Fast friends: Alvin Bryant Jr. and Alahni Wood lead Dr. Phillips boys, girls track teams

DR. PHILLIPS Track stars Alvin Bryant Jr. and Alahni Wood, along with other Dr. Phillips seniors such as Jovani Culver, have been close friends throughout their four years in the program for the Panthers.

They support one another, push each other and are willing to lend a helping hand if, say, a teammate needs help stretching out before a meet.

Of course, with how well the boys and girls teams at Dr. Phillips have done over those four years, there has always been a bit of a friendly rivalry between the two teams. 

So even though the Panthers girls team was genuinely excited for the boys last spring when they won a state championship, it is also safe to say that Wood and her teammates are a little extra motivated this spring.

“We were kind of jealous about that,” Wood said with a smile. “The girls won every meet (last season), but the boys won state.”

As luck would have it, that is also how things have played out so far this spring. 

Dr. Phillips’ girls team has placed first in all four events it has competed in ahead of this week’s competition at The First Academy. The boys, meanwhile, have placed first or tied for first in three events while placing third at a meet March 12 at Osceola High.

“We go back and forth all the time,” Bryant said of his relationship with the seniors on the girls team. “When it comes down to it, we all love each other.”

Bryant, who is committed to Louisiana State University for sprinting, is now the elder statesman on a boys team trying to reload while still trying to make a repeat run at a state title this spring. 

On an individual level, Bryant is looking to improve upon his second-place finish in 2015 in the 100 meters and to defend his state title in the 200 meters.

“It’s just a younger team,” head coach Jorge Fleitas said. “We’ve got a younger team that, every week, we get better and better.”

In addition to the team’s usual suspects — such as Bryant, fellow senior Jean D’Haiti and junior Emare Hogan — Fleitas said to keep an eye on junior middle-distance runner Carl Schwartz, who is having a bit of a breakout season.

The girls team, meanwhile, has a strong senior class. Along with Wood and Culver, the Panthers boast 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams that head coach Angie Fleitas said already are faster than a year ago. The 4x800 team could be a state-title contender by the season’s end, after placing fourth in the state in 2015.

"We’ve got a younger team that, every week, we get better and better."

— Jorge Fleitas, Dr. Phillips boys track and field coach

Add in the success of runners such as Annika Sison, Hallie Walker and Adajah Irving, and it’s clear Dr. Phillips has a shot at matching the boys’ feat from a season ago.

Wood — the team’s star hurdler and a member of the 4x100 relay team — is working to get her grades and test scores high enough to entertain the interest she has received from several high-level Division I programs.

Both teams have benefited from an influx of freshmen who are making an immediate impact. Although the youngsters still have much to learn, especially those who are participating in relay events for the Panthers, they still have been impressive.

“At Dr. Phillips, we’re really blessed,” Angie Fleitas said, referring to the impressive freshman class. “It kind of comes with that tradition — you put on the uniform, and things get a little more real.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].