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1A State track results: Maclay's Dowdy threepeats, Couch wins first gold as Maclay girls place 3rd
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- 1A State track results: Maclay's Dowdy threepeats, Couch wins first gold as Maclay girls place 3rd
Elizabeth Dowdy is no stranger to the heights you must reach to become a state champion , literally.
The Maclay track and field star is one of the top pole vaulters in the state , and on Wednesday night, the junior secured her third straight pole vaulting state championship for the Marauders at the Class 1A State championships in Jacksonville.
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Posting a 3.77-meter mark in the pole vault, good for a vault of over 12 feet, Dowdy capped her threepeat off in style. Dowdy has been a first-place machine all season, winning all but two events she's competed in, placing third at the FSU relays and sixth at the Florida relays.
Local, state athletes compete at day 2 of the FSU Relays at Mike Long Track on Saturday, March 23, 2024
Her 3.77-meter mark was her third-highest vault of the season.
The gold wasn't just limited to Dowdy, however, as Maclay's Caroline Couch took home her first state championship in the 3200-meter race, posting a winning time of 10:56.20, about four seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
Couch has been on the verge of winning a state championship both on the track and in the cross country season, and now she returns to Tallahassee with a gold medal around her neck, and a bronze medal.
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Placing third in the 1600-meter race, Couch posted a 5:01.08 time to claim third place.
Track and field athletes from Florida and other states compete at the annual FSU Relays at Mike Long Track for night one action on Friday, March 22, 2024.
Both Dowdy and Couch spearheaded Maclay's third-place finish at the state championships, coming behind second-place Palmer Trinty and champions Admiral Farragut.
Big Bend 1A State Placers
The FHSAA classifies a state placement as finishing within the top 8 of finishers in the state championship event . Full results can be found here.
Girls pole Vault: 1st, Elizabeth Dowdy, Maclay
Boys discus: 5th, Lucky Baldwin, North Florida Christian
Girls 4x800 relay: 4th, Maclay
Girls 100-meter hurdles: 8th, Elizabeth Dowdy, Maclay
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Girls 1600 meter: 3rd, Caroline Couch, Maclay
Girls 400-meter: 7th, Alana Wilson, Maclay
Girls 800-meter: 5th, Mary Clayton Soto, Maclay
Boys 800-meter: 5th, Carson Freeland, Community Christian
Girls 3200-meter: 1st, Caroline Couch, Maclay
Boys 3200-meter: 6th, David Barton, Maclay
Girls 4x400-meter relay: 4th, Maclay
Team results
Boys
29th, North Florida Christian
37th, Community Christian
43rd, Maclay
Girls
3rd, Maclay
36th, North Florida Christian
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Maclay's Dowdy, Couch win gold to help Maclay girls track place 3rd at state
