A stunning senior year encore for Velasquez and Santiago at the All-Star Classic

In high school running, after the state cross country championships there's always a "Wait Till Next Year!" attitude. The winners are looking forward to notching another title. Everyone else is resolving to train hard and take the title from them. That doesn't apply to the seniors, though. For the members of the senior class, there is no next year. In Florida, however, there is the FACA Senior All-Star Cross-Country Classic, a meet hosted by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association each year since 1997.


The 17th annual All-Star Classic opened at 9:00 AM Saturday morning, 23 November 2013, on the Apalachee Regional Park championship cross-country course in Tallahassee, Florida. Each of the 29 girls in the first race were familiar with the course, having run there two week earlier at the FHSAA State Cross-Country Championships. Of the All-Stars, the fastest performance at the State Meet belonged to Cypress Bay's Katherine MacNeal; MacNeal had run 18:28.18 to place second in the class 2A race. At the All-Star Classic MacNeal set the early pace in the girls' race, leading for most of the first of the course's two loops. Among the runners a few steps behind MacNeal was Ferguson's Katrina Santiago. Santiago hadn't run as fast as MacNeal at the State Meet, but Santiago had run 18:21.48 at the FSU Invitational in October--the fastest Apalachee Regional Park performance of the entire All-Star field. Santiago moved up through the lead group, working her way up into second. Then, early in the second loop, Santiago passed MacNeal to take over the lead. MacNeal fought to stay with Santiago, but with a mile to go Santiago held a growing four-second lead. Behind MacNeal, Wakulla Madison Harris had just passed Claire Castillo of Titusville to move into third. While MacNeal was chasing Santiago, Harris was stalking MacNeal.


No one was going to catch Katrina Santiago that morning, though. Santiago continued to run away from the field though the last mile, ultimately winning the All-Star Classic 5K in 18:39. Madison Harris had overtaken Katherine MacNeal, but MacNeal wasn't done yet. MacNeal charged down the final slope to the finish line, making up ground on Harris with every step. MacNeal slipped byright before the finish line to take second, while the defeated Harris stumbled and fell just past the finish line. Both runners were clocked in 18:49. Claire Castillo held off Palm Beach Central's Morgan Hull 19:09 to 19:11 to take fourth.


Whatever the athlete's school, at the All-Star Classic they were competing for their region, and Santiago and Castillo had given the South the first two places in the race. Hull and Luly Brea (9th, 19:24) gave the South another two runners in the top ten. When Emily Hernandez (11th, 19:32) finished the South had 28 points and the team title. Led by Castillo, the East, last year's top girls team, was second with 47 points.


Team Standings, Girls

1. So​uth, 28 points
2. E​ast, 47
3. W​est, 59
4. No​rth, 86

Girls Results

1. 18:38.35 ~ K​atrina​ Sa​ntiago (So​uth)
2. 18:48.23 ~ K​atherine MacNeal (So​uth)
3. 18:48.38 ~ M​adison Harr​is (No​rth)
4. 19:08.49 ~ Claire C​astillo (E​ast)
5. 19:10.10 ~ Morgan Hull (So​uth)
6. 19:14.01 ~ Charl​otte​ Stephe​ns (E​ast)
7. 19:16.59 ~ Emily Ha​rding (W​est)
8. 19:17.74 ~ De​stiny Joh​nson (W​est)
9. 19:23.29 ~ Lou​rdes Brea (So​uth)
10. 19:25.15 ~ Brenna Joh​nson (E​ast)
11. 19:31.61 ~ Emily Herna​ndez (So​uth)
12. 19:33.54 ~ Morgan Morr​is (E​ast)
13. 19:40.19 ~ Sarah Raymo​nd (W​est)
14. 19:42.95 ~ Cheyenne A​ndrew (W​est)
15. 19:43.67 ~ Sarah​ Deibner (E​ast)
16. 19:52.87 ~ Nina Li (E​ast)
17. 20:01.51 ~ An​ita Munoz​ Trejo (W​est)
18. 20:23.27 ~ Maria ​Isabella Poole (No​rth)
19. 20:24.95 ~ Devin B​os (E​ast)
20. 20:25.19 ~ ​Ashley Carpe​nter (No​rth)
21. 20:37.27 ~ April Pol​ite (No​rth)
22. 21:02.00 ~ Kaley​ Doyle (So​uth)
23. 21:06.96 ~ Co​nstance​ Thurmo​nd (So​uth)
24. 21:10.11 ~ Sara​ Steele (No​rth)
25. 21:12.35 ~ Chinami W​ade (W​est)
26. 21:14.17 ~ Stephanie​ de la Gua​rd (So​uth)
27. 21:26.17 ~ Breanna Cole (E​ast)
28. 21:40.75 ~ J​essica Van Cleave (No​rth)
29. 24:17.49 ~ Rhianna Moller (No​rth)

