Balistreri, Massena, Marshall among top performers at Class 1A girls state meet

Benjamin sophomore Sofia Balistreri shaved seven seconds off her previous best time and took second on the state in 800-meter run with a personal-best clocking of 2:12.89 at the FHSAA Class 1A girls state championship at UNF-Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville. She was seventh in the event last year.

“It was incredible for me,” she said by phone. “I think having the competition from the other girls around me, really pushed me. My first last lap really set me up for my final kick. Honestly, I was really hoping to finish in the top three. I was really happy to get second and get points for my team.”

Benjamin led all South Florida girls teams with 34 points to finish fourth, while Oxbridge Academy (32) placed fifth.

Oxbridge senior Octavia Massena came back from an ankle injury that sidelined her for eight weeks to win the girls’ triple jump (11.74 meters) and then placed sixth in the 400 dash.

“I had a really good jump coming in, but I was really nervous,” said Massena, who is signed to attend Western Carolina University in the fall. “With this being my senior year, I wanted to make sure I had my marks down. I made sure I was extra warmed up and just to make sure that I was ready. (Winning) this is really heartwarming because I worked hard to come back and win it. It is surreal.”

Oxbridge Academy sophomore Akari Marshall rebounded from a hip injury that curtailed her state performance last year to make it to the podium in all three events this year. Marshall took second in the 200 (24.24, a PR), third in the 100 (12.10), and fifth in the 400 (57.50, another PR).

“I wanted to push myself, run better times than I did before, and make it on the podium which I did for all three events I ran,” said Marshall, who was fifth at state in the 200 last year at state.

Benjamin senior Kori Haggard was second in the state in the discus, just 2 feet behind Trinity Catholic senior Hope Willis. Haggard also finished seventh in the shot.

Pahokee freshmen Jamaria Richardson and Jordan Johnson were second and third in the girls’ 400 dash, while Chaminade-Madonna sophomore Alexcia Liverpool took third in the 200 girls dash. Benjamin sophomore Maxine Dalton placed fifth in both the long jump and triple jump. Heritage-Delray junior Julia De Gruttola Aere (15.25) finished fourth in the 100 hurdles.

American Heritage-Delray girls and Pahokee were third and fourth in the 4×100 relay, while Pahokee and Benjamin’s girls finished second and third in the 4×400 relay.

Schwartz close to state record in javelin at Class 2A meet

In just two short years in the sport, North Broward Prep’s Alexa Schwartz has already etched her name as one of the best girls javelin throwers in state history.

The Eagles junior won the javelin event with a throw of 146 feet, 7 inches, which was 25 feet longer than runner-up Cardinal Newman freshman Madelyn Horner and her throw of 121-8. The winning throw by Schwartz was just 8 inches off the state record set by Shorecrest Prep’s Sonoma Kasica last year. She helped North Broward Prep (13 points) finish in a tie for 16th.

“I was very close to the state record this year,” said Schwartz, who finished second (127.13 feet) in her state debut last year. “I knew what (the record) was going in and I really did want to beat it and get my name up there and fell a little short. I am confident that next year I’ll be able to get it.”

“At first, it was definitely a new thing to get used to,” she said, “but in the last year and two months, I have put a lot of work into it. I love doing it and so far I have seen good results.”

Pine Crest, which tied for 10th at the state meet with 18 points, got strong performances from sophomore Rowan Sundevall and freshman Elizabeth Sauby who finished third and fourth in the javelin, and a third-place finish from senior Brooke Hooper who finished third in the 1,600-meter run (5:01.13).

In other top finishes in the 2A competitions, Calvary Christian was third in the girls’ 4×100 relay, and FAU High junior Jailyn Milord was fourth in the girls’ 400 dash.