On  Wednesday, March 19^th, at approximately 10:00 in the morning, members of the Coral Gables Track and Field team took turns on the starting line at Traz Powell Stadium alongside about fifteen other teams in the South district of Miami to compete in the Greater Miami Athletic Conference (GMAC) South Qualifying Track and Field Meet. Keeping in mind that the top 8 competitors in each event qualify for the GMAC Track and Field Championship scheduled to take place on March 21^st, the speedy Cavaliers spent their bus ride on the way over to the meet in silence as they tuned out their surroundings and mentally prepared themselves for the nerve-racking meet.

South Dade, Coral Reef, Southridge, Ferguson, and many other schools attended the meet. All athletes were high on endorphins as they warmed up and stretched on the track in spirited team apparel. While this might sound extremely intimidating, Gables kept their cool and focused on the task at hand.

The meet kicked off with the girls’ 4×800 meter relay. Gables was represented by freshman Destyni Govan, freshman Alexis Clay, sophomore Kathryn Boylan, and freshman Annie Farrell. Together, they left behind the competition and finished in fifth place, qualifying them for the next Friday’s Championship. Their time for the whole relay was a short 11:08.95, which is very close to the school record.

“I’m really excited that our 4×8 qualified. It’s so cool that our relay team qualified as a whole,” said freshman Alexis Clay.

Next up were the field events. Sophomore Johnesha Ford and junior Kayla White both qualified in the girls’ long jump, taking 4^th and 5^th place, respectively. Senior Antiwone Johnson also did well in the boys’ long jump, coming in 5^th place. Gables had both a girl and boy qualify in the triple jump event. These star athletes were Destyni Govan and Kemore Gamble, both of which finished in 8^th place.

The Cavaliers proved their skill in the next events. Senior Gregory Howell came in 5^th place in the boys’ 100 meter dash, Kayla White completed the girls’ 200 meter dash and received 4^th place, sophomore Aliyah Gonzalez took 6^th place in the girls’ 400 meter dash, and senior Mario Montes qualified with 6^th place in the boys’ 200 meter dash.

“I’m thrilled that I qualified in the 200 meter dash,”  Montes said.

The girls’ 4×800 meter relay was not the only event with a lightning finish for Gables – the girls’ 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays finished with 3^rd and 7^th place. The 4x1oo team included Johnesha Ford, senior Quantanice Dawson, Kayla White, and junior Breonia Linder. The 4×400 team was made up of Destyni Govan, Quantanice Dawson, Aliyah Gonzalez and sophomore Bella Zelaya. The boys’ 4×100 team was also successful, coming in 3^rd place across the board. The boys team consisted of junior Donovan Brown, Gregory Howell, Antiwone Johnson, and Mario Montes.

This meet proved that Gables’s track team has what it takes to compete alongside some of the fastest high school runners in Miami. Next time you see a track team member walking the school hallways, applaud them, tell them good job, and wish them luck as they continue to “stride” to be #1.

For more results from the meet, visit http://www.directathletics.com/results/track/33701.html.