Suwannee track celebrated their eighth-straight district championship at the annual banquet Monday, May 9. The fellowship hall at Live Oak Church of God was filled to overflowing with parents, track athletes and faculty all there to honor Suwannee’s district championship boys and girls track teams. Both Suwannee track teams have won the track district championship every year since 1998 under the able coaching of Ron Hall now in his 30th year as head track coach.

Harrison Ambrose is the Suwannee girls track coach. Ambrose is in his seventh year as head girls’ coach. He praised his team for its district championship win and for being an international group. Suwannee’s girls track team boasted two Japanese foreign exchange students, a West German student, an East German student, a student from Brazil and a student from the Czech Republic. Not all of the foreign exchange students got to participate in competition because of paperwork difficulties, but all participated in practice and traveled with the team.

Hall opened the awards section of the banquet by honoring Suwannee’s long-time scorekeepers. Hall said he’d put the Suwannee time-keepers up against any modern computerized system. He praised Sandie O’Hare, Bonnie Crews and Ron Ceryak for always having the scores tabulated quickly and always being correct.

This year’s girls track and field team was enormous and young. There were no seniors on the team. The freshman participation was huge this year as was the sophomore contribution.

Freshman girls

Brittany Barclay qualified for state as a freshman in the pole vault. Barclay won the district championship as a member of the 4×400 meter relay and for the pole vault. Barclay was also a member of the district runner-up 4×100 team and participated in the long jump.

Rosemary Gavin ran the mile and the two mile race.

Suzanne Green ran the mile and was third at district in the two mile.

Tildra Howard threw the discus and was fifth at district in that event. Howard also threw the shot put.

Megan Jansen was third in the district in the 1600, ran the mile and won the district championship in the two mile.

Jasmine Jefferson was the district champ in the long jump, second at district in the triple jump and a member of the district championship 4×400 relay team.

Deana McMillian ran the 100 meter dash, the 200 and participated in the long jump.

Mattie Myers ran the 100 meter dash.

Jennifer Prevatt was a member of the district champion 4×800 relay team and ran the 800.

Monika Todd was a member of the district champion 4×800 and fourth at the district in the 100 meter hurdles.

Keedra Virgil threw the shot.

Cortney Benson was fifth at the district in the 100 meter hurdles, fifth in the 300 meter hurdles and a member of the championship 4×800 relay team.

Sophomore girls

Kelsey Bowen was a member of the district champion 4×400 relay team, district champ in the 400 meter dash and a member of the district runner-up 4×100 relay team.

Ashley Harris was district champ in the 100 meter hurdles and second at district in the 200 and the 300 meter hurdles.

Kelsey Henderson was a member of the championship 4×800 meter relay team and ran the individual 800.

Toi Herring was injured for the first part of the year from her cheerleading. Herring was fourth at districts in the 400 meter dash, a member of the district champion 4×400 relay team and the runner-up 4×100 relay team.

Lovee Hunter ran the 100 meter dash and the 200.

Amelia Kurtz was district champion in the 300 meter hurdles and third at district in the 100 meter hurdles.

Katie Prevatt competed in the high jump and the 400.

Dominique Reed was sixth in the district in the 200 meter dash.

Erin Russell was sixth in the district in the long jump.

Cindy Ward was a sprinter.

Junior girls

Marieke Ahlers competed in the triple jump.

Alex Camunas placed third at district in the discus.

Gwennette Demps placed third at districts in the 100 meter dash was a member of the runner-up 4×100 team and the district championship 4×400 team.

Sara Dunaway was a member of the district champ 4×800 relay team, and 4×400 relay team and placed third in the 800.

Zena Hunter was district runner-up in the shot put and the discus.

LaQuisha Johnson was sixth at district in the 100.

Reneshia Johnson was fourth at district in the triple jump and competed in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dash.

Ulrike Pohle was fifth in the district in the high jump and ran the 300 meter hurdles.

Ashley Rose was runner-up at district in the high jump and third in the triple jump.

Danielle Smith was district champ in the shot put and the discus.

Lacy Smith was fifth at district in the shot put.

Ashley Virgil ran the 100 meter dash, the 200 and the long jump.

Yui Tanimoto and Maasa Yoshida couldn’t compete but supported the team.

Freshman Boys

Gaylon Caldwell threw the shot.

La’Tarus Haynes was a sprinter and competed in the long jump.

Markese Hunter was sixth in the district in the long jump.

Michael Kelly ran the mile and the 800.

Clay Kinard was a sprinter.

Robert Roach ran distance events.

Zahir Roberts was a distance runner.

Chris Tillman threw the shot.

Caleb Wynn was a distance runner.

Jarrett Yulee was a sprinter.

Sophomore boys

Cullen Boggus was a member of the 4×800 district championship team, ran the 800 and is a 4.0 GPA student.

Corey Bridges ran the one and two mile.

Brandon Cook competed in the pole vault.

Cody Howard threw the shot.

Josh Jones was fourth at district in the two mile, ran the 800 and the mile.

Junior boys

Hank Broxey threw the shot.

Marc Broxey was a member of the 4×100 meter relay and ran the 100 meter dash.

J.D. Hales was a member of the championship 4×400 relay team and the 4×800 relay team.

Chad Hardin threw the discus.

Tyler Harris ran the 800.

Mario Hawthorne was Suwannee’s fastest man in the 100 meter dash.

Jeremy Holmes placed fourth at district in the 300 meter hurdles.

Chris Jackson was a member of the championship 4×400 relay team.

Clint Kinard ran the 300 meter hurdles.

Salvador Mendoza ran the 800, was second in the district in the mile.

Derek Philpot ran the 400.

Eric polite ran the 800 and the mile.

Kenneth Smith competed in the high jump.

Michael Tillison threw the discus and placed at district.

Michael Wright threw the shot and the discus.

senior boys

Delwyn Allen participate din the long jump.

Nick Beck qualified for regionals with a fourth place in the discus at districts.

Matt Carver ran the one and two mile.

Patrick Cherry qualified for regionals with a fourth in the district.

Phillip Clark was the district champion in the 400 and placed third at regionals. Clark went to state where he placed ninth.

Renard Fleming ran the 10 and 200 meter dash.

Rashard Fleming was a member of the 4×400 district champion relay team.

Jason Hale ran the 800 and the 4×800 relay.

Bruce Johnson was second at state in the 110 high hurdles, qualified for state in the long jump and the 200 meter dash.

Roger Kemp ran distance.

Quaramos Ross competed in the long jump and the triple jump.

Seth Shaw threw the discus.

The final event of the banquet was the awarding of the Charlie Crews Outstanding Senior Athlete Award. This year’s award was only presented to a member of the boys team because there were no senior girls. Bruce Johnson received this year’s award. Johnson has set five school records during his track career at Suwannee High. Johnson has the record for 110 high hurdles, the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.5, the 200 meter dash with a time of 21.97, and as a member of the 4×100 last year and the 4×400. Johnson will attend the University of Miami next year on a full football scholarship.

“Bruce makes you a great coach,” Hall said. “He works hard and he is going to be a great success.”

Janet Schrader-Seccafico may be reached by calling 1/386/362-1734 ext. 134 or by e-mail at janet.schrader@gaflnews.com.