Local track products shine at indoor meets

Posted Jan 22, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 24, 2012 at 11:22 AM

There were loads of standout performances by local track and field products at indoor meets this weekend.

Highlighting those efforts was former Hillsborough High star Lindsey Lamar, now a University of South Florida junior, who won the Notre Dame Invitational’s 60-meter dash in 6.77 seconds, just .02 ahead of teammate Derrick Hopkins of Opa Locka. Those performances made Lamar and Hopkins tow of 23 Bulls to register qualifying marks for this year’s Big East Indoor Championships.

Also earning a spot in the Big East meet was former Alonso standout Gigi Petion, a USF freshman who cleared a lifetime best of 6 feet, 9 inches to take fourth in the high jump. That effort represents a huge comeback for Petion, who, despite being one of the county’s top high jumpers, had his senior season cut short with a knee injury.

Another Alonso product, freshman Franklin Mosely, cranked out a fifth-place finish in the 400 to qualify for the Big East Championships in 49.17. He also helped the Bulls take second in Notre Dame meet’s 4x400 in 3:14.12.

On the women’s side for USF, Mitchell High product Kelli Williams, also a freshman, ran a personal record to take seventh in the mile at 5:02.22.

At Sunday’s Gator Invite on Sunday in the O’Connell Center, former Blake High star Marissa McElveen, now a junior at Florida International University, won the women’s long jump in 20 feet, 1 inch. That’s one of the nation’s top marks so far in this young indoor season and her second jump this year beyond 20 feet.

In the men’s shot put, former Wesley Chapel and Tampa Catholic state champion Hunter Joyer made his Gators debut and took fifth in the shot put with a toss of 48 feet, 1.75 inches. His high school PR is over 60 feet but that, of course, was with a 12-pound shot, not the college 16-pounder.

In the women’s 400, TBT product La’Shae White clocked 54.49 to earn fourth place. In the men’s 800, Countryside High’s Ricy Brown, a state champ last spring, was second for Bethune-Cookman in 1:55.66.

An interesting note about the UF meet was the appearance of two former Olympic medalists, David Oliver (2008 bronze in the 110 hurdles) and Justin Gatlin (sprints). Oliver (2004 gold, 100) won the men’s 55 hurdles in 7.03 and Gatlin went 6.15 to win the 55 dash.

At the Auburn Invitational, former Robinson High star half miler Darrin Gibson, a junior at Florida State, ran just behind the leaders through the first three laps of the 800, then put on a strong kick and nearly won, taking second in 1:52.54, .25 off the victory.

Also at FSU is former state champion Dentarius Locke of Chamberlain. He’s still in the process of obtaining a full release via legal methods from his former school, Tennessee, and competed unattached at the Auburn meet. He reached the finals of the 60, where he finished fifth in a strong field in 6.66.

Friday at the Haverford (Pa.) Quad meet, former Jesuit star Jordan Schilit won the mile in 4:17.66. Schilit’s time, which is the sixth-fastest in D-III this winter, was 0.45 seconds off his indoor best.