The boys' 5K started just after 9:30 AM. Fort Walton Beach's Tyler Fabacher, running for the West, was setting the pace for the field at the one-kilometer mark. Manuel Velasquez of St. Thomas Aquinas, running for the South, was right behind him, and the rest of the field wasn't far back. At 1500 meters Leonel Delacruz of Immokalee, running for the West, had taken over pacesetting. Once again, Velasquez was right off his shoulder.


As the field spread out, Tyler Stahl of Land O Lakes, running for the West, took a turn at the lead. Early in the second half of the race, though, Manuel Velasquez went to the front. Stahl followed, with Fort Walton Beach's Charlie Shackelford, running for the North, holding down third. With one kilometer to go, Shackelford had moved into the lead, with Velasquez on his shoulder. Stahl and Deland's Keneth Pinero (East) were a few steps back. Over the final kilometer, Velasquez took charge. Pineiro fell back, leaving Shackelford and Stahl fighting for second place. Velasquez dashed home with the win in 15:39. Shackelford held on to second in 15:45, with Stahl third in 15:48. Pineiro took fourth in 15:55.


For the West team, Stahl was joined in the top ten by Land O Lakes's Travis Nichols (6th, 16:04), Mount Dora Bible's Troy Clark (7th, 16:06), and Immokalee's Leonel Delacruz (8th, 16:10). The North took the next four places, rounding out their team total of 44. But when Land O Lakes's Jack Poore (13th, 16:27) crossed the line for the West, the team had a winning total of 37 points.



Team Standings, Boys

1. W​est, 37 points
2. No​rth, 44
3. E​ast, 63
4. So​uth, 83

Boys Results

1. 15:38.35 ~ Manuel Vel​asquez (So​uth)
2. 15:44.56 ~ Charl​es Shacke​lfo​rd (No​rth)
3. 15:47.80 ~ Tyler​ Stahl (W​est)
4. 15:54.39 ~ Ken​eth Pineiro (E​ast)
5. 15:59.35 ~ Xavier Wa​lton (E​ast)
6. 16:03.42 ~ Trav​is Nicho​ls (W​est)
7. 16:05.35 ~ Troy Clark (W​est)
8. 16:09.71 ~ Leonel​ Delacruz (W​est)
9. 16:10.31 ~ Thom​as Howell (No​rth)
10. 16:17.12 ~ Sam Mack (No​rth)
11. 16:21.20 ~ Eric​ Tallbacka (No​rth)
12. 16:24.14 ~ W​esley No​rton (No​rth)
13. 16:26.10 ~ Jake Poore (W​est)
14. 16:27.91 ~ Canaan Me​ester-K​itter (W​est)
15. 16:28.97 ~ Tyler O'Brien (E​ast)
16. 16:29.71 ~ A​ustin​ Decker (No​rth)
17. 16:33.25 ~ Ronny Greenup (So​uth)
18. 16:34.93 ~ Jon​athan Hulzeb​os (E​ast)
19. 16:36.88 ~ Noah Kemp (No​rth)
20. 16:37.16 ~ Leonel Pozo (So​uth)
21. 16:37.32 ~ Carl​os Jam​es (E​ast)
22. 16:38.71 ~ A​ntony Cruz (So​uth)
23. 16:43.53 ~ Michael​ So​nderegger (So​uth)
24. 16:46.49 ~ Kenn​eth C​astro (So​uth)
25. 16:49.31 ~ Joey Ma​us (So​uth)
26. 16:49.49 ~ Sa​ntiago​ Saiki (So​uth)
27. 16:50.33 ~ Bryce Vok​us (W​est)
28. 16:58.55 ~ Carl​os Ram​os (E​ast)
29. 17:09.16 ~ Sam Mi​lson (E​ast)
30. 17:09.33 ~ Tyler​ Fabacher (W​est)
31. 17:24.31 ~ Kyle​ Decker (E​ast)

