Track Is At Hand

The 2023 outdoor track and field season toes the line this Saturday at Dunbar High School.  More than a dozen Lee County distance runners could be eyeing podium spots when the high school season wraps up in mid-May at the State Championships.  One athlete stands ready to carve her name into the annals of one of the county's all time greats.

We'll start with Ava Povich of ECS.  Her progression to her senior campaign has been one of constant improvement.  Povich dipped her toes into the blink of an eye indoor season that unfurled over the last couple of weeks winning the State Indoor at 3,000 meters in 10:01.  By the numbers that would be an improvement of her 3200 PR of 10:53.38 by about ten seconds.

Povich stands ready to do some things few girls in Lee County have ever done.  She should break 10:40 for the 3200.  She should break 5 minutes for the 1600.  My hope for Ava is that she finds a fast race and become the first Lee County girl under 10:30 for the 3200.  Given her unbelievable strength I can see it happening.

The only girl capable of giving Povich a real race in Lee County is Bishop Verot's Mackenzie De Lisle.  The super sophomore should join Povich in the sub 11 club over 3200 meters.  De Lisle is on the cusp of breaking 5 minutes for the 1600.  Any match up between these two should be epic.

A third senior could slip under 11 minutes by seasons end.  Canterbury's Gabriella Santucci ran 11:27.47 last spring.  Dropping 30 seconds is a big ask but given the amount of competition Santucci will face week in and week out, a big PR wouldn't surprise me.

Other girls to watch this spring in distances from 800 to 3200 are Jazlyn Forbes of Oasis, Bishop Verot's Kylie Thomas, Lehigh's Gianna Del Pizzo, South Fort Myers' Sophia Torres and Giana D'Altrui and Masha Dorofeev from Fort Myers.  

The boys side of the equations is equally impressive.  Bishop Verot has two middle distance standouts in Cooper Banks, 1:55.6 and Grayson Tubbs, 1:57.9.  Tubbs will also be a force at 1600 and could break 4:20.

The best returning 1600 runner is Fort Myers junior Joseph Koraya who ran 4:21.36 last spring.  Following a stellar cross country season Koraya is on pace to break 4:15 this spring.  He'll get pushed in practice by 3200 standout Junior Allard and 800 meter stud Timmy Schultz.

Cape Coral has two top tier 3200 runners in Declan Ziomek and William Canales.  Ziomek has a real shot at running sub 9:30 this spring.  Canales shouldn't be too far behind.

Finally SFCA senior Hayden Tank should re-write the school records he set last spring.  Tank ran 4:33.55 and 9:42.68.  Sub 4:25 and low 9:30 are well within his wheelhouse.