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Home team sweeps Steinbrenner Invitational

 
The Steinbrenner boys track and field team after winning their host meet. (Andy Warrener, Special to the Times)
The Steinbrenner boys track and field team after winning their host meet. (Andy Warrener, Special to the Times)
Published April 10, 2016

TAMPA — In 2010, USF and Steinbrenner put on what would become one of the biggest and most competitive invitationals in the state. In 2015, Steinbrenner High installed a rubber track on campus and the seventh annual Steinbrenner Invitational came home on Saturday.

Fittingly, both Steinbrenner squads carried off team titles as the girls nearly doubled up Wharton 120-66.5. Berkeley Prep was third with 53 and Land O'Lakes fourth at 52. For the boys, the Warriors won 124 to Alonso's 53.50. The boys pole vault was still well underway before the team trophies were handed out but Steinbrenner's point total was unassailable.

"The kids are very proud of the facility, they worked very hard and I know they wanted to shine in front of their teachers, their families and their friends and it was great that they could show up here and do so well," Steinbrenner girls coach Ladd Baldwin said.

The Warriors' hurdle crews helped carry the day as Taylor Hotchkiss and Emma Stevens went one-two in the 100-meter hurdles (15.25 and 16.55) and again went one-two in the 300 hurdles (45.80 and 46.73). For the boys, Zack Reinhardt, Jacob Goncalves and Brett Bitter swept the 110 hurdles (15.13, 15.15 and 15.84), then Reinhardt and Goncalves went one-two in the 300 hurdles (39.96 and 40.13). Bitter took fourth.

Heading the individual events were superb runs in the girls 1,600 and 400.

In the 1,600, Riverview's Bailey Hertenstein, Sunshine Athletic Conference east champ Jamila Cardwell of Sunlake, Citrus-Hernando champ Claire Farnsworth, Chamberlain's Maggie Parrish and Pasco cross country champ Natalie Abernathy all crowded in for a double waterfall start — in which half the events' runners line up in a cluster in lanes 5-8 and the other half clusters back at the starting line in lanes 1-4.

Cardwell hung with Hertenstein for the first two laps as the pair separated from Farnsworth and the rest of the field, but no one could keep with Hertenstein's blistering final lap, breaking the tape at 5:00.46, just more than a second off her 4:59.29 from the Wildcat Invite in February.

"I'm so happy being consistent," Hertenstein said. "One second off my PR is not bad for a meet like this and I think with more competition, I could have done even better."

Hertenstein came back and won the 3,200 in 11:10.56. Cardwell took second in 5:18.00, extending her own school and personal record.

The Wharton girls, even without Aria Tate, destroyed the 400, taking the top three spots and all under 58 seconds. Searra Woods led the way with a 57.25. Teammates Bryanna Rivers (57.75) and Avonti Holt (57.94) set personal records. Holt and Woods returned for the 200 with Holt going 25.25 to win it with her season best and Woods taking third at 25.75 behind Admiral Farragut's Jazmine Alderman's 25.48.

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"It's all about the mind-set," Holt said.

Wharton's 4x400 relay team could be as strong as ever, already holding the third-best mark in the state this year. When they come to full speed for the state series, watch out.

"The team is really coming together," Woods said. "Times are dropping and the relays are coming together."

Plant's tandem of Quasan Markowski and Rob Leverone took the top two spots in the boys 1,600 with Markowski, Plant's school record holder in the 800, in at 4:21.07, just off his personal record. Leverone took second in a PR 4:24.25.

Tampa Catholic's Alise Davis went 41-2 to win girls shot put. All three of Davis' throws were over 40 feet. Zephyrhills' Zackary Carpenter went a personal record 141-10 to top Springstead's Kyle Manuel (135-0.5). Land O'Lakes' Tori Cannata took second (5-4) behind Mitchell's Emily Gauvey (5-8) in the high jump and won the triple jump (35-6) over Hillsborough's Daneesha Davidson (35-1).