It didn’t take much time into this 2009 outdoor season to notice Derek Wehunt as a runner who could contribute some major point scoring at this year’s 4A State Championship.  In his first race of the season, the Sickles’ senior smothered his 800m PR by over 4 seconds to a 1:52.90 finish, which still ranks 11th in the USA as of early May.  Only two weeks later, Wehunt surprised one of the deepest and fastest 3200m fields in FL history with his then US-leading 9:06.78 PR through a swampy FSU Invitational.  Then, Wehunt continued his dominance over the Florida scene with a 4:11.14 for 1600m, impressing his future Alma Matter at the UF Invitational.

    “Yes, I am surprised that I got to this level.  But now that I am running these times, I knew that all my hard work over the past four years was starting to pay off,” Wehunt said.  Certainly, there is no doubt that Derek Wehunt is among the finest in Florida for this 2009 outdoor track & field season.  He ranks top-11 in the country or better in two events this season and seems to always find a way to win, despite contrary predictions based off of head-to-head performances from the 2008 cross country season.  “I’m definitely most proud of my FSU Invite 3200m race.  That was the turning point this year, when I realized that I could hang with the guys I once thought were unbeatable.”

    Most impressive of Wehunt’s accomplishments this season is his consistency throughout the year and the momentum he brings into this weekend’s State Championship.  The Sickles’ senior attributes most of his stellar performances to more systematic approaches for this year’s season.  “Before I started competing, I hand-picked each race that I wanted to run,” Wehunt said.  “It helped knowing that I could concentrate only on the important meets and thus perform at my best at big invitationals.”  Wehunt mentioned that his past three track seasons had been filled with over-racing and too many strictly anaerobic workouts, thus, preventing him and his team from strong State Championship racing.  “It really has been nice not having to triple every meet.  I have not felt the need to hold back during any meets this season, since a single race per week has been more common.  I have had more rest between races and I feel ready to go for records every time I step onto the track.”

    Training harder, but not necessarily smarter, seemed not to faze Wehunt from hitting blistering times throughout each season of his high school career, but finishing with that same strength had been slowing him down.  Last spring, Wehunt had trouble eclipsing the 9:40 mark come late April and failed to advance to the FHSAA State Finals in the 3200m run.  He ended up advancing in the 1600m, but his 4:25 effort was short of his previous three races (all at 4:22); thus, he faded to 3rd place.  As the cross country season came to an end, Wehunt was unable to match his 15:25 and 15:36 efforts from a few weeks back, falling out of the top-100 with a sluggish 17:27.

    But Wehunt’s training and mindset has improved tremendously over the past year and he claims that his failures from State Championship races in the past will only be more motivation for the 2009 finale.  “Since I was a freshman, I haven’t performed well at the State Championship.  With this season going so much better than any other in my life, I know I can finish it off strong.”  Last week, Wehunt started his 4A Region 2 Meet on a high note, helping the Sickles 4x800m squad to a 1st place finish by 15 seconds – 7:50.28.  The foursome’s time is not only a school record, but is also the #2 seed for 4A and currently ranks #12 in the USA.  Wehunt ran two excellent races as the night progressed as well, winning both the 1600m and 3200m in 4:18 and 9:20 respectively.  Most impressive was his come-from-behind victory in the 3200m, where Wehunt blasted a 60-second final 400m to inch-out defending State Champ Brian Atkinson by just over a second.

    On Saturday, Wehunt will join his Gryphon counterparts for the 4x800m at 1:30pm.  Their biggest threat will be Flagler Palm Coast, which has recorded the fastest time in Florida with 7:46.57 (US #5).  Later in the evening, Wehunt will run alongside his brother, Dan Wehunt, in the 1600m and then as the lone Sickles’ representative in the 3200m.  The senior has held the state-leading times in both of these events for over a month and has yet to be overtaken in head-to-head competition by another Floridian.

    It may surprise the masses that a runner as accomplished as Derek Wehunt has not won a State Championship of any kind in his high school career.  “I always felt that I could win,” said Wehunt. “I just never felt 100% at the end of the season, and was always fatigued during my culminating races.”  But Wehunt still has goals to accomplish this season, and it is unlikely for him to slow down any time soon.  Yes, he can kick.  But can he finish?  And can he win gold?  It seems like a fair wager.

Check out all the of this weekend's 3A & 4A Coverage from Flotrack (click here)