The Speed Starz, a competitive youth track club, left their mark at the Florida International track meet held at IMG Stadium in Bradenton on March 23 and 24 — in a big way. The team scored the most cumulative points and took home first place for the entire meet.
The meet is one of the biggest youth track competitions in the nation, hosting around 1,500 athletes during the two day event. The majority of the competitors come from Florida, Georgia and Maryland.
The Speed Starz athletes range in age from 4 to 18, with most of them hailing from Wesley Chapel. Around 40 of them competed at the meet in running and field events, scoring points in nearly all the events they competed in.
The combined efforts of the whole team led to the victory, which included first place finishes from four young athletes.
Seth Williamson competed in the 8 and under category, and dominated in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump, placing first in all three. It was another in a series of accolades for the young athlete, considered to be one of the best in the country, and the youngest track athlete to receive a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal.
Competing in the 9 and under category, Jakobi Desroches beat the pack, taking first in the 100-meter dash and long jump, and placing second in the 200-meter dash.
Lena Budzilek, competing in 11 and under, placed first in the 80-meter hurdles in her category, and Wyatt Chapman, aged 18, competed in the college open category, winning both the 100 and 200-meter dash.
The team trains at Cypress Creek High School, led by Head Coach Bernard “BB” Roberts and four assistants.
“What’s so unique and interesting about this track club is that we have a very diverse group of kids,” Coach Roberts said.
Roberts is a local legend himself, holding multiple sprinting records at Wesley Chapel High School. That’s on top of being a stellar football player for the Wildcats, who went 10-1 in 2003, the year he played.
He organized the Speed Starz in 2013 with the aim of training kids to get an early start on track, and to help them reach their athletic potential.
Published April 10, 2024
