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Montverde Academy FL Track Program Ready to 'Show Out' at New Balance Nationals Indoor

Published by
DyeStat.com   Mar 8th 2023, 6:26pm
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Orlando-Area Super Team Could Win As Many As 10 National Titles This Weekend At New Balance Nationals Indoor

By David Woods for DyeStat

Montverde (FL) Academy has long been a basketball incubator. Its alumni include NBA players such as Joel Embiid, D’Angelo Russell, Ben Simmons, R.J. Barrett, Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes.

Perhaps it was not Montverde’s mission to develop something similar in track and field. But that is what happened.

“When I got here five years ago, this is definitely not where I expected the program to be. Ever. Never mind in a five-year period,” coach Gerald Phiri said.

As recently as Florida’s 2018 state meet, Montverde had two points for boys and zero for girls. Last year, Montverde scored 90 points to win the Class 2A boys title and 62 for second among girls.

Now the Eagles feature athletes such as Issam Asinga, US#1 at 60 meters and No. 2 all-time; Micah Larry, last year’s US#1 in the long jump; Zyaire Nuriddin, US#2 at 400 last year; Micayah Holland, US#2 at 60 meters and No. 4 all-time; Adeajah Hodge, US#4 at 60 and 200; Michelle Smith, US#2 at 600.

Larry, Nuriddin and Holland are all national champions.

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Heading into this weekend’s New Balance indoor nationals at Boston, the Montverde boys have potential champions in as many as seven events and the girls in at least three.

So this Montverde group is historically good. Not just for one year or one state.

“I don’t really dwell on those kinds of things,” Phiri said. “I’m definitely aware. When the year started back in September, we had a meeting with the kids. I did tell them, ‘This is a very rare team. We’re probably not going to see something like this in a very long time.’

“But I’d say our day-to-day is not any different, in terms of holding kids to a standard and getting them to do the best they possibly can.”

Phiri, 34, was originally asked to help coach by his wife, Khrystal, the athletic director at Montverde. He has subsequently become director of boys and girls programs. Phiri is a former Texas A&M sprinter – he was second in the NCAA indoor 60 meters in 2010 – and twice represented Zambia in the Olympic Games.

There is an unusual synergy at Montverde in that Dennis Mitchell’s pro training group – featuring Sha’Carri Richardson, TeeTee Terry and Kenny Bednarek – trains on the school’s track. Phiri said his teenagers like having the pros there, but they don’t work out together.

Larry (North Carolina), Nuriddin (Delaware) and Holland (Virginia) all arrived from outside Florida. Among new additions are Asinga (Missouri) and Hodge (Georgia).

Asinga led Principia of St. Louis to its first state championship since 1992. He also won a 10.44/20.76 sprint double at the Great Southwest Classic at Albuquerque, N.M.

In a Jan. 28 meet at Gainesville, Fla., Asinga clocked 6.59 to lead a 1-2-3-4 Montverde finish. Only other sub-6.60 boys ever were Casey Combest of Owensboro KY, whose record of 6.57 has stood since 1999, and Anthony Schwartz of American Heritage FL, 6.59 in 2018. Schwartz, an NFL receiver, was an under-20 world silver medalist and once held the under-18 world record of 10.15 for 100 meters.

Asinga’s mother is Ngozi Mwanamwambwa Asinga, a sprinter representing Zambia at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

Asinga (Texas A&M), Larry (Georgia), Nuriddin (Tennessee) and Holland (Texas) have all committed to major programs. Hodge, a junior who was a double state champion in Georgia with 11.29/23.25 PBs, represents the British Virgin Islands internationally.

Montverde tuition is $55,980, although Phiri stated it is cheapest among six private schools in the Orlando area. It is cheaper than tuition posted for two other prominent Florida schools, IMG ($84,400 for boarders) and Bolles ($62,920).

“And people have been going to boarding schools for years,” Phiri said.

Unlike its hoops program, Montverde competes in the Florida High School Athletic Association. And the coach wants to keep it that way, adding he would happy to compete in 3A or 4A, the state’s two largest classes.

(By comparison, private school domination has precedent in Florida. In swimming, the Bolles School has won 35 successive state titles for boys and 32 for girls.)

Phiri said Montverde would focus on individual events in Boston. Its only relay entries are in the 4x400, in which the boys are US#2 at 3:15.31 and the girls US#3 at 3:48.89.

Beyond the sprints, Montverde has US#2 Larry in the long jump, US#2 Kyle Johnson in the triple jump and junior vaulter Alex Georgiev at 16-1.

Phiri said the Eagles would “show out this weekend.” Yet he conceded indoors is merely a stepping stone for outdoor season.

“Nobody wants to be remembered for what they did indoors,” he said.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007



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