Navarre leads area contingent at Region 1-3A track meet

Staff Reports

Navarre's track teams will be very well represented in the season's final championship meet.

But the Raiders won't be the only ones there, as Choctawhatchee, Crestview and Fort Walton Beach also qualified athletes out of the Region 1-3A meet on Thursday at Tallahassee Chiles.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for the Class 3A state meet, which is May 2 at Winter Park.

Navarre's boys qualified athletes in six different events. The 4x800 relay team - consisting of Hunter Boykin, Hamilton Boykin, Chase Day and Zak Boston - finished first in a time of 8:06. Hamilton Boykin also won the 800, crossing the line in 1:56. Defending state discus champion Joey Torres qualified with a second-place finish, while Hunter Boykin was the runner-up in the 1,600-meter run. Boston qualified in the 1,600 as well, while Josh Nicdao made it in the 300-meter hurdles by taking third and the 4x400 team took fourth.

On the other side, Jearim Craig qualified in both the pole vault and 400-meter dash, while Brittany Willis took third in the 200. The team's 4x800 and 4x400 teams also qualified.

Lauren Day qualified in fourth in the 3,200-meter run and will be Crestview's lone representative at the state meet.

Fort Walton Beach has two competitors in the shot put, with Akeem Spence taking second for the boys and Courtney Barnes taking third on the girls' side.

Choctaw's Valerie Dixon was fourth in the 800 to advance, while Trent Williams was third in the boys high jump to move on.