News
Serra wins two state championships in track and field
In just his second year competing in track and field, David "Chuli" Serra '24 won state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the Florida High School Athletic Association Outdoor State Finals in Jacksonville on May 19 – one of the best performances in RE track and field history – with dominant finishes in both events. A former soccer player, Serra finished the 1,600 in four minutes, 12.10 seconds, more than six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, and he won the 3,200 with a time of 9:06.66, nearly seven seconds ahead of the silver medalist.
In the 3,200, his second championship race of the day, Serra led until 400 meters remained, when Parker Adams of Bolles Academy made a move and took the lead. With 250 to go, Serra responded with a burst of speed, passed Adams and cruised to the victory.
"My legs were kind of fatigued from the mile," Serra told flrunners.com after the race. But "I told myself, I'm the strongest runner in this race, and I'm going to prove it ...
"Not once did I look back in this race," he also said. "To me, when you look back, your competitor can see the fear in your eyes ... I just told myself, run from the gun and don't look back."
Serra got serious about track after running 800 meters with no training or preparation and clocking 1 minute, 58 seconds (which would have been good enough for 10th place at this year's state championship). He went on to break the school record in the event last spring, then finished second in the FHSAA Cross Country State Finals. He has trained under RE track coach Mike Becker and RE cross country coach Don Kappelman in the fall.
In other news at the state final, Joaquin Merlo-Garzon '24 earned seventh place in the pole vault; Kennedy Hagen '24 earned claimed ninth place in the 800; and Patricia Drulard '24 and Antonio Pedro de Macedo '24 both scored 14th-place finishes – Drulard in the 800 and Macedo in the 400.
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"My legs were kind of fatigued from the mile," Serra told flrunners.com after the race. But "I told myself, I'm the strongest runner in this race, and I'm going to prove it ...
"Not once did I look back in this race," he also said. "To me, when you look back, your competitor can see the fear in your eyes ... I just told myself, run from the gun and don't look back."
Serra got serious about track after running 800 meters with no training or preparation and clocking 1 minute, 58 seconds (which would have been good enough for 10th place at this year's state championship). He went on to break the school record in the event last spring, then finished second in the FHSAA Cross Country State Finals. He has trained under RE track coach Mike Becker and RE cross country coach Don Kappelman in the fall.
In other news at the state final, Joaquin Merlo-Garzon '24 earned seventh place in the pole vault; Kennedy Hagen '24 earned claimed ninth place in the 800; and Patricia Drulard '24 and Antonio Pedro de Macedo '24 both scored 14th-place finishes – Drulard in the 800 and Macedo in the 400.
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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.