GAINESVILLE -- Suncoast senior Da'Juan Morgan couldn't hold back the tears. He didn't try to, and neither did his mom, Margaret Edmond.
What has been nothing less than a tumultuous senior year for Morgan had a happy ending Friday night at the University of Florida's Percy Beard Stadium as Morgan won the boys 400-meter sprint.
Moments after being presented his gold medal, Morgan and his mother embraced each other on the infield. Then Morgan promptly hung his gold medal around his mother's neck as tears streamed down their cheeks.
"When I approached the starting line, the only thing on my mind was to win the gold medal for my mom," Morgan said. "I promised her I would win the gold for her. We broke down in tears together."
The emotion Morgan displayed was rooted in a series of emotional setbacks for the Suncoast senior. A tornado that swept through Morgan's Riviera Beach neighborhood last summer damaged his family's home. Then a serious automobile accident in August nearly cost one of Morgan's teammates his life and ended Morgan's football season before it even started.
Despite having to miss football season because of injuries from the accident, Morgan made an early commitment to Ohio State, but a few days before signing day the Buckeyes rescinded the scholarship after the OSU admissions office said he did not quite meet its academic standards despite Morgan having qualified according to NCAA standards.
Morgan, who then signed with North Carolina State in February, was cleared by his doctor in December to play sports again, and he set his sights on making to Gainesville for the state track and field championships. Friday night, after he clocked a winning time of 49.21 seconds to win the 400-meter title, he couldn't help but cry a little.
"I cried after I got turned down by Ohio State, and I cried tonight," Morgan said.
Morgan's story was the most compelling of the throng of area athletes at this meet. There were six other athletes from Palm Beach County schools who collected gold medals in individual events, including Suncoast sophomore Lecia Brown, who picked up two.
"I'm so happy for Da'Juan," Brown said after winning the 100-meter and 400-meter sprints, giving her two state titles in the 400. "Da'Juan and Alondra (Cooper) pushed me all year when I needed it. I think I worked more diligently this year and they helped. I had no idea I'd win the 100. That was just for fun and to help me get loose for the 400. I didn't think I'd win though."
Brown's winning time in the 400 meters of 54.93 seconds is the fastest in the state this season. She also clocked a personal season-best 12.03 in winning the 100 meters.
Cooper, a three-time state champion in the girls 800 meters, was denied her fourth gold medal in the event when she was beaten by sophomore Jackie Areson of Pope John Paul. Cooper's runner-up time in the 800 was 2:15.41, slightly slower than her winning time last year in that race of 2:13.10, which would have been fast enough to beat Areson on Friday night. Cooper also placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles final.
Ashley Harris of Suncoast placed sixth in the girls 400 meters.
