Track

WMS track team is having great year

Adam Pfeifer running the 1600m.


Destinee Avery in the 100m Hurdle.


Holden Stroud, throwing shotput.

By SAMANTHA ISAACS WMS Coach

The Wakulla Middle School Wildcats are truly showing up to show off this year. Following an astounding season of success in 2022 with 9 FLYRA State Qualified athletes and 8 new school records, the new group of Wildcat Track & Field athletes are rising to that challenge.
Wakulla traveled to FSUS to attend the 2023 Sunshine Track Officials Middle School Invitational meet on Saturday. Come rain or shine (and there was both!), the athletes were ready to compete.
Coming out of the gate strong in the field events, we saw 8th grader Makiya Cash qualify for the 2nd year in a row on Triple Jump with a beautiful jump of 30’8.7”, she placed 3rd overall, and also brought in 2nd place on the Long Jump with a 13’7” leap. Destinee Avery followed right behind in 3rd place. Arianna Manning and London Waymon placing 5th and 8th, respectively, in the girls Triple Jump. On the boys pit, 8th graders Jaylen Jones, Adam Pfeifer, and David Whitaker took in the top 10 spots. Jaylen in 1st with an impressive 18’7” jump. David coming in 7th and Adam in 10th place overall. Following with the Triple Jump was Jaylen Jones in 4th and David Whitaker in 5th, Anthony Vargas not far behind placing 11th.
Seeing some impressive distances at the sand pit was nothing compared to the throwing cage where Jacob Kinsey brought in 6th and 7th place in the Shotput and Discus with throws of 35 and 86-feet, respectively. For our girls, 8th grader Sian Garrett brough home 4th in shot put while Madison Varnes (8th grade) came 2nd and 4th in Discus and Shotput. Madison is the new record holder for WMS in the Discus with a throw of 74’5”. Heaven Taylor, a seasoned thrower, placed 4th and 8th in the Discus and Shotput.
Our running events started in the cool breeze and light showers of the day, but we finished strong in the sunshine!

• Danny Godbolt – 8th grade, placing 4th in the 100m dash at 12seconds
• Trace Callaghan – 6th grade, placed 6th in the 100m dash at 12.3seconds
• Jayden Jean – 8th grade, placed 7th in the 200m in 26seconds
• Adam Pfeifer – 8th grade, placed 6th in the 1mi at 5:42
• Corbin Ferreira – 8th grade, placed 6th in the 3200m in 14:10
• Aries Travis – 8th grade, placed 8th in the 200m Hurdles in 32.27
• Arianna Manning – 8th grade, placed 7th in the 100m dash in 13.96seconds
• Destinee Avery – 8th grade, placed 8th in the 100m Hurdle in 21.68 seconds
• London Waymon – 8th grade, placed 7th in the 200m Hurdle in 37sec flat

“We have some amazing talent in our 8th grade group and it’s definitely going to be hard to let these guys go, just as it was for last years group. I see the potential in our 6th and 7th grade athletes though and I sincerely hope they all come back next season and show us what they have,” says Coach Isaacs, “I’m just really proud of the work these kids have put in and the work they continue to do. I’m watching the 6th graders to see if they are paying attention, because this will be them one day. It will be their names on the boards and on the awards. There are lessons about hard-work, determination, goal-setting, and effort being silently taught on the track and I want to encourage anyone who comes out to set their bar high.”

State Qualified Athletes this year include:
Trace Callaghan – 4x100 Relay Team
Makiya Cash – Shot put and Triple Jump
Danny Godbolt – 4x100 Relay and Long Jump
Brandon Hayes – 4x100 Relay
Jayden Jean – Triple Jump and Long Jump
Jaylen Jones – Triple Jump and High Jump
Aries Travis – 4x100 Relay
David Whitaker – Triple Jump
New school records are now held by
Madison Varnes – Discus – 74’5”
D Godbolt, B Hayes, J Jean, A Vargas – 4x400m Relay – 4:01.9sec

See the Wildcats in action for yourself on Wednesday, April 5th at Wakulla High as they compete to hold on to the title of Big Bend Champions!