SEBASTIAN — Kadasha Eliacin’s tears of sadness turned to tears of joy last week in just a matter of moments.
Officials in the Class 3A, Region 4 Track and Field Championships at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami initially ruled that Eliacin had not finished among the top four in the girls long jump. Only the top four would earn berths for Saturday’s Class 3A Track and Field State Championships at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
But, after further review, the officials saw that Eliacin had not only tied for fourth place with a personal-best leap of 17 feet, 6 inches, but she also had won the tiebreaker which was her second-best jump of 17-2. Her third-best jump was 17 feet to complete a strong series during the stressful competition. She also fouled on another jump, which also would have exceeded 17 feet.
“I was crying – I thought the other girl had gone 17-6 1/2,” said Eliacin, a junior at Sebastian River High School. “They were taking a long time to tally it, and that’s when I started to wonder what was going on. When I found out what really happened, I called my mom and my god-sister. I’m finally going to State.”
Eliacin fell short in her other favorite event when she was eliminated in the 300-meter hurdles.
Matt Jones won the long jump with a leap of 22-4 and placed third in the triple jump at 44-7 1/2 to also reach the state meet for Sebastian River. Justin Peabody placed fourth in the pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches to earn a state berth, and Tayler Smith finished fourth in the girls shotput to qualify for the most prestigious meet of the season.
“Kadasha was real consistent on the board,” said Sebastian River boys coach Tony Perry, who also works closely with the girls squad. “She’s never put together three 17-foot jumps before. She’s ready to go for States. She just has to clean up her landing. If she holds her route longer, she has an 18-foot jump in her.”
In the days leading up to the last meet of the season, the 5-foot-8 Eliacin will do a lot of stretching to complement her height training and footwork.
“The height work is jumping up and getting my legs up and also extending my legs,” said the 17-year-old Eliacin. “It’s like the drill where you’re jumping over and through tires. The footwork is just running and attacking the board. I need to work on that penultimate step when I hit the board.”
As an eighth grader at Storm Grove, Eliacin tried the long jump for the first time. Then, during her freshman year at Sebastian River, Eliacin combined that with the 100 and 200 before shifting to the 300 hurdles late in the season. Now, she has the opportunity to see what competing at the state championships is like. That will help her for next year.
“Kadasha’s work habits have been outstanding,” said Chris Jefferson, the Sharks girls track and field coach. “Her mindset and physical preparation have been top notch. That focus and hard work have allowed her to succeed.”
Eliacin, who joined the cross country team last fall to improve her conditioning, hopes that her younger brothers, Rashard Robinson and Tyree Robinson, will join the track and field team when they reach high school. Rashard will be a freshman this fall and Tyree will be in eighth grade.
“For the boys, I don’t understand why more of them don’t do track,” said Eliacin, who was born in Fort Pierce and moved to Sebastian from West Palm Beach when she was 10 years old. “It could help them for football. You can’t tackle them if you can’t catch them. At Miami Booker, everyone on the football team does track. If our football team ran track, they’d be a lot better. For the girls, there are just so many spring sports. If you have that many, it takes away from something.”
Jones, who was a standout defensive back and wide receiver for Sebastian River’s football team, could place in both the long jump and triple jump.
“I want Matt to speed through his jumps and keep his head and chest up,” Perry said. “That’s what he’s got to do to get his height. Too often, he naturally looks down and that’s bringing him down. I expect him to be among the top five in the long jump and in the top eight in the triple jump.”
At 12-6, Peabody matched his personal best in the pole vault for the third time this season.
“I’m so close to clearing 13 feet,” Peabody said. “I cleared the bar, but I hit it with my back. I need to swing a little farther up and get vertical. It’s been a good season – 13 feet has been my goal. I’ve had three consecutive meets where I’ve been close to 13.”
At the regional championships, 13 feet was the winning height. The second-, third- and fourth-place finishers all cleared 12-6. The order of finish was determined by fewer misses.
Smith, who plays AAU basketball throughout the year, had hoped to qualify for the State in both the shotput and discus.
“It was not a perfect day for her,” Jefferson said. “Her last throw got her to State. She did enough to qualify. In the discus, her warmups were good. It was a combination of wanting to do well and she tensed up. When she did throw well, she fouled. Tayler never looked comfortable; she tried to muscle it out there.”
This Saturday will provide a new opportunity.
“Going to the state for the first time will be special for Tayler,” Jefferson said. “If she does what she’s capable of, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll be in the top three. She has more in her.”