's boys placed sixth as a team at the Class 4A state championships on Saturday, May 9, at the University of North Florida.
“I don’t think it has hit me yet that I’m a state champion,” Marcelus said on Monday, “but I know it’s coming soon.”
FPC also won the boys 4x400 relay in the last — and most exciting — race of the evening. The relay team of Logan Jacobelli, Will Roberts, Mikey Najpaver and Jordan Haymon won in a photo finish by eight-thousandths of a second over Miami Columbus. Haymon crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 14.342 seconds, with Columbus’ Alexander Lopez crossing in 3:14.350.
“I had to lean over the line,” Haymon said.
Haymon said he had aggravated his quad injury while finishing second in the 400-meter dash earlier in the meet. He said, in the relay he didn't look to see Lopez closing the gap on the Bulldogs’ lead until the final meter.
“It was pretty crazy,” FPC coach David Halliday said. “Jordan’s leg is not 100%, and the kid from Columbus is really, really good. 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, finishing 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.
Roberts said they had to wait for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only 30 seconds before the FHSAA announced that the Bulldogs were the winners.
Haymon finished the 400-meter dash in 47.82 seconds in the slow heat with only Devin Matthews of Ocoee topping that in the fast heat with a time of 47.24. Haymon missed state last year with the injury. In his final high school meet, the senior took home gold and senior.
“Jordan has not been 100% for weeks, and he almost stole the 400 title out of the slow heat,” Halliday said. “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.
Seabreeze senior Drayton Brackett missed a medal by 16-hundredths of a second, finishing ninth in the 110 hurdles with a personal record time of 14.75 seconds.
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. It was over after that 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 crossed the finish in 13.41 seconds. Marcelus broke her own school record of 14.11 seconds.
”With rain nonstop and the delay, it was a little hectic, but I made sure I stayed positive,” Marcelus said. “I did the [first] jump and I was obviously proud. I did want to reach further. But I wasn’t stressing it, because I knew I had a safe spot. When I completely finished [the triple jump], my mind shifted, ‘Now I have another event I have to focus on.’”
Marcelus who has received a full track scholarship at Florida A&M University, dedicated her meet to her brother, Malique Joseph, who died unexpectedly last November.
"It was definitely bittersweet. It was emotional for me, losing my brother [last] year,” she said. “We talked about [dedicating the state meet to Malique]. I’m definitely satisfied I ended the season the way I wanted to with two PRs.”
Jacobelli came home with three medals. In addition to running the first leg of the winning 4x400 relay, the junior broke the 15-year-old school record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.53 seconds to place seventh. He also placed fifth in the 200 with a time of 21.27 seconds.
With a 10.91 time in the 100 at regional, Jacobelli was seeded last out of 18 runners at state and was in the slow heat. He was also in the slow heat in the 200.
“I knew I was last in, but I wasn’t the slowest person there,” he said. “I knew I belonged [on the podium].”
FPC’s La’Darius Simmons placed fourth in javelin with a throw of 54.18 meters.
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.
“They ran 10 seconds faster than they did last year when they placed seventh,” Halliday said.
FPC’s boys 4x800 relay 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.”
