Milford and Willis lead a Maclay sweep of the individual and team titles in 1A District 3

On Tuesday morning, 18 October 2016, championship season opened for the class 1A high school cross-country teams of Florida's Big Bend with the District 3 meet. This gateway to the Region 1 championships was hosted by Aucilla Christian Academy at the University of Florida's IFAS Jefferson County Extension Office, just west of Monticello.


Competition opened with the girls' 5K race. Maclay senior Caroline Willis won the race, covering the 3.1-mile course around the Extension Office grounds in 20:51. It was Willis' fourth district title in four years. Maclay also took the next three places, with Marauders Molly McCann second in 20:56, Lindsay James third in 20:58, and Ella Porcher fourth in 22:22. John Paul II senior Julia Rose Travis was the first runner to interrupt the wave of Marauders; Travis was fifth in 22:34.


Once Maclay's Sophia Paredes had crossed the finish line sixth in 22:35, the Marauders had a near-perfect score of 16 points and the team title. Led by the eighth-place 22:55 performance of Natalie Vasquez, Aucilla Christian was second in the team standings with 58 points. John Paul II placed third with 68 points. All three teams advanced to the Region 1 championships, scheduled for Friday afternoon, 28 October 2016, at the Escambia County Equestrian Center near Pensacola.


Girls' Team Standings, 2016 FHSAA 1A District 3 Cross Country Meet

1. Maclay, 16 *
2. Aucilla Christian, 58 *
3. John Paul II Catholic, 68 *

* Team advances to the Region 1 Championships


Top Ten Girls, 2016 FHSAA 1A District 3 Cross Country Meet

1. 20:50.40 ~ Caroline Willis (Maclay) 12
2. 20:55.31 ~ Molly McCann (Maclay) 12
3. 20:57.12 ~ Lindsay James (Maclay) 8
4. 22:21.07 ~ Ella Porcher (Maclay) 6
5. 22:33.23 ~ Julia Rose Travis (John Paul II Catholic) 12
6. 22:34.47 ~ Sophia Paredes (Maclay) 6
7. 22:42.00 ~ Avery Smith (Maclay) 9
8. 22:54.73 ~ Natalie Vasquez (Aucilla Christian) 12
9. 22:59.53 ~ Emma Travis (John Paul II Catholic) 12
10. 23:04.44 ~ Kenzie Mazziotta (Maclay) 10

In the girls' race, Caroline Willis was the only past champion on the starting line. However, there were three athletes in the boys' 5K who had won the race before. Maclay senior Jake Mazziotta had been the 1A District 3 champion in 2013, Aucilla Christian senior Gatlin Nennstiel had won the title in 2014, and Maclay sophomore Clay Milford was the 2015 winner. When the 2016 race was over, Milford had successfully defended his 2015 title, winning the race in 17:28. Nennstiel was runner-up in 17:40, and Junious Brown IV of Maclay was third in 18:16. 2013 champ Mazziotta was fourth in 18:25.


Once Thomas As the top three schools, Maclay, John Paul II, and Aucilla Christian qualified for the Region 1 championship. By placing fifth in 18:51, David Keen of North Florida Christian advanced to the Region 1 meet as an individual, as did Community Christian's Andrew Wynn, who was eighth in 19:01.


Boys' Team Standings, 2016 FHSAA 1A District 3 Cross Country Meet

1. Maclay, 19 *
2. Aucilla Christian, 54 *
3. John Paul II Catholic, 76 *
4. Jefferson County, 99

* Team advances to the Region 1 Championships


Top Ten Boys, 2016 FHSAA 1A District 3 Cross Country Meet

1. 17:27.58 ~ Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 10
2. 17:39.22 ~ Gatlin Nennstiel (Aucilla Christian) 12
3. 18:15.85 ~ Junious Brown IV (Maclay) 9
4. 18:24.11 ~ Jake Mazziotta (Maclay) 12
5. 18:50.61 ~ David Keen (North Florida Christian) 9
6. 18:50.82 ~ Thomas Deison (Maclay) 9
7. 18:53.63 ~ Daniel Sweeney (Maclay) 11
8. 19:00.04 ~ Andrew Wynn (Community Christian) 10
9. 19:04.29 ~ Seth Kemeny (John Paul II Catholic) 11
10. 19:32.22 ~ Gannon Hundley (Maclay) 12

FHSAA 1A District 3 champions, 2011 - 2016
Boys
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
5 November 2011	Maclay, 25	17:03, Travis Covert (Maclay) 11
1 November 2012	Maclay, 20	16:40, Griffith Rutherford (NFC) 11
24 October 2013	Maclay, 35	16:43, Griffith Rutherford (NFC) 12
28 October 2014	Maclay, 19	17:25, Jake Mazziotta (Maclay) 10
20 October 2015	Maclay, 22	17:21, Gatilin Nennstiel (Aucilla) 11
18 October 2016	Maclay, 16	17:28, Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 10
Girls
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
5 November 2011	Maclay, 21	18:16, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay) 11
1 November 2012	Maclay, 16	20:21, Kristin Sweeney (Maclay) 12
24 October 2013	Maclay, 15	21:32, Caroline Willis (Maclay) 9
28 October 2014	Maclay, 15	20:45, Caroline Willis (Maclay) 10
20 October 2015	Maclay, 15	19:57, Caroline Willis (Maclay) 11
18 October 2016	Maclay, 16	20:51, Caroline Willis (Maclay) 12
District 3 in its current form didn't exist before 2011. The meet was held at Maclay School from 2011 to 2015. The meet was held at the UF IFAS Jefferson County Extension Office in 2016.

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 FHSAA District 3-1A Cross Country Championships
  
  
  
• 2014 story, “Caroline Willis and Jake Mazziotta lead a Maclay sweep of District 3-1A”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/fhsaa-district-3-1a-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Willis and Rutherford win in District 3-1A; Maclay sweeps the team titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/10/fhsaa-district-3-1a-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Championship season opens with District 3-1A and a Maclay sweep”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/11/fhsaa-district-3-1a-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “First meet in the state tournament is all Maclay”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/11/fhsaa-district-3-1a-xc-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “2010 FHSAA District 1-1A Cross-Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/11/district-1-1a-xc-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “2009 FHSAA District 1-1A Cross Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/11/2009-fhsaa-district-1-1a-cross-country.html
  
  
• Find an upcoming road or cross-country race in the Tallahassee region
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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