• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices

Steven Rivers

Strides on the track and in the classroom

May 4, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

Cypress Creek High School senior Ashleigh Lacey will graduate as her school’s valedictorian, with a perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA (and 4.6 weighted).

Armed with an Associate of Arts degree and Bright Futures scholarship, the accomplished student soon will attend University of South Florida’s (USF) Judy Genshaft Honors College with plans to attend medical school and become a psychiatrist.

The local teen’s aptitude, however, travels beyond the classroom.

She’s also a decorated varsity track athlete — boasting several Coyotes girls program records and milestones — while juggling a part-time restaurant job, to boot.

Long jump is one of Ashleigh Lacey’s strongest track and field events; she’ll compete in that at the state finals and she holds a school record of 5.28 meters. (Courtesy of Michelle Lacey)

She most recently qualified for the FHSAA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships on May 8 at University of North Florida-Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville — after finishing second place in the 300-meter hurdles (46.78 seconds, school record) and third in the long jump (5.17 meters) at last weekend’s Regional 3-2A meet at Cypress Creek.

She also finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (16.86 seconds, school record) and seventh as a leg of her team’s 4×100-meter relay (50.42, another school record) at the regional meet.

A strong regional showing wasn’t Lacey’s only notable achievement this season.

On April 22, she claimed her first District 9-2A individual title — and set another school record — in the long jump (5.28 meters), defeating Hernando High sophomore A’Reginae White (5.19 meters).

As it stands, Lacey holds seven school records in track and field.

In addition to long jump, 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles records and leg of the 4×100-meter relay, Lacey also has top marks in the 400-meter dash (1:04.56), 3,200-meter run (13:16.22), and high jump (1.45 meters).

She’s also known for becoming the first Cypress Creek girls track athlete to qualify for regionals, back in 2018, as a freshman.

“She’s littered through the record books,” Cypress Creek varsity girls track coach Steven Rivers said bluntly in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

Lacey’s well-rounded success doesn’t come by accident.

Rivers compared Lacey’s “enormous work ethic” in athletics and academics to another one of his former pupils — Pasco High product Alfreda Steele, one of the nation’s top sprinters as a graduate student at University of Miami.

“She is an extremely hard worker,” Rivers said of Lacey. “She brings a very positive attitude to the team, and she’s that girl that constantly wants to work, ‘Can I do more?’”

So much so, Rivers often reminds Lacey to not overtrain in practice, and not be too hard on herself when she doesn’t eclipse a certain mark or personal record.

“With Ashleigh, she never feels that she’s done enough,” the veteran coach said. “I have to tell her, ‘The hay is in the barn, now you just have to eat it.’ I have to keep telling her, ‘You have to stop trying to chase it. Just go out there, clear your mind, and run.’”

Ask Lacey, and she’s actually prouder of her physical achievements than intellectual ones.

Though academics are clearly important, success in track and field “is something I have to work harder for,” Lacey said.

She observed: “School is something, I don’t want to say it comes easy to me, it’s something I never really had to super grind at. I study for it, I organize my stuff, I write my notes, I learn the stuff; but for track, it’s just been a bit of a journey, it’s pretty hard, like there’s sometimes where I’m not always going to be the best at it, and it’s kind of more challenging for me and that’s why I like it more. I put more dedication into it, because it’s more about my diet and weightlifting, too.”

Hoping to be a walk-on at USF
Understanding that she’ll likely be going pro in something other than sports, however, Lacey is poised to major in psychology at USF en route to pursuing a doctorate in psychiatry.

Lacey was inspired by AP Biology and AP Psychology, her two favorite high school classes.

Cypress Creek High School senior Ashleigh Lacey will compete in the 300-meter hurdles and long jump at the FHSAA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships, on May 8 at University of North Florida-Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

“I loved them. Both were so interesting to me, and I was like, well, for a career, I might as well think of something I like to do and think is interesting, and I want to help people,” she said.

Lacey hopes her academic profile, and versatility and proficiency in so many events allows her to walk on to the USF women’s track & field team, an NCAA Division I program.

The standout athlete would appear to be a prime candidate to shine in the heptathlon, in which competitors take part in the same prescribed seven events (100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin, and 800-meter run).

High school and AAU coaches have told Lacey as much, though she humbly admits she needs to practice javelin, in particular. “I think I need to work a little more at javelin before I can confidently say I can compete in it,” she said.

Rivers believes competing in track at the next level is well in reach, given Lacey “can do a bunch of different things.”

“The more you can do, the more of an asset that you can be,” Rivers said. “Walking on to USF, being able to do so many things, I’m sure they could possibly find a home for her, but where she would definitely improve (USF’s track and field program) is through her classroom work, their academic side.”

Lacey originally entered high school as a distance runner, competing in cross-country and endurance track events (800-meter, 1,600-meter, 3,200).

But, she experienced a change of heart competing in AAU summer events for Wesley Chapel-based Speed Starz Track/Running Club, following her freshman year.

