Nelson, Briley snag national track titles

By Randy Lefko

Posted 7/20/17

KISSIMMEE - Oakleaf High has two national track champions after steeplechaser Dylan Nelson and triple jumper Melvin Briley both won their specialties at the AAU National Club Track and Field …

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Nelson, Briley snag national track titles

Oakleaf High junior Dylan Nelson took first place in the 2,000 meter steeplechase on Friday at the AAU National Club Track and Field Championships in Kissimmee at the ESPN Wide World of Sports track arena. Nelson won in 6:44.10 with second place in at 7:04.62.

Oakleaf High senior Melvin Briley won the triple jump with a leap of 49 feet, three inches to become the AAU National Club Track and Field Champion for the event Friday at the AAU National Club Track and Field Championships in Kissimmee at the ESPN Wide World of Sports track arena. In May, Briley won the Class 4A triple jump title for Oakleaf High School. Second place was at 47’-9.5”.

Posted Wednesday, July 19, 2017 12:00 pm

By Randy Lefko

KISSIMMEE - Oakleaf High has two national track champions after steeplechaser Dylan Nelson and triple jumper Melvin Briley both won their specialties at the AAU National Club Track and Field Championships held last week at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee.

Nelson, a junior and a member of the Kings Track club coached by Merlin Smith, a coach at Oakleaf Junior High, won the 2K steeplechase with a time of six minutes, 44.10 seconds with the runnerup in at 7:04.62 in a runaway victory. Nelson stayed in the lead pack for the first two laps before running alone for the final mile. His first mile of the 1.4 mile race was in 5:17.

Nelson, a cross country and track runner at Oakleaf High, also took 20th in the 1500 and 10th in the 3,000 meter races.

Briley, a Class 4A champion in the triple jump also with the Kings Club, continued his explosive jumping with a 49-foot, 3-inch winning leap. Briley jumped 49’-7.5” to win the Class 4A title in May.

Other area athletes who participated with the First Coast Track Club coached by James May included a 4 x 400 relay squad comprised of Matthew Koziolek (Ridgeview High), Justin Mckee (Episcopal High), Jett Isley (St. Johns Country Day School) and Corey McDaniels (St. Johns Country Day School) ran 3:48.82 and took the bronze medal.

In the 17-18 boys 4 x 400, running for First Coast were Fleming Island High graduates Cameron Dill and Spencer Shaw with teammate Felipe Fernandez and Corey McDaniels to take sixth in 3:39.18 with the winners at 3:20.46, a new meet record.

Jayden Scherer, an incoming freshman at Fleming Island High, took third in the 3,000 in 10:15 with the winner at 9:54 and seventh in the 1500 in 4:43 with the winner at 4:25 for 14-Under boys with Marisa Kortright, a freshman at Ridgeview, taking second in the 3,000 at 11:55 with the winner at 11:43 and eighth in the 1500 in 5:20 for girls 15-16 years old.

Orange Park Junior High eighth grader Mei Chiang took fifth in the 3,000 in 11:04 and sixth in the 1500 in 5:06 with the winner at 4:49 for girls 13-14 years old.

Shawn Floyd, a Wilkinson eighth grader, took fourth in the discus with Haley Robinson, a sixth grader at Dr. Inlet Elementary, taking sixth in the long jump for girls 11-12.

Harrison Robinson, an eighth grader at Lake Asbury Junior High, took fifth in the triple jump at 35’-7”.

In the 15-16 girls, Fleming Island High’s Camilla May took sixth in the javelin at 98’-7”.