Montverde's Asinga Clocks Sizzling US#2 All-Time 20.11 200

By Todd Grasley of DyeStat

Ken Martinez photo

Leon High senior Patrick Koon went to Southern California for the 55th Arcadia Invitational with his sights set on a new state record in the showcase 3,200 meters.

Mission accomplished. After posting back to back times under 8:55 in Florida, Koon went west to face many of the top distance athletes in the country. Koon played it conservative early, 26th place after the first lap, but quickly moved up with a 4:23.41 split at 1,600 meters, and a 63-second close.

The uncommitted star crossed the line in seventh place and a new all-time state best time of 8:44.95, joining Reinhardt Harrison, now at the University of Oregon (8:47.43) and Stanford star Charles Hicks (8:49.62) as the only three Floridians to ever break 8:50.

Meanwhile, while a majority of Montverde Academy star Issam Asinga's female teammates were competing at the CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas, the Texas A&M commit didn't take the week off.

Asinga competed against a college and pro field at the University of Miami Invitational. In the 100, Asinga finished second in 10.15, his second-fastest wind legal mark of 2023 behind Saminu Abdul-Rasheed's 10.04.

In the 200, Asinga caught fire. Racing out of lane five, he attacked the curve and came barreling down the straight away to win easily in a No. 2 all-time clocking of 20.11 seconds, just shy of Noah Lyles' high school record of 20.09.

Previously this month, at the Florida Relays, Asinga ran a blistering 10.10 and followed that up with a wind-aided 10.06 at FSU Relays one week later. 

Other top performances included:

<< Remember the name Skyler Franklin. The Western High freshman pulled off an amazing sprint double winning the 100 meter dash in 11.59 (tied for US #15 wind legal performances) and 53.48 in the 400, which is just shy of her US #2 time of 53.37

<< St. Thomas Aquinas senior Cha'iel Johnson, the daughter of NFL legend Chad Johnson clocked a state leading and US#7 800 meter time of 2:07.83 at the Flying L Alumni Last Chance meet.

<< Hurdles and jumps extraordinaire Chelsi Williams, a sophomore, at George Jenkins High, leaped a state leading and US #8 mark 41-0.50 in the triple jump.

<< IMG Academy senior Sam Rosenhaus threw the discus a state leading 181-0 to crack the top 30 nationally. Rosenhaus will head to Philadelphia at the end of the month to compete at the prestigious Penn Relays.