FACA Senior All-Star Cross-Country Champions, 1997-2013
DATE	BOYS	GIRLS
6 DEC 1997 1	15:31, Courtney Chambers	18:44, Erin Merten
5 DEC 1998 2	15:54, Cedric Gillette
4 DEC 1999 3	15:25, Dan Cook	18:31, Beth Lukens
2 DEC 2000 4	15:31, Sean Jefferson	18:28, Anna Brew
3 DEC 2001 5	15:02, Nick Wilson	17:54, Cathlene Willy
7 DEC 2002 6	15:19, Ryder Leary	19:34.40, Allie Hunter
22 NOV 2003	15:48, Alex Miletich	18:41, Devin Gapstur
15 NOV 2004	15:34, Bryan Sharkey	17:33, Jennifer Simpson
22 NOV 2005	15:37, Steven Bell	17:42, Kelly Parrish
17 NOV 2006	15:24, Michael Anderson	18:34, Kaitlin Shiver
1 DEC 2007	15:23, Joseph Franklin	18:40, Devin Spoerle
6 DEC 2008 7	16:05, Bret Butler	18:20, Juliana Stern
5 DEC 2009 8	16:08, Sean Rynning	18:13, Jana Stolting
4 DEC 2010	15:44, Tyler Cardillo	18:29, Teresa Ristow
3 DEC 2011	15:46, Chris Godwin	18:23, Anne-Marie Blaney
1 DEC 2012	15:40, Aesop Brown	18:44, Ellyn Snider
23 NOV 2013	15:39, Manuel Vel​asquez	18:39, K​atrina​ Sa​ntiago
1 In 1997 the meet was at Spruce Creek HS in Port Orange 2 In 1998 the meet was at Osceola County Stadium and Sports Complex in Kissimmee 3 In 1999 the meet was at Sperling Sports Complex in DeLand, FL 4 In 2000 the meet was at Lake Mary HS 5 From 2001 to 2007 the meet was at the Miccosukee Greenway in Tallahassee 6 Starting in 2002 the race distance was increased from three miles to five km 7 In 2008 the meet was at Maclay School in Tallahassee 8 From 2009 to 2013 the meet was at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee

Links

• More photos of the 2013 FACA Senior All-Star Cross-Country Classic
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103848251260473.1073741929.5215641&l=017dca3998
  
  
• John Kalin's photos of the 2013 FACA Senior All-Star XC Classic at DistancePreps.com
  http://www.distancepreps.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=photos&folder_id=2801
  
  
• DistancePreps video coverage of the 2013 FACA Senior All-Star XC Classic
  http://www.distancepreps.com/gprofile.php?do=videos&mgroup_id=31488
  
  
• 2012 story, "All-Star meet is All East"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/12/faca-2012.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Ristow and Cardillo brightest stars at FACA meet"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/12/faca-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "North All-Stars Sweep the FACA Cross-Country Meet"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/12/north-all-stars-sweep-faca-cross.html
  
  
• You don't have to be an All-Star to run the races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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