Seniors Yasmine Gardiner and Brittany Barber remember what it was like.
“When we started off, we were kind of the joke of the school,” Gardiner said of the the inaugural Strawberry Crest girls track team in 2009.
Both young and raw talents as freshmen, the duo flew below everyone’s radar that year. When current juniors Sequoya Williams and Ambria Keys joined the team in 2010, something special began forming.
But again, few took notice.
“There were a lot of people who didn’t know anything about us, but as soon as we race, we get their attention,” Williams said. “We shocked a whole bunch of people, and now, we hear teams warning each other about us — that we’re coming for them.”
That warning has been heard loud and clear — and for good reason.
The foursome has been a force in Hillsborough County as a 4×100 team. They enter this season — their last together — as back-to-back district and county champions. They also won regionals in 2011, before finishing third at region last year after the program moved up from 2A to 3A.
“We ended up clicking together right off the bat,” Barber said of her relay teammates. “We’ve learned from one another and have been able to adapt to one another’s speed. We’ve made a name for ourselves, and now, we have county titles, district titles, a region title, and we’re a multiple state qualifier. So, for the past two, going on three years, (it) has been a good experience.”
In high school track, few relay teams get to stay in tact for three years. This group is hoping its past experiences together will benefit them in reaching their ultimate goal — a state championship — after finishing 12th last year.
Strawberry Crest is the only school in that top 12 to return all four runners.
“One thing we’ve learned is to trust each other, and even if you don’t run a good leg, just know that the person behind you has your back,” Keys said.
For Gardiner, that trust has been an essential part in the relay team’s success.
“We had that click, so it showed us that we belonged together and that we are sisters who have grown together,” she said.
Head coach Ryan Guarisco, who has been with the program since it began in 2009, said Barber and Gardiner have become the faces of the program.
“When anyone talks about Strawberry Crest, they bring up Brittany and Yasmine,” he said. “They started their own Facebook page, and every kid on the team is following them. They’ve kind of taken everyone under their wings and have really helped to get a lot of girls that were in other sports to come out.”
Guarisco said those multi-sport athletes, including freshman volleyball and basketball standout Terra Brooks, have been key in filling holes in other spots on the team.
“We’re starting to become a more well-rounded team this year, because (the 4×100 relay team) is going out there and seeking athletic girls on campus,” he said.
Although the 4×100 is their best event, the Lady Chargers are a young — but talented group — as a team. Strawberry Crest went undefeated in small dual meets last season and picked up win at the Jack Rice Invitational, at East Bay.
“That was a big one for our program,” Guarisco said.
The Lady Chargers finished as district runner-up in 2012, but Guarisco believes this may be his best team yet, after the recruiting efforts of current members helped to fill holes that hurt them last year, including distance runners and field events.
As for the 4×100 team, in addition to aiming for a state title, they hope to make strides with individual events. Gardiner and Barber finished first and second, respectively, in the 100- and 200-meter dash at the district meet last year. Gardiner also does the triple jump, but says the 200 is her favorite event.
“That’s my baby,” she said. “I adore the 200.”
Barber finished third at last year’s district meet in the high jump. Both seniors hope to earn Division I track scholarships.
Keys owns the school record for the triple jump with a 34.4. She jumped a 34 flat at the season opening tri-meet against Durant and East Bay Tuesday.
Williams has qualified for state in the long jump, with a personal best of 16-4. She hopes she can up that to 18 or even 20 feet this year.
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.