“I really didn’t like it,” Lacey said of long distance events. “I was like, ‘Maybe I need to try something else,’ because I really love the 300-meter hurdles and I was like, ‘I need to get more into sprinting,’ and then that’s when the heptathlon got brought up, and that’s when I started sprinting and I loved it way more than long distance.”

Lacey credits her abilities in hurdles and jumps to lower body strength and an offseason weightlifting program.

Moreover, her background in gymnastics vault has helped translate to long jump’s mechanics of run up, takeoff, flight and landing.

Lacey explained of the technique, “You have to have the same steps to get on the board so you don’t scratch or anything, because a lot of girls will be really good (with long jump), but they’ll scratch and they won’t score well.”

Lacey now hopes to conclude her prep career with a strong showing against Florida’s best at this weekend’s finals.

She last qualified for the state meet as a sophomore, in the 300-meter hurdles and long jump, finishing 21st and 22nd respectively. She acknowledged being “humbled pretty quick” that time around.

Come this weekend, she may be humbling others.

Published May 5, 2021

Primary Sidebar

A Conversation with Lutz Filmmaker, Alexis Yahre

Search

Sponsored Content

A Guide for Summer Camps in Pasco County 

May 23, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Summer break is quickly approaching and organizations throughout Pasco County are offering camps for children of all … [Read More...] about A Guide for Summer Camps in Pasco County 

Avalon Applauds Kids Helping Kids Pasco County 

May 10, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Congratulations to Kids Helping Kids Pasco County for being applauded by Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. The nonprofit … [Read More...] about Avalon Applauds Kids Helping Kids Pasco County 

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

05/26/2022 – Food distribution

Farm Share, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff Charities, the Pasco County NAACP, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay will partner for a free food distribution on May 26 starting at 9 a.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd., in Dade City. Food will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. The event is a drive-thru, rain or shine. … [Read More...] about 05/26/2022 – Food distribution

05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

The “Let’s Do Good Memorial Day Concert” is scheduled for May 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Tunnel to Towers provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and builds custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. The foundation is committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters. The event will include vendors, gifts, a Forget-Me-Not Garden, and more. Entertainment will be provided by Fred Chandler, Charles Goodwin, Cruz Er Mac, Mike Henderson, and Travis White. Special guests include Congressman Gus Bilirakis and State Sen. Danny Burgess. Rain date is Sept. 10. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s Summer Seafood Festival is scheduled for May 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, between the outlets and At Home. There will be seafood, crab races, a kids zone, live bands, craft beer, a local market, a Nautical Art Show, and a crab claw-eating contest. For information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

06/04/2022 – D-Day reenactment

The Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, 39444 South Ave., in Zephyrhills, will present “D-Day, Invasion of Normandy” on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. The event will include skydivers, reenactors, World War II veterans, and WWII vehicles/aircraft on display. Visit zmmh.org/events, for additional information. … [Read More...] about 06/04/2022 – D-Day reenactment

06/11/2022 – Community cleanup

Save the date: A Dade City Community Cleanup is scheduled for June 11 from 8 a.m. to noon. The city will provide two garbage trucks and one roll-off to dispose of household waste. Residents will be able to drop off unwanted items at three locations. Volunteers also are needed and can register online at DadeCityFl.com. More information will be forthcoming. … [Read More...] about 06/11/2022 – Community cleanup

06/13/2022 – Vacation Bible School

The Church at Myrtle Lake, 2017 Riegler Road in Land O’ Lakes, will host the Spark Studios Vacation Bible School from June 13 to June 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is free for children of age who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade. Registration is open online at MyrtleLake.org. For information, call 813-949-5516. … [Read More...] about 06/13/2022 – Vacation Bible School

More of What's Happening

Follow us on Twitter

The Laker/Lutz NewsFollow

Home for all your local news in Land O' Lakes, Lutz, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

The Laker/Lutz News
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
22 May

SUNDAY MORNING SPORTS: Wyatt Deaton, 11, of Wesley Chapel, swam 2 miles and raised $5,900 for charity at the Swim Across America fundraising event. Great picture @MikeCamunas! Full story ---> https://buff.ly/3lktCIv

Reply on Twitter 1528367595258265600Retweet on Twitter 15283675952582656001Like on Twitter 15283675952582656001Twitter 1528367595258265600
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
21 May

Go Pasco — Pasco County’s public bus service — is planning to use technology to enable riders to get up-to-date information to track buses in real time https://buff.ly/3aafXS6

Reply on Twitter 1528073180073574404Retweet on Twitter 1528073180073574404Like on Twitter 15280731800735744042Twitter 1528073180073574404
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
21 May

What an AMAZING transformation! 💫 The Block is housed in a historic building that was an auto dealership in the 1920s. Now, its a venue space, a brewhouse, a restaurant, a CrossFit gym and more ---> https://buff.ly/3PsLvTo

3
Reply on Twitter 1528027975391772673Retweet on Twitter 15280279753917726731Like on Twitter 15280279753917726731Twitter 1528027975391772673
Load More...

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2022 Community News Publications Inc.

    Doc