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Teammates Change Roles

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By BILL WARD

wward@tampatrib.com

Published: March 24, 2009

The question Hillsborough High junior Terrence "T-Rex" Mitchell keeps hearing from other track athletes this season is, "Where's Hillsborough's 4x100 relay?"

Last season, that relay was one of one of the Terriers' signature events. But in hopes of taking another crack at the Class 3A state title, Mitchell and teammate Lindsey Lamar have taken on other roles and given up their spots on the relay.

In Mitchell's case, it's the 300-meter hurdles and triple jump, two events he had never done before this season. Lamar, meanwhile, has added the 400 to his repertoire.

That may not sound like a difficult task for either athlete, but when you consider there is qualifying rounds in the 300 hurdles and 400, it can make for a long day. Lamar, who also competes in the 100 and 200, is now looking at six races at the district, region and state meets. Mitchell will be forced to go straight from the long jump to the triple, then to the preliminaries of the 300.

How do they feel about their new roles?

"I feel real tired by the end of the meet," Mitchell said after Saturday's Elite Running Invitational, where he earned MVP honors for winning the long and triple jumps, the 300 hurdles and finishing third in the 100. "But I'm doing this for our team. This is our best shot at winning state."

WHITE CRACKS TOP 10: Tampa Bay Tech junior LaShae White is already approaching the times she ran last season to earn the silver medal in the 400 at the 3A state finals. At Saturday's Elite Running Invitational, she ran 57.34 to rank among the state's top 10 marks in the event.

Last year, White ran 56.51 at the state finals, about two seconds behind winner Lanie Whittaker of Miami Washington. The state leader this spring is defending 4A state champ Ebony Eutsey of Miami Southridge with her sizzling 53.36. Whitaker is No. 5 at 56.38 and White is tied for eighth.

LOCALS AT BOB HAYES: While the majority of the county competed at Gaither's Elite Running Invitational, a few teams went north to Jacksonville for the Bob Hayes Invitational. For the county, the highlights were first-place finishes by Jesuit's Jordan Schilit in the 3,200 (9:44.25) and Freedom's Trent Wiseman in the pole vault (13 feet). Jesuit's foursome of Logan Trimble, Mike McEnany, Blake Lopez and Schilit also earned a second in the 3,200 relay (8:17.41) and Freedom's Perri Rothenberg was the silver medalist in the girls vault (9-0).

Taking thirds at Bob Hayes were Sickles' Bianca Morrison (triple jump, 36-5) and Jesuit's Blake Lopez (1,600, 4:46.30).

COMING UP: Today at Jefferson, Armwood and Spoto, the Western Conference Divisional meets will be staged. These three meets are qualifiers for next week's Vernon Korhn Hillsborough County Championships.

The top four finishers in each final at each meet, plus the next four best marks from across the three meets, advance to the championships. Action begins at 1 p.m. with field events and the 4x800, prelims are at 3 and finals start at 5.

Reporter Bill Ward can be reached at (813) 259-7456.

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