Fort Walton Beach High School made an impressive mark at the 3A FHSAA Outdoor State Finals 2023 Track and Field Competition held at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, FL, from May 17-20, 2023. With 11 athletes participating in this high-stakes competition, the school amassed an impressive tally of 11 medals.

Sophomore Makala Sims clinched the second position in the Javelin with an impressive throw of 114’-08”. Her performance was one of the key highlights of the competition, securing her the silver medal in this highly competitive category. Not too far behind in terms of accolades was Brooke Hawkins, another runner-up state champion, who excelled in the high jump, clearing a height of 5’3 3/4”.

• Grace Hebson demonstrated her strong middle-distance prowess by securing 7th in the 800m run with a commendable time of 2:18.75. 
• The girls’ performance was further boosted with the Girls 4×800 relay team, including Reece Knowlton, Martha Curtis, Belicia O’Grady, and Grace Hebson, achieving 7th place with a time of 9:38.21.

The boys’ performance was equally stirring. The boys 4×800 relay team, including Luke Endt, Connor Rising, Jackson Light, and Grant Chastain, outperformed every other local area team in this category to secure the 6th position with a solid time of 8:04.75.

Despite these achievements, the Viking athletes also competed valiantly in other events. Brooke Hawkins marked her versatility by also competing in the triple jump and the long jump, with distances of 37’-00.5” and 16’-10.50” respectively. Similarly, Yasmin Lott threw the javelin to a distance of 96’-02”, while Luke Endt completed the 800m in 2:02.06, and Grant Chastain ran the grueling 3200m in 9:50.62.

The impressive performances of the athletes were best summed up by Coach Lissette Fields, who said, “Having 11 athletes compete and 10 earn medals is a display of their hard work. These athletes added another chapter of excellence our program has been known for over the last 20 years!”