Leon County Track & Field Athletes Compete in National Championships

Provided below is information on three Leon County athletes that recently participated in national championship competition.

Chiles boys discus thrower and recent state champion, Jason Atwood, competed in the Nike Outdoor U20 Nationals in Eugene, OR on June 6th. Although the conditions involved more rain than anyone would have liked, Atwood’s longest and only official throw reached a distance of 62.08 meters. This throw was good enough to put the soon to be Florida State Seminole in third place in the discus final.

Maclay girls pole Vaulter Elizabeth Dowdy also competed in the Nike Out[1]door U20 Nationals in Eugene, OR. Dowdy is coming off winning a state title and currently holds the all-time record for pole vaulting in the state of Florida with a height of 4.05 Meters. Also competing in rainy conditions, Dowdy completed three jumps in the final with her highest jump being 3.73 meters placing 18th out of 40 participants.

Rickards girls high jumper Journee Belcher competed in the 2025 New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia, PA on June 21st. Belcher is a state champion and currently ranked 10th all-time for the high jump in the state of Florida with a height of 1.8m and currently holds the best jump in Florida in 2025. While at New Balance Nationals, Belcher placed fifth in the Championship division while recording her best jump at the event with a height of 1.71