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ALL-AREA GIRLS TRACK TEAM
athlete of the year hunter sullivan
All-Area First Team
First Team continued WILSANDLEY JAQUES
Harlee Atkins
Fort Pierce Westwood senior sprinter/jumper Season bests: 12.78 seconds in the 100 meters (St. Lucie County Championships); 27.07 in the 200 (District 14-2A); 1:03.57 in the 400 (St. Lucie County Championships); 14 feet, 7.5 inches in the long jump (Vero Beach Invitational) Postseason results: First in District 14-2A in the 200, third in District 14-2A in the 100
Avery Camp
ALEXIS JEAN
Kadasha Eliacin
Treasure Coast junior sprinter/jumper Season bests: 12.84 seconds in the 100 meters (Walter Jshombach Memorial Invitational); 25.94 seconds in the 200 (Vero Beach Invitational); 16 feet, 10 inches in the long jump (St. Lucie County Championships) Postseason results: N/A
Bethany Hardcastle
LISA LAFLAMME
Wilsandley Jaques
Martin County sophomore sprinter/jumper Season bests: 51.88 seconds in the 300 hurdles (Bulldog Showdown); 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump (Royal Palm Beach Invitational); 29 feet, 0 inches in the triple jump (Jupiter Warrior Invitational) Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the high jump; fifth in Region 3-4A in the high jump
Alexis Jean
TIARA ROBINSON Lisa Laflamme
Tiara Robinson
Tayler Smith
Jeyland Valentin
Caitlyn Wood
Natalie Zatz
ALEX SLITZ/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
John Carroll’s Hunter Sullivan is the 2014 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Girls Track Athlete of the Year.
Discus, shot put champ Sullivan first to claim 2 state track titles since 2011
HARLEE ATKINS
South Fork sophomore sprinter/pole vaulter Season bests: 13.03 seconds in the 100 meters (Bulldog Showdown); 28.46 in the 200 (Walter Jshombach Memorial Invitational); 9 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault (Jupiter Invitational) Postseason results: Second in District 14-3A in the pole vault, fourth in District 14-3A in the 100; fourth in Region 4-3A in the pole vault, 15th in Region 4-3A in the 100; 12th in Class 3A in the pole vault
AVERY CAMP
The Pine School senior distance runner Season bests: 5 minutes, 34.07 seconds in the 1,600 meters (Region 4-1A); 13:04.07 in the 3,200 (District 13-1A) Postseason results: First in District 13-1A in the 1,600 and 3,200; third in Region 4-1A in the 1,600
KADASHA ELIACIN
Sebastian River junior hurdler/jumper Season bests: 17.24 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles (District 13-3A); 13.27 in the 100 meters; 47.28 in the 300 hurdles (District 13-3A); 17 feet, 6 inches in the long jump Postseason results: Second in District 13-3A in the 300 hurdles and long jump, fifth in District 13-3A in the 100 hurdles, seventh in District 13-3A in the 100 meters; fourth in Region 4-3A in the long jump, 10th in Region 4-3A in the 300 hurdles; 12th in Class 3A in the long jump
BETHANY HARDCASTLE
South Fork junior distance runner Season bests: 5 minutes, 35.20 seconds in the 1,600 meters (Archbishop McCarthy Big Blue Invitational); 12:08.31 in the 3,200 (Jupiter Invitational); 2:32.97 in the 800 (The Bulldog Showdown) Postseason results: First in District 14-3A in the 1,600 and 3,200
By Jon Santucci jon.santucci@scripps.com 772-692-8932
Hunter Sullivan recalls standing on John Carroll’s lacrosse field as a freshman goalie and watching state champion thrower Justin Osking practice. It was hard to ignore, especially when some of Osking’s throws would land on the lacrosse field. Little did she know she was about to follow in Osking’s footsteps. “I just remember watching him like he’s Superman or something,” Sullivan said. “I never would have known I’d be doing the same thing.” Sullivan swept the throwing events at the Class 1A state meet in May, becoming the first area athlete to claim two state titles during the same state meet since Osking accomplished the feat in 2011. For her efforts, Sullivan is the 2014 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Girls Track Athlete of the Year. She was a first-team all-area selection in 2012 and 2013. “She just worked real hard all year,” John Carroll Catholic High School track coach Derek Gibson said. “She was doing stuff on her own — coming out on Saturday, coming out on Sunday — doing everything she could to get better. She trained before basketball season and as soon as basketball was over, she was back out there working hard. “She and Justin, they both were kind of the same. Some people are conceited or cocky, but both of them were real humble in what they did. They worked and practiced so hard. They both just worked to get better.” Sullivan’s track career almost didn’t happened. Gibson attempted to convince Sullivan to try throwing as a freshman, but Sullivan was intent on playing lacrosse. “My sophomore year, (John Carroll throwing) coach (Andrew) Bracken said, ‘Give it a shot and you can possibly do both,’ ” Sullivan said. “It took a while to get the steps
Athlete of the Year
Coach of the Year
HUNTER SULLIVAN
MARC HARRIS
John Carroll senior thrower Season bests: 124 feet, 5 inches in the discus (District 13-1A); 39-0 in the shot put (Cobra Relays) Postseason results: First in District 13-1A in the discus and the shot put; first in Region 4-1A in the discus and the shot put; first in Class 1A in the discus and the shot put John Carroll coach Derek Gibson: “Hunter is just an allaround great person — not only on the field, but also off the field. She’s real humble. There’s nothing flashy about her. She just works really hard. She’s just a great person.”
