- April 29, 2024
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Isaiah Joseph (Florida A&M), Zach Spooner (Florida State) and Brandon Kalasnik (UNC-Asheville) sign at FPC's trakc and field banquet on June 13. Courtesy photo by Michael Lischio.
Distance runner Zach Spooner will continue his track career at Florida State. Courtesy photo
Zach Spooner, left, runs with eventual winner Matt Ryan of Nease in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 4A state championships. File photo by Brent Woronoff
Brandon Kalasnik, who signed with UNC-Asheville, helped two relay teams finish among the top four at the state championships. File photo by Brent Woronoff
Hurdler Isaiah Joseph will continue his track and field career at Florida A&M University. File photo by Brent Woronoff
Three Flagler Palm Coast High School track and field athletes will continue their careers in college.
Distance runner Zach Spooner signed with Florida State University, while middle-distance runner Brandon Kalasnik signed with the University of North Carolina at Asheville and hurdler Isaiah Joseph signed with Florida A&M University.
"I'm excited to see the kids take the next step," FPC track coach David Halliday said. "All of them kind of came on the scene this year."
Spooner, who will run cross country and track, is already enrolled in the summer term at FSU, while Kalasnik and Joseph are heading to their schools next month.
"Zach is enjoying it," Halliday said. "He's getting to know the campus. The guys on the team are showing him the training trails."
They're all getting the opportunity to go to Division I schools, so they can continue to progress,"
— DAVID HALLIDAY, FPC track and field coach
Spooner received an offer from FSU after finishing fourth in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 4A state championships on May 20. He led late before fading in the final lap.
"His state meet sealed the deal for him (getting the FSU offer)," Halliday said. "I've known (FSU head coach) Bob Braman for 31 years. He told me, 'I always love to have a kid from you, but I don't have a lot of space.' But he watched that race online, and said he thought (Spooner) had a lot of guts."
Spooner accepted an offer from the Seminoles shortly after that. Spooner won the 3,200 at district and finished second at region with a personal-best 9:15.40. He also had offers from Furman, UNC-Asheville and East Carolina.
Kalasnik had competed in every running event — from the 100 to the 3,200 — in his four years at FPC. He found his niche this year as an 800 runner, finishing third at district with a time of 1:54.96. He won two medals in relay events at the state championships, helping the Bulldogs place second in the 4x400 and fourth in the 4x800.
"Brandon's excited about that program," Halliday said. "He's been getting ready, following UNC-Asheville's training plan."
Joseph, a hurdler, also ran in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays for the Bulldogs, joining Kalasnik on the state podium in both events.
Joseph finished second at district and fourth at region in the 400-meter hurdles and won the Five Star Conference championship with a personal record 54.85 seconds.
"They're all getting the opportunity to go to Division I schools, so they can continue to progress," Halliday said. "A lot of track athletes, especially boys, don't hit their stride until they're 18, 20, 21. With the college nutrition and weight room, most everybody takes off."
