Palmetto's Azavion Smith qualifies for two state track events
PUNTA GORDA -- Azavion Smith's previous run through the postseason gave him his first taste of the state meet, even if it wasn't the experience he hoped for through most of the season. The Palmetto sprinter was in position to make a push for the Class 3A final in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes until an ankle injury before the district meet forced him out of the 200.
On Thursday in Punta Gorda, the senior finally got his two.
Smith finished third in the 100 at the Class 3A-Region 3 meet at the Wallace Keller Sports Complex and added a second-place finish in the 200 to become Manatee County's only athlete to qualify for the 3A championship in multiple events.
"I did a lot better -- not in the hundred as I wanted to this year -- but, overall, I think I did better than last year," Smith said.
Smith will be joined May 6 in Bradenton by teammate Elizabeth Atkinson, who finished second in the discus. Braden River also qualified two athletes for the state meet, which will be held across two days at IMG Academy. Emma King tied for third in the high jump, and Alyssa Gagnon finished fourth in the 800 run. The top four finishers in each event qualify for state.
Smith was close to once again settling for only qualifying for state in one event. This time, though, the 100 gave him trouble.
Smith finished preliminaries in fourth place and crossed the finish line during the finals at Charlotte High School in the middle of a pack. Tampa Bay Tech's Kadrin Williams won by near
ly 2/10 of a second, but the next group ran neck and neck for the final meters. Smith looked around after he leaned across the finish, looking for a signal from a teammate or coach telling him he qualified for state. Eventually, a results board on the infield lit up with the results. Smith was third in 10.86 seconds, 0.08 ahead of the fourth-place finisher and 0.09 ahead of fifth.
"I just wanted to push a little harder," Smith said. "I knew I could do it last year, so I had no choice but to do it this year. I had no choice but to show my team what it takes to get there, too, because it's hard with 3A."
Injuries have hampered Smith since his ankles limited him during the postseason last year. He sprained his knee during football season this past fall and he said he believes he was positioned for better performances last year. He ran a 10.81 in the 100 last year at the state meet to finish sixth and was already threatening to crack 22 seconds in the 200.
Smith eked out a second-place finish Thursday in the 200 in 22.20 -- 0.18 seconds behind his personal record of 22.02. With seven full days before he steps on the track inside IMG Academy Stadium, Smith wants to get to where he feels he would have been a year ago.
"We're going to push him to get 21," Tigers head coach Robert Kelly said. "He's right at the door at 22.02, but we're going to make sure we work hard this week to get him at 21."
David Wilson, Herald sports writer, can be contacted at 941-745-7057 or on Twitter @DBWilson2.
This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Palmetto's Azavion Smith qualifies for two state track events ."