GAINESVILLE - Both Arianna Eason, triple jumper for Oakleaf High School, and Mychaela Parker, basketball center for Orange Park High School, have other sports to worry about in their spare time, but the talented duo rose to the near top of the state track world with top three finishes in the Class 4A and Class 3A track and field championships held in Gainesville last week at the University of Florida.

Eason, a senior, has used her swift, muscular body to power up for the Oakleaf High weightlifting team while Parker, a six foot plus, power center for the region finalist Lady Raiders basketball team, uses her immense size with a spattering of athleticism to dominate the paint for her Lady Raiders hoops team that finished in their region championship game this season.

At track, Eason finished second in the Class 4A triple jump on Saturday while, on Friday, Parker unleashed her best shot put on her first throw to hold on to third in the Class 3A championships.

Parker was a district 3-3A champion last year as a freshman with a 33’-5.75” winning put and a seventh place region finish at 33’-1.75” that improved this year to her bronze medal at 40’-11.5” with the winning put at 44’-6.25” from Countryside High senior Johntavia Shaw.

Eason, fourth in 2021 in triple jump, closed out her track career with a 38’-8.25” jump for silver with the top jump at 39’-10.75”. Eason also unloaded her best jump on her opening attempt. Eason’s personal best triple jump was a 39’-5.75” set at the district 2-4A championships two weeks ago. Eason was a district and region champion.

Also in the Class 3A and 4A championships, Fleming Island, in 3A, got a fifth in high jump from Antoine Sandy at 6’-1.5”, a 16th in the 800 by Katie Thompson in 2:22.62, a ninth by the boys 4 x 800 in 8:07.59, an eighth in girls triple jump from Maliyah Deas at 36’-3”, a 16th in the 4 x 800 girls relay, and an eighth in the 3200 from John Keester IV in 9:32.56.

For Middleburg’s discus sibling duo of Wyatt and Madison Underwood, the pair finished 10th in discus (Madison in 114’-11”) and seventh (Wyatt at 151’-4”).

For the Raiders, in 3A, Samantha Mitchell was ninth in high jump at 5’-1.75”, Josiah Sabino was ninth in triple jump at 44’-1.25”, the boys 4 x 100 was 15h and the boys 4 x 400 was 10th.

For Ridgeview, in 3A, high jumper Zoe Whaley was fifth at 5’-3.75”, triple jumper Olivia Gaines was 16th at 33’-5.75” and 800 meter specialist Blythe Duchene was 15th at 2:22.49.

For Oakleaf, in 4A, boys shotputter Jordan Mitchell finished seventh at 51’-1.5” while distance runner Sierra Barrera battled to an eighth in the 800 at 2:17.69 and a 10th place in the 1600 in 5:16.10, both school bests, high jumper Sydney Brown was ninth at 4”-11.75”, discus thrower Adrionna Coleman was eighth at 121’-09”, hurdler Keira Smalls was 13th in the 100 hurdles and the girls 4 x 100 was 11th.

In Class 2A, on Thursday, Keystone Heights discus and shotputter Caleb Moncrief finished seventh in discus at 142’-4” and 12th at shotput at 46’-1.25”.