down, but I thought, ‘Stick with it, you never know.’ “I tried to do both for about a week, but I had a new love for a new sport and I dropped lacrosse.” Sullivan had instant success as a thrower. She finished fifth in the shot put and seventh in the discus at the state meet her sophomore year. She was fourth in the shot put and 10th in the discus last year despite throwing with a large brace on her leg because of a partially torn PCL. “Last year was hard,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to show what I can do with two legs. Winning a state title has been in my mind since my sophomore year. When I jumped from 30 to 35 feet (in the shot put), I thought, ‘Maybe I can eventually win this thing.’ And I did.” Sullivan swept the District 13-1A and Region 4-1A throwing events this season. In fact, Sullivan won 17 of the 18 events she competed in this year. But she was rated fourth in the discus heading into the state meet and simply wanted to get through the event and into the shot put, where she was favored. Despite heavy rain and slippery conditions, Sullivan unleashed a 117foot, 10-inch throw in the discus to claim her first gold medal. “That win showed a lot of her
Vero Beach, second year This season: Vero Beach finished second in District 9-4A, second in Region 3-4A and 39th in Class 4A. The Fighting Indians also won the Bulldog Showdown, Royal Palm Beach Invitational and Walter Jshombach Invitational this year. Vero Beach fought injuries throughout the season, but had five individuals and a relay team qualify for the state meet. Quotable: “The girls had a lot of situations that we weren’t pleased with as far as injuries early in the season and then we had some lingering health issues from last year. All that combined and considering how the season went, I thought it went very well.”
growing,” Gibson said. “At one point, if she had a problem or the weather was bad, she would carry it to her next throw and let it bother her. By her maturing and letting stuff go, I think that helped a lot.” A rain delay gave Sullivan time to come down from her excitement of winning the discus and refocus on the shot put. She had water covering her ankles in the throwing circle, but still managed a 36-foot, 8.75-inch throw to win the shot put. “It still hasn’t sunk in,” Sullivan said. “It’s funny because all these great things are happening and it’s still hard to think I’m a state champ. It’s slowly sinking in. “My dad (Keith Sullivan) and I were talking and he was saying how he wonders what I would have thrown if it wasn’t raining. I said, ‘It doesn’t matter. This is what I threw. This is what I did and I won.’ I’m proud of what I did in that moment.”
Treasure Coast junior sprinter Season bests: 12.44 seconds in the 100 meters (Sebastian River Sprints); 25.49 in the 200 (Walter Jshombach Memorial Invitational); 58.40 in the 400 (Region 3-4A) Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the 100, 200 and 400; fourth in Region 3-4A in the 100 and 400, 14th in Region 3-4A in the 200; 14th in Class 4A in the 400, 15th in Class 4A in the 100.
TAYLER SMITH
Sebastian River junior thrower Season bests: 129 feet, 7 inches in the discus (District 13-3A), 4-6 in the high jump (District 13-3A), 43-2 in the shot put (Bill Wilson Invitational) Postseason results: First in District 13-3A in the discus and shot put, sixth in District 13-3A in the high jump; fourth in Region 4-3A in the shot put, sixth in Region 4-3A in the discus; fourth in Class 3A in the shot put
JEYLAND VALENTIN
Vero Beach junior hurdler Season bests: 15.13 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles (Bulldog Showdown); 44.53 in the 300 hurdles (Region 3-4A) Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles; second in Region 3-4A in the 100 hurdles, third in Region 3-4A in the 300 hurdles; eighth in Class 4A in the 100 hurdles
CAITLYN WOOD
Jensen Beach junior sprinter/jumper Season bests: 28.71 seconds in the 200 meters (Martin County Championship Meet); 5 feet, 4 inches in the high jump (District 14-3A) Postseason results: First in District 14-3A in the high jump; fifth in Region 4-3A in the high jump Poll: Wood topped the TCPalm.com all-area readers poll with 62 percent of the votes.
NATALIE ZATZ
Vero Beach junior distance runner Season bests: 5 minutes, 51.21 seconds in the 1,600 meters (Walter Jshombach Memorial Invitational); 2:22.39 (Region 3-4A) in the 800 Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the 800; Fourth in Region 3-4A in the 800; 13th in Class 4A in the 800
Honorable Mention NATALIE BAUMGARTEN Lincoln Park freshman distance runner CHANYE EDWARDS Vero Beach junior thrower
KALIN GABBERT Sebastian River senior thrower/jumper KESHAWNA HOLMES Vero Beach senior thrower
TE’LEA JEFFERSON Sebastian River junior hurdler/jumper CHARITY JOSEPH Central sophomore jumper/ mid-distance
ALLISON KASTRUP Martin County senior thrower TIARA KING LPA sophomore hurdler JESSICA LAMOTHE Martin County senior jumper
TAYLOR MELNICOFF LPA seventh grade distance runner BREANNA MOORE Sebastian River senior jumper
MAKAYLA REYNOLDS Jensen Beach senior jumper ASHLY RODRIGUEZ Central soph. sprinter/jumper SARAH SHARFI The Pine School senior jumper