A pair of freshmen hurdlers ran off with the MVP awards for the Ponte Vedra Sharks boys and girls track and field teams. The MVPs, Kyle Crompton and Abby Solaun, helped lead the Sharks in an impressive inaugural season and, in the process, won district honors in the 300m and 100m hurdle event respectively. Both runners performed well enough at the regional tournament to qualify for the state tournament and were recognized as All-County nominees. Both competed in the 100m and 300m hurdle events during the season.
Though only a freshman, performance awards are not new to Solaun. She was also a member of the Lady Sharks State Championship soccer team. What is unusual about her accomplishments on the track is that she only began running competitively this season because of a challenge by her sister Maggie, a Nease volleyball star.
"I really came out because my sister said I couldn’t do it," said Solaun.
Crompton took up running competitively in the sixth grade under Coach Bernie Blue at Landrum Middle School and made the transition to high school level competition with apparent ease, winning the district 300m hurdle title and finishing second in the regionals to qualify for the state competition.
Will three more years of competition produce three more district championships or perhaps a state title or two?
Neither would say, but they did acknowledge simultaneously that no matter what is in store in the future for the two freshmen MVPs, "It’ll be fun."
