* Over the next two weeks, we'll be looking back at some of the strongest performances from the Florida State Track and Field Championships in 2019. On April 20, the FHSAA officially canceled the spring championships. This year's state event was originally set for May 13-16 across two locations in Gainesville.
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Alyssa Hendrix wasn't going to wait any longer.
After the Riverview (FL) High School junior cooly found her rhythm over the first lap of the FHSAA Class 4A 1,600m Championship final a year ago, coming through in seventh place, she decided at 550 meters to make a move on the field.
No more of this slow pace.
Hendrix raised the intensity firmly over the next lap, then began to slolwy gap her competitors until only one was left, HB Plant freshman Mary Ellen Eudaly.
While Hendrix couldn't evade Eudaly, she also made a critical decision on the final straightaway.
Not waiting for the freshman to make her final move, Hendrix's instinct led her to make her final push, gapping a last-ditch effort from Eudaly.
The win marked Hendrix's first at Florida's state championships, and it was one of two on the weekend. Later, she would win the Class 4A 3,200m race as well.
FHSAA Class 4A Girls 1,600m Championship Final
4A GIRLS 1600 METER RUN FINALSPLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Alyssa Hendrix 11 Riverview HS 4:53.70 1 2 Mary Ellen Eudaly 9 HB Plant HS 4:54.54 1 3 Jordan Shapiro 11 Miami Palmetto HS 5:00.17 1 4 Alicia Ruiz 10 George Jenkins HS 5:01.25 1 5 Rylee Pustilnik 11 Spanish River HS 5:03.54 1 6 Krystal Rodriguez 10 Coral Reef HS 5:03.70 1 7 Ashley Klingenberg 11 Lake Brantley HS 5:03.89 1 8 Mya Bodrato 10 Lake Mary HS 5:04.64 1
Retrospective: Hendrix, Florida's Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year in 2019, won't get a chance to defend her Class 4A titles after Florida canceled its spring season. But in February she opened up her season with a few easy races, and then did something impressive: She posted her first outdoor track 5K at the University of Tampa, going 16:53.76. That time, the fastest ever run in February, will finish the year US No. 1 and will go down as the No. 75 fastest girls 5K in high school history. Hendrix has signed with NC State University, where she will join the Wolfpack's best women's recruiting class ever, one that includes Katelyn Tuohy, Marlee Starliper, Claire Walters and Jenna Schulz.
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