Wekiva’s track and field team delivered some incredible performances Saturday, producing multiple state qualifiers, a runner-up, and a first-place finish in the Class 4A Regional Championships at Seminole High School. 

Led by standout individual efforts and a dominant relay showing, the Mustangs qualified three athletes and their girls 4×100 relay team for the state meet while scoring 55 points to place second overall in the region. 

Tamea Foster started and headlined the day with a commanding performance in the girls long jump. The junior captured first place with a leap of 5.72 meters, finishing 0.23 meters ahead of the field and securing her spot at states. 

“I was so hyped,” Foster said. “After districts I was a little in my head because I was kinda far from what won our district, so I knew I had to jump something big today. I prayed a lot and just trusted my training through the week, and it all paid off.” 

Foster said her focus now shifts to fine-tuning her technique ahead of the final meet. 

“I’ll definitely be working on my hills because that’s something I tend to mess up on, but a lot of praying and more trusting the process,” she said. 

Te’Ariel Harley continued her breakout season with a dominant all-around performance, qualifying for multiple events and nearly winning another gold. 

The sophomore placed second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.23 seconds, earning a state berth. She followed that with another runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking a personal-record time of 1:01.98 and missing first place by just 0.01 seconds.  

“Today felt really good,” Harley said. “I worked real hard for this all year, and last year I got injured, but I came back this year.” 

Harley said her focus heading into states will be on her starts and continuing to improve her times. 

“This week I’m gonna focus on getting my starts together,” she said. “I just PR’d in the 400, but in the 100 hurdles I do want to go 13.9, so that’s a main goal.” 

Wekiva’s girls 4×100 relay team also punched its ticket to states in impressive fashion. The quartet of Akira Wise, Te’Ariel Harley, Nevaeh Medley and Soriah Hicks finished first in their heat with a time of 46.75 seconds, continuing a dominant season for the group. 

Coach Tony Harley credited the team’s preparation and resilience, especially with the challenges surrounding the meet. 

“I’m proud of each and every one of them,” he said. “It took a lot of work, a lot of perseverance, just pushing through even with the weather and the delay. They did not give up. They put in the work in practice during the week, and it showed out here.” 

The Mustangs also saw strong performances across multiple sprint events. 

In the girls 100-meter dash, freshman Akira Wise (12.39) and senior Soriah Hicks (12.15) placed sixth and seventh overall, respectively, while both also scored in the 200-meter dash. Wise finished fourth overall with a time of 24.81, and Hicks placed sixth at 24.84. 

Junior Bakary Manley narrowly missed scoring in the boys 100-meter dash, finishing just 0.01 seconds outside of the top eight. He also competed in the 200-meter dash, while Jakarri Bellamy Jr. made it to the competition but did not compete. 

In relay action, the girls 4×400 team of Soriah Hicks, Xia Scott, Ceebreya Hicks and Wise placed third with a time of 3:54.96, while the boys 4×100 and 4×400 teams also contributed points with top-eight performances against a competitive region. 

Coach Donette Taylor praised the collective effort from both the girls and boys teams. 

“I am so proud of my girls, and I know this is my first year coaching the boys, but I think they’ve come together and have done an amazing job,” Taylor said. “I’m just proud to be the coach of Wekiva High School track, and I know they’re all going to do great at states.” 

She also highlighted Harley’s standout performance. 

“Oh, my goodness, Te’Ariel crushed those 400 hurdles,” Taylor said. “That time was amazing, and I think that qualifies her for the New Balance Outdoor. She just did amazing along with the rest of the girls.” 

Additional contributions came from athletes like Kimbilly Esteril, who cleared 1.77 meters in the boys high jump, and Khai Orr, who placed sixth in the boys 400-meter dash with a time of 50.38. 

Wekiva’s depth and consistency across events fueled another complete team performance. 

“We don’t expect to come in first in every event,” Coach Harley said. “But we do expect them to give it their all, and they did. We’ve got some state qualifiers to show for it, and I’m proud of each and every one of them.” 

With momentum on their side and multiple athletes advancing, the Mustangs now turn their attention to the state championships in Jacksonville, where they’ll look to cap off a strong season. 

“We’re just going to work on perfecting our craft,” Harley said. “This is the final meet of the season, so you’ve got to put it all together now.”