Moore Haven High School seniors Leyla Escobar and Akeelah Ling are this week’s Big Lake Athletes of the Week for their performances with the Terrier track and field team. 

Escobar broke Moore Haven’s school record in the 1600-meter race. The original record was 6:04 and she beat it by two seconds, clocking in at 6:02. She also broke a record in the 3200-meter race. The record was 13.22.62 and she finished with a time of 13.22.39, a difference of 00.23 seconds. 

When Leyla first began her journey to play sports at eight years old I was her first ever coach,” said Moore Haven coach Nate. “And to me watching her break records means that much more because I witnessed her growth.” 

Head Coach Kaneidra says Leyla is the humblest athlete she has ever had the opportunity to coach so watching her break the record brought pure joy to her heart. She described Leyla as a silent leader who leads by example and through her actions. 

Akeelah Ling is a previous Big Lake Athlete of the Week winner and has already broken two school records last year and is on the verge of breaking another this year. If Ling achieves that, she will hold every sprinting record at Moore Haven. 

In 2022 Ling won Big Lake Athlete of the Week honors after earning first place in multiple track events at the Jim Smith Invitational. Akeelah finished first in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and her team won the 4x100 relay. Her time in the 100-meter was 12.76 and 26.40 in the 200-meter. 

“No one is more passionate than Akeelah when it comes to this sport,” said coach Nate. “She represents Moore Haven to the utmost and arguably the greatest all-around female athlete to ever attend Moore Haven Jr-Sr High School.” 

Akeelah has been participating in track and field since sixth grade and is also a member of an AAU track team. 

If you have someone you’d like to nominate for Big Lake Athlete of the Week, email Lake Okeechobee News sports reporter Richard Marion at rmarion@iniusa.org or visit southcentralfloridalife.com/athlete.