“I started running the 800, so I was a part of the 4×800, and we won by six seconds,” Bullard said. She placed fifth in the 400 dash during the Covid season in 2020. She didn’t run last season due to a broken toe and getting sick prior to the season. The Buc’s 4×800 girls’ relay team, composed of senior Sophia Buller, eighth-grader Isabelle Downey, freshman Sofia Balistreri, and senior Keira Hodum smashed its school record to win a state title in 9:19.68.īuller, a Clemson commit, took second in the 400-meter hurdles (1:03.68) after picking up the event for the first time this year. Both the 4X100 and 4×400 relay teams were third.īerean Christian senior Tajauni Elliott finished second in the 400 dash and fourth in the 200.īenjamin’s girls also performed well finishing 13th this year with 20 points after placing 43rd a year ago with one point. Other top performers for Benjamin in the meet included junior Josh Ruiz (third in the 110-hurdles fifth in the 400-hurdles) senior Micah Mays (third in 400-meters, sixth in the triple jump) junior Robert Letshe (third in the pole vault), senior Darrell Sweeting (second in triple jump) sophomore Amaree Williams (fifth in the high jump) junior Jacob Cosby-Mosley (fifth in the 110 hurdles) senior Quinn Broderick (third in the javelin). Winning states again as a team was our goal, especially after winning it last year.” “There were a couple of things I probably could have fixed which would put me up there. “I was really aiming for first in the 100,” Grande said. “This is probably one of the best moments of my life.” The good news was that his entire team came back and cheered him on during the competition. “I knew this team had a chance to win states again,” added Hamilton, who had to throw discus a day later when inclement weather forced the meet to go an extra day when it ran past midnight. “I really started lifting heavy these past few months. He improved by 3 meters in the shot put and a whopping 9 meters in the discus. “I improved my strength this year,” said Hamilton, who finished seventh in the discus at last year’s state championships and 16th in the shot put. The Lions, which fell by two points in last year’s boys’ competition, had six individual state champions this year. Hamilton, the lone Bucs athlete to win an individual state championship, threw personal bests of 51 feet, 6-1/2 inches (shot put) and 168 feet, 1 inch (discus) to help Benjamin (91.50 points) outlast runner-up Chaminade-Madonna (77 points) for a second straight year.

Benjamin junior Jackson Hamilton saved his best for last as he won both the shot put and discus with personal-best throws to help the Buccaneers successfully defend the boys’ team title at the Class 1A FHSAA state championships at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

Four past midnight first edition