Jumper's leap more than she expected

A state title surprises even the jumper who won it. The Ridgewood High School sophomore jumped 5 feet, 4 inches.

By JAMAL THALJI

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 15, 2000

GAINESVILLE -- It isn't that Shawna Luikart didn't think she had a chance.

In fact, she went to Friday's Class 3A state track meet believing that, yeah, she had a shot at winning a state title in the high jump.

But then to actually go out there and win it?

Well, that caught even Luikart off-guard.

"I was shocked," she said. "But I had faith in myself. I knew that I had a chance at it, but I wasn't expecting it. I was trying to expect the worst, so that whatever happened, I wouldn't feel let down."

There's no worry of that now.

Luikart is the only Pasco County athlete to win a state track championship this season, bringing back a gold medal for Ridgewood High School after executing a 5-foot, 4-inch leap at the University of Florida's Percy Beard Stadium.

Luikart surprised more than just herself.

"You know she's got the talent, but yes, I was in awe of it," said Ridgewood girls track coach Sue Vien. "Whoever would have thought Shawna would have just a (great) day? I knew in my heart she could do it, yet the fact that she did it was still pretty amazing to me."

Luikart's win was perhaps even more amazing considering the number of athletes Ridgewood High sent to the state meet who could have won state titles.

Pole vaulter Katie Halkitis had medaled twice before there. Now a senior, she was aiming for a top finish to cap off her high school career.

Distance runners Lizzy Leigh and James Vitale had been dominant all season long. The boys 4x800-meters relay team of Eric Dieters, Matt Johnston, Tim Masterson and Brad Williams was among the state's best quartets. Dieters was also a highly touted competitor in the 800.

There were other talents across the county who also had hopes for winning gold: Pasco High pole vaulter Sarah James and sprinter Amber Stinyard and Zephyrhills High runner Pam Moses.

Yet of them all, a 5-foot-11, 16-year-old sophomore claimed the state's highest honor.

Luikart is the first Ridgewood High girl to win a state title since 1997, when running sensation Char Foster brought back three gold medals.

Then again, maybe Luikart's win shouldn't have been that surprising. After all, the "Leaping Luikarts" have been making history for Ridgewood track and field for years. Luikart's older siblings were both state qualifiers, brother Steve in the pole vault and sister Jamie in the high jump.

In fact, Luikart may be a state title winner -- the only one in her family -- but she's still only the second-best jumper in the family. Jamie Luikart holds the Ridgewood High school record, 5-6, in that event.

But Luikart expects to surpass her sister before her high school career ends.

"(My sister) even said if anyone's going to break the record, it's going to be me," Shawna Luikart said. "I told her, "We might as well keep it in the family.' "

Nor was Luikart the only Ridgewood High athlete to bring back a medal. She was just the only one satisfied with the medal she earned.

James Vitale was the runner-up in the 1,600 meters race, winning the silver medal with a time of 4:21.67. As soon as the starter's pistol sounded, Vitale took the lead on the pack and held it for most of the race. But Matt Ciancuilli of Palm Coast High School in Flagler County passed Vitale on the last lap and won the race by just five seconds.

Vitale then ran the 3,200 race and was one of the few to compete in both distance races. He held onto the pack as long as he could, and even challenged for third place, but was too exhausted to medal, finishing among the top eight spots.

Eric Dieters took fourth in the 800 with a time of 1:55.15, again breaking his own school record. Dieters survived an elbow to the midsection and a flying kick while jockeying for position during the physical race.

Neither Dieters nor Vitale were very talkative -- or satisfied -- afterward. So it was left to Ridgewood boys track coach Glenn Cable to assess their performances.

"It took some real guts to run the races they did," he said. "I loved their races."

Katie Halkitis took fourth in the pole vault, with a vault of 10-feet. It was the third-consecutive year Halkitis had medaled, and this was her highest finish yet. But Halkitis had been hoping for a vault of 11-feet and at least the silver medal.

Jessica Penokie was another surprise at the state meet. She took sixth in the pole vault with 10, a personal high. Nancy Edwards took fifth in the high jump, leaping 5-2.

The Rams' boys 4x800 relay took seventh, running it in 8:11.09. Lizzy Leigh just missed placing in the 1,600, running 5:18.95, less than a second away from medaling.

Yet only Luikart walked away happy. Even if she had trouble explaining just how happy she was.

"I don't know . . . Seriously, words can't describe it," she said. "It's an honor."

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