Mikaela Smith (upper left), Sofia Swindell (lower left), and Michelle Smith, right. Photo Credit: THE V.I. TRACK AND FIELD FEDERATION.
Several U.S. Virgin Islands track and field athletes recently participated in races on the U.S. mainland where they took home gold, with one of the athletes setting a new national high school record, according to the V.I. Track and Field Federation.
St. Croix Track Club athlete Michelle Smith, a high school sophomore at Montverde Academy, became a Florida State champion after competing in and winning the 300m Hurdles during the Florida 2A State Championships on May 12.
Smith ran a new USVI record of 41.56, a time that also made her the fastest high school sophomore in the 300m Hurdles in the United States, the federation said.
Smith also won a bronze medal in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 14.23 — just off her V.I. National Junior record of 14.19.
Elsewhere, Mikaela Smith, a recent graduate of Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, competed in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship from May 11-13, and won her heat of the 800m in 2:12.66 to advance to the final. Smith also won a silver medal in the final of the 800m in a time of 2:11.49.
Additionally, Sofia Swindell, a freshman at the Lawrenceville School who competed in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Outdoor Championships on May 14, won her prelim in the 100m Hurdles in a time of 15.67 seconds to advance to the final. In the final of the 100mH, Swindell finished 1st in a time of 15.75. Swindell also finished 1st in the Triple Jump with a personal record of 36 feet and 9 inches.
