Chris Johnson Runs 10.25w/20.40 Double In Class 3A; Patrick Koon Takes Meet Record in 3,200m; Miami Northwestern Girls Win 14th Straight
By Todd Grasley of DyeStat
The 2023 FHSAA State Championships didn’t disappoint with talent rolling through Jacksonville for three consecutive days. Mother nature tried to interfere with the start of the 1A competition, but in true Florida fashion, the showers eventually passed, and action kicked off. From state leaders to state records, and nationally ranked performances the Sunshine State put on a show.
Koon Captures State Title Breaks 22 Year Old State Meet Record
One of the oldest records in the state fell Friday night when Leon junior Patrick Koon covered the 3,200 meter run in a time of 8:58.83, narrowly beating the 3A meet record of 8:59.03 by Sean Jefferson set in 2001, and defending his 2022 championship.
Koon’s 8:44.95 and fifth-place showing at Arcadia is the all-time best in the state of Florida. With one year left it’s no surprise he is being courted by some of the best distance programs in the country including Harvard, Virginia and Stanford.
Johnson Takes Schwartz’s 200m Record; Uvieghara Sweeps Sprint Titles
NFL wide receiver Anthony Schwartz’s name is part of the history books in Florida sprinting. But now, add Dillard senior Chris Johnson to the list. Johnson defended his 3A crowns in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. He scorched the track with a new wind legal and US#2 200 meter time of 20.40, narrowly beating Schwartz’s 20.41 from 2018. Johnson also was victorious in the 100 meters with an all-conditions time of 10.25w.
The fastest female sprinter of the weekend didn’t hail from South Florida. Palm Harbor University’s Rachel Uvieghara proved she didn’t just belong at the state meet, but to be in the conversation of the nation’s best. The junior ran a US#6 time of 11.38 in the 100 meters and followed it up with a US#6 time of 23.22 in the 200. Uvieghara’s was runner-up in both events as a sophomore, and third and fourth respectively as a freshman.
Best Of The Rest: State Leaders & Nationally Ranked Marks
2023 marked the first time that the 400-meter hurdles was contested in the state of Florida. The move up from 300 meters seem to bother Lake Minneola’s Kai Evans, who sped to a US#2 mark of 52.35 in the 3A final. It was the lone state championship for Evans, who had a busy day competing in four individual events, the 100, 200, 110-meter hurdles and…
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