- November 1, 2024
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Every time I observe Jacob Miley compete in a sport, I often wonder how I’ve missed him the last three years. Yes, I always assume he’s a senior, but Miley is only a sophomore.
Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, with his speed and athleticism, Miley is a freak of nature. I’ve seen him catch football over talented defenders, shoot and block basketballs and run past speedsters on the track.
In his first race this season, Miley shattered the school’s 600-meter record by 15 seconds (1:22). He’s already a few seconds away from breaking the 800-meter school record, and I’m sure other single events will fall as well.
But, what I love most about Miley is how he chooses to push himself on the track. Instead of celebrating the fact that he may be the fastest track runners in Matanzas history, he paces himself against Flagler Palm Coast alum Justin Pacifico’s history.
In case you didn’t know, Pacifico now runs for the University of Florida on a full scholarship.
Miley knows all about Pacifico’s times throughout his FPC career. If you ask him, he could tell you how many seconds he is currently trailing Pacifico, when Pacifico ran as a sophomore.
A few games into basketball season, I spoke to Miley and the Matanzas basketball team. At the end of my speech, I challenged each of the ball players to find a better teammate who better and outwork him. While I’m sure Miley didn’t need my advice because he had already begun to pursue Pacifico, it is refreshing to see a student-athlete find an elite measuring standard to set his personal bar.
This season, Miley plans to compete in the 400, 600, 800, 4X400 and 4X800. While he doesn’t hold full control of the relay events, I expect Miley to break the 400- and 800-meter school records before the season ends.
Overall, I expect Miley to be chained with a couple of state championship medallions before he graduates. Let’s see how far Pacific carries him.
