Junior Brayden Seymour was in the final lap of his 1600 meter race for the state championship. He started fast, gained a big lead, and stayed in front the whole time. As he got to the final stretch the emotions set in that he was going to win the state championship.

“The feeling of winning states was incredible. It was amazing to see all the hard work this season pay off,” Seymour said.

Boys track came in seventh overall at states, largely on the contributions of Seymour, who came first in the 1600m and second in the 3200m. Junior Miguel Pantjos also scored points for the team, coming in second in the 800m.

The girls’ track team did not place at states but still competed in the 100m hurdles where Molly Mcgrath came in 12th.

“The team consistently worked hard and had a great attitude throughout the season,” coach Matt Malkovich said.

Seymour and Pantjos had a record-breaking year but there is more to come from them as they are only juniors. They both have their senior year ahead of them and have goals that go farther than just a state championship.

Seymour runs track and cross country and the high school, state, and national level. Seymour placed third in the state championships with a time of 15:38 for cross country finishing only behind seniors and is considered a favorite for next year. He placed first in the 1600m with a time of 4:11.09 for the state championships for track. Seymour also won the majority of his meets prior to their two big wins. 

Not only does Seymour excel at the high school level, he also competes very well nationally also. Seymour competed in the Florida Relays at FSU placing first in the 1600m with a time of 4:13 racing against multiple other top racers in the state. Also at the Florida Relays he had a sub nine minute 3200m with an impressive run. Before the Florida Relays Seymour traveled to California to take on the Sundown track series and set a new PR with a time of 9:17 in the 3200m. He then competed in the Millrose game trials in New York City placing eighth in the 1600m with a time of 4:15. Seymour has broken many school records including the fastest 5k time and 1600m. He plans to only improve from where he is now.

Seymour has committed to run at D1 college Furman University, which is one of the top teams in the country, in the class of 2023, but he still has a lot to accomplish in his senior year.

“ My big goal for my senior year is to break the Florida record for the 5k, 1600m, 3200m, and place first in the 4×8 and also win national meets,” Seymour said. “Running miles and working out got me to where I am and I plan to just work hard every day.”

Although Seymour has gotten most of the headlines for the track team, he is not the only one. Pantjos also competes in cross country and track. He placed in the top 20 in the state championships for cross country. Pantjos also came second in the 800m with a time of 1:50.09 only coming less than two seconds behind first place which was a time of 1:48.62. He also placed first in the 800m at the Florida relays which took place at FSU. His big goals for his senior year is to place first in the state for the 800m and break the time record for Florida.

“The school record felt so attainable to beat and it was pretty easy for me to do this year. I am ready to train hard for the win next year,” Pantjos said.

The team put in a lot of miles and maintained their focus in the beginning and throughout the season according to Malkovich.

“They put the work in early in the season and it paid off,” Malkovich said. “As the season progressed the team was able to scale back and keep their legs fresh and ready to roll.”

This year for Seymour and Pantjos was already impressive and next year will only get better.

“First and second place in the state championships is pretty hard to beat,” Malkovich said. “These boys worked hard all season and I am excited to see what comes from them in their senior year.”

Gallery | 5 Photos

Brayden Seymour stands on the podium after winning the 1600m. The boy's track team came in seventh at states