- November 27, 2024
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Alyssa Bayliff is no stranger to finishing in the Top 10 in cross country races. The Seabreeze senior finished in fourth place out of 322 other students who represented over 20 different schools in the third-annual Spikes & Spurs Classic that was held on Saturday morning, Sept. 6, at the Flagler County Fairgrounds.
“I was very happy about my time,” Bayliff said. “I felt really well, my legs were light, and I thought I prepared well for the race the day before.” Bayliff has been consistent in her success, making it all the way to the 3A state tournament last year, where she finished 17th.
Bayliff is not only successful on the track field, but she’s also taking care of business in the classroom, where she maintains a 4.0 grade point average. Her grades and talent on the track have landed her two scholarship offers from the University of Tampa and Saint Leo University.
The Lady Sandcrabs team placed seventh overall, and Bayliff’s teammate Elizabeth Murray also finished in the Top 10 (9).
'I think I’ll run'
Seabreeze sophomore Ian Yates has always loved swimming, but during the swimming land drills, where his middle school swimming team was running for conditioning, Yates would chop seconds off of his time with every chance he ran. After requesting to the coach that they should run more often, Yates fell in love with running.
Just last year, he competed in three 5Ks, where he finished first in his age group on every run. Now a sophomore at Seabreeze, he competed in his first cross country meet at the third-annual Spikes & Spurs Classic Sept. 6. Though he placed 105 out of 364, Yates finished first on his team.
Yates is currently competing in both of the sports that he loves, and with more time and experience, he hopes to lead his team to the state tournament at the end of the year in both of the sports.
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