Local athletes set personal records at state track meet
Three local athletes set personal records (PRs) at the FHSAA 1A state track meet on the campus of North Florida University in Jacksonville on May 17 and 18. Weather delays on Wednesday delayed the conclusion of the 1A competition until Thursday.
Wewahitchka’s PJ Garrison ran for a PR in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 15.71, while Corbin Hysmith had his own PR in the high jump competition with a leap of 5-11.5.
Garrison, a senior, finished eighth in his event, and Hysmith, only a sophomore, tied for 9th.
Bailey Cox also represented Wewa at the state meet in two events: discus, and javelin. The multi-talented freshman finished 15th in discus with a throw of 126-00, and 11th in javelin with a hurl of 144-06.
“I’m really proud of the work and effort these young men have put in this year,” said Gator coach David Peavy. “For Corbin and Bailey, their best is yet to come.”
Pulling double duty for the week, Peavy left Jacksonville when the track meet ended and drove to Orland for the Florida Weightlifting State Championships.
“It was a long day mentally for all of the athletes (with) the weather delays,” said Port St. Joe coach Keion McNair, who accompanied senior Mari Johnson and junior Daniel Nguyen to Jacksonville.
Johnson won a bronze medal in the triple jump with a distance of 37-01. Although not a PR for her, she did set one in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 15.89, finishing 13th.
Nguyen, competing in the 400 meter hurdles, “came very close to a personal record,” said McNair. “I am very proud of our athletes for being able to compete at the state meet,” he said.
Both Wewa and Port St. Joe should prove to be very competitive on the track next season, with the Gators only losing two seniors and the Tiger Sharks only one.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.