Class 1A State Track: Leah Martin-Gonzales, Jacob Panzarella, Nick Molloy win gold medals

Alex Martin, Naples Daily News
·3 min read

Southwest Florida saw three athletes capture four gold medals Wednesday at the Class 1A meet on the campus of the University of Florida.

St. John Neumann's Leah Martin-Gonzales won the long jump and 100 hurdles, denying Geneva School eighth-grader D'Asia Duncan of a state title.

CSN's Nick Molloy had no issues in the pole vault (4.80m), winning comfortably over second-place finisher Jonah Casey (4.35m) and capturing another gold medal.

First Baptist Academy track & field athlete, Jacob Panzarella poses for a portrait before competing in the Private 8 Championships at Evangelical Christian School.
First Baptist Academy track & field athlete, Jacob Panzarella poses for a portrait before competing in the Private 8 Championships at Evangelical Christian School.

First Baptist's Jacob Panzarella placed inside the top three in each of his individual events, taking home gold in the 200-meter dash, second place in the 400-meter dash, and third place in the 100-meter dash. Panzarella was .04 seconds out of first place in the 100 but defended his title in the 200.

Martin-Gonzales had three jumps of 5.19m, 5.18m, and 5.13m, putting her tied for sixth entering the final jump. She knew she had to put up a solid jump to win the long jump again.

"I was so happy, it was an amazing end to my high school career," Martin-Gonzales wrote in a text message. "And a great way to end a chapter in life."

St. John NeumannÕs Leah Martin-Gonzales wins the 100 hurdles at the Private 8 meet at ECS on Friday, April 8, 2022.
St. John NeumannÕs Leah Martin-Gonzales wins the 100 hurdles at the Private 8 meet at ECS on Friday, April 8, 2022.

The 100 hurdles was a two-horse race between Martin-Gonzales and Duncan early, as the senior bested the youngster and ran her best time in the 100 hurdles. She shattered her previous personal best of 14.50 seconds in last year's Class 1A state meet, clocking a time of 14.26. Duncan ran a 14.37.

"I was telling myself to stay calm and to run my own race," Martin-Gonzales wrote. "Attack one hurdle at a time and come out of the blocks strong. But mainly I was keeping myself calm because nobody ever does their best when they are freaking out."

FBA’s Hannah Casey had a solid meet overall, bringing home a second-place finish in the long jump behind Martin-Gonzales, while taking a third place finish in the 100 hurdles, and a fourth place finish in the 300 hurdles. She also finished fifth in the triple jump.

ECS’s McKenzie Travis wins the 100 at the Private 8 meet at ECS on Friday, April 8, 2022.
ECS’s McKenzie Travis wins the 100 at the Private 8 meet at ECS on Friday, April 8, 2022.

ECS standouts McKenzie Travis and Ava Povich both had respectable days, as Travis finished in second in the 100, while placing fourth in the 200. Povich took third in the 3200 and seventh in the 1600.

Neumann's Joshua Gulapa made the podium in his four events, placing second in the 110 hurdles, fourth in the 300 hurdles, fifth in the high jump, and seventh in the long jump. Fellow Celtic Connor Savenas placed third in the discus with a throw of 44.95m.

SFCA's Jacob Treesh was the lone individual finisher who made the podium for the King's, taking seventh in the javelin with a throw of 45.09m. Seacrest's Rebecca Weir finished third in the high jump, with a mark of 1.57m.

A year ago to the day, First Baptist senior Grace Dean was undergoing her third knee surgery. A year later she had podium finishes in the discus and javelin, where she finished fifth and eighth, respectively. She also set another school record in discus after breaking it last week, with a throw of 34.06m.

First Baptist Academy’s Grace Dean competes in the girls discus throw during the FHSAA Class 1A-Region 3 track and field meet, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at Community School of Naples in Naples, Fla.
First Baptist Academy’s Grace Dean competes in the girls discus throw during the FHSAA Class 1A-Region 3 track and field meet, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at Community School of Naples in Naples, Fla.

"I was on the way to states today, and from my memories I saw that a year ago today I had my third knee surgery and they told me I should stop playing sports and to me that was giving up on everything I have worked for," Dean wrote in a message. "I have worked so hard to be able to compete today, and to end the day with two medals was the best feeling.

"I couldn’t have asked for a better season after all the knee surgeries and PTs. I’m so happy that I could end my senior year with sports."

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 1A track: Leah Martin-Gonzales, Jacob Panzarella, Nick Molloy win gold