Park Vista boys, Palm Beach Lakes girls win Palm Beach County track titles

Friday, April 10, 2009
by Cristina Ledra

Dwyer's Junior Cadet and Palm Beach Lakes' Eddie Lovett and Emarkis Gunn were fighting for the same titles in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and in the triple jump Thursday's Dick Melear Palm Beach County Championships at Cardinal Newman.

They all came away with a share of the top places, but none was closer than the 110-meter hurdles.

Lovett won the race by two-hundredths of a second with a time of 14.72. Cadet came in second at 14.74. Gunn was third at 14.77.

"When we came out of the blocks, Emarkis and I were determined that we would go one and two," Lovett said. "Cadet was right next to me and so I just came out as hard as I could. He was right there and then Emarkis kind of fell back, at the last hurdle and I knew I had to finish. He got us at conference so we had to get him back."

Cadet won the triple jump (45 feet, 11.5 inches) and the 300 hurdles (38.15) but was disappointed he didn't win all three of his events.

"I knew I had to redeem myself in the 300, so I did," Cadet said. "His (Lovett's) arm just kept coming back. But I think it would have helped if I didn't lean after the first hurdle."

Lovett was third in the 300 hurdles (40.36) and second in the triple jump (45-2.). Gunn placed second in the 300 hurdles (40.14) and fifth in the triple jump (43-0).

Park Vista captured the boys title for the third year in a row, easily outdistancing runner-up Dwyer. Jonas Elusme won the high jump (6-4), Sean Zuppke won the pole vault (14-0), and Matthew Wadford won the 800 (1:59.54) for the Cobras. Park Vista also won the 3,200-meter relay (8:21.23).

Suncoast's Tony McQuay was the boys MVP with wins in the 100 (10.77) and 200 (21.97) and 400 (48.68).

Reclaiming the girls county title was Palm Beach Lakes, edging Park Vista by one point. Albreynia Walker took home titles in the 100 (12.41) and 200 (25.49) sprints and Dazia Tucker won the 300 hurdles (44.58) for the Rams. Lakes also won the 1,600-meter relay (4:02.70).

Pope John Paul II sophomore Stephanie Schappert was named the MVP of the girls meet. She won the 1,600-meter run by more than eight seconds in 5:12.61 and also won the 800 in 2:15.72.