Being a state champion is a feeling so nice, Taylor-Nicole Overton had to do it twice.
The Vero Beach High School junior used a blistering pace to successfully defend her crown at the 400-meter run during the FHSAA Class 4A state championships on Saturday, May 9 from the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
Overton made school history in the process, becoming the Vero girls athlete to win state titles in consecutive years.
“It feels really great. It definitely is just all my hard work paying off, with all the practice I’ve been doing,” she said. “It’s just really nice to go out there and show everybody what I can do. I think it was a pretty solid race, definitely not my best. But it’s nice to walk away a state champion.
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“I was already the reigning state champion, so I was thinking I have to continue to have this title.”
Overton’s triumph in 2026 was a far cry from her victory in 2025.
Last season, the sprinter held off Fletcher’s Zyaire Thomas by 0.05 seconds. However, running out of Lane 7 this year, the Vero junior led virtually the entire race and won by more than a second. She clocked in with a high school personal-record time of 52.84. Flanagan’s Lenee Barbary was second after crossing the finish line in 53.87.
“Last year, it was really close. I was kind of lollygaggling the whole race and I realized, ‘Oh wait, I’m in second place, I need to finish strong.’ So I had to do a lot of work the last 100,” Overton said. “Honestly this year, I don’t really know how close everybody was to me. … I had a little bit more space between me and my competitors this time in the field, so that was a little bit different.”
Overton credits steady technique for her dominant performance. She also noted competing at Pepsi Florida Relays last month as a key factor. It was at that event where she set her PR by cracking the 52-second time barrier against tough competition.
But above all, Overton has a feel for the 400, one that’s been established by years of running at that distance.
“Just practicing this race over and over again, I’ve had a lot of experience in this race and I do a lot of training for it. This is my event,” she said. “I just know exactly how to run it, when to pick it up, how it feels and everything.”
Her performance in the 400 was sandwiched between two additional trips to the medal stand. Overton was a state runner-up for the second year in a row at the 200 (23.41). She took home fourth in her first year running the 100 (11.64).
“I definitely wanted to win in everything, of course,” the junior said. “I definitely wanted to PR in my events, but I didn’t PR in anything at states. That was a little discouraging, but I walked away with my first state medal in the 100, so I’m pretty happy about that. My starts weren’t the best in the 100 and 200, but I think I finished and closed strong, so that was really nice to see. Overall, it was a great day and I’m happy with how I ran.”
Vero Beach finished tied for seventh overall in 23 points.
Smaller classifications competed earlier in the week.
The sister duo of senior Joniah Holson and sophomore Jamaiya Holson each collected runner-up finishes to help Sebastian River placed 11th overall during Friday’s 3A meet. Joniah Holson capped her prep career with a second in the shot put, the younger Holson not too far behind in fifth. Jamaiya Holson notched second in the discus.
Elsewhere in 3A, South Fork senior Emerson Brinn took seventh in the 1,600 and teammed with Andi Laird, Ada Robinson and Khloe Rodgers to an eighth-place finish in the 3,200 relay. The Bulldogs scored three points as part of a tie for 36th.
Other noteworthy state finishes include Somerset College Prep senior Nayo Wright placing fourth in the long jump during Thursday’s 2A meet and St. Edward’s sophomore Jacquelyn Perrin taking fourth in the 800 during Wednesday’s 1A meet.
Girls state results
Class 4A
Team scores: 1. Creekside 47; T7. Vero Beach 23
100: 4. Taylor-Nicole Overton, VB, 11.64
200: 2. Overton, VB, 23.41
400: 1. Overton, VB, 52.84
400H: 14. Azariah Gibson, VB, 1:05.58
1,600R: 12. Vero Beach (Gibson, Ti Ewar, Sa’Mya Wells, Jailynn Lorenzo), 3:59.51
LJ: 1. Kimorah Jones, St. Lucie West Centennial, 18-1 1/2
SP: 17. Jaida Jackson, VB, 32-6 1/4
Class 3A
Team scores: 1. Dillard 69; 11. Sebastian River 20; T36 South Fork 3
1,600: 7. Emerson Brinn, SF, 5:13.12
3,200R: 8. South Fork (Brinn, Andi Laird, Ada Robinson, Khloe Rodgers), 9:31.37; 12. Jensen Beach (Annabel DeTure, Madelyn Fischer, Allie Morris, Genevieve Schmidt), 9:54.33
HJ: 13. Chalize Bowman, Okeechobee, 4-11 3/4
TJ: 17. Chaniah Gibson, SR, 35-6 1/2
SP: 2. Joniah Holson, SR, 45-8 1/2; 5. Jamaiya Holson, SR, 41-4 1/2
D: 2. Ja. Holson, SR, 148-3; 9. Jo. Holson, SR, 130-8
Class 2A
Team scores: T1. Bolles 84; T1. Montverde Academy 84; T31 Somerset College Prep 5
100H: 10. Natasha Bourne-Morgan, SCP, 15.85
LJ: 4. Nayo Wright, SCP, 17-2
Class 1A
Team scores: 1. Benjamin 62; T36. St. Edward’s 5
800: 4. Jacquelyn Perrin, SE, 2:18.1
1,600: 9. Perrin, SE, 5:15.04
1,600R: 17. John Carroll Catholic (Chloe Martinez, Juliana Fulmer, Sadie Guetler, Lauren Van Rens), 4:15.26
3,200R: 11. St. Edward’s (Cadence Callaghan, Sophia Cooper, Nahlia Hebig, Perrin), 10:15.16
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach’s Taylor-Nicole Overton convincingly repeats as 4A 400 state champ
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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