Saturday, November 10, 2018

Apalachee Regional Park was Ground Zero for the 2018 State Cross-Country Championship

State.


The climax of the high school cross-country season is the State Championship Meet. A few athletes may be focused beyond to the Foot Locker Regional. An even smaller group may be looking ahead to a Nike Cross-Country Regional. But for most athletes, State is the ultimate destination of the cross-country season.


On Saturday morning, 10 November 2018, the Florida High School Activities Association held its 73rd cross-country State Meet. For the seventh year, State was in Tallahassee on Leon County's Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course. 1,464 runners and 190 teams representing 140 schools competed in eight races. Champions were crowned. Records were set.


4A Girls 5K, 7:30 AM

The class 4A girls were the first off the starting line. Back after finishing runner-up in 2017, Alyssa Hendrix of Riverview took the lead early. Plant High frosh Mary Eudaly stuck right with the Riverview junior through three kilometers, but during the fourth kilometer Eudaly ran out of steam. Leaving Eudaly and everyone else behind, Hendrix sailed home in a winning 17:41. Alicia Ruiz, a George Jenkins sophomore, took second in 18:07, with Miami Palmetto junior Jordan Shapiro third in 18:19.

Mary Eudaly and Alyssa Hendrix

Eudaly struggled to the finish line in 18:30, but the frosh runner led her team to a winning total of 118 points. Sarasota was second in the team standings with 136 points, led by the sixteenth place, 19:02 performance of Isabelle Jester. Newsome took third in the 24-team field, behind the twelfth-place finish of their ace, Keleigh Scallon (18:51).


Plant's title was the eleventh for both the school and for their coach, Roy Harrison. Up to that point, no other school in Florida had won more girls' cross-country team titles. But there were still seven races to go that morning.


4A Girls' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Plant, 118
  2. Sarasota, 136
  3. Newsome, 152
  4. Winter Springs, 188
  5. Lake Brantley, 201
  6. Braddock, 213
  7. George Jenkins, 234
  8. Fleming Island, 243
  9. Lourdes, 256
  10. Winter Park, 273
  11. Wharton, 276
  12. Mandarin, 285
  13. Spanish River, 305
  14. Lake Mary, 305
  15. Saint Thomas Aquinas, 337
  16. George Steinbrenner, 397
  17. Park Vista, 437
  18. Boca Raton, 453
  19. Ferguson, 477
  20. Douglas, 492
  21. Palm Beach Central, 543
  22. Martin County, 588
  23. Coral Reef, 628
  24. Miami Coral Park, 667

Top Ten 4A Girls, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 17:40.5, Alyssa Hendrix (Riverview) 11
  2. 18:06.9, Alicia Ruiz (George Jenkins) 10
  3. 18:18.5, Jordan Shapiro (Miami Palmetto) 11
  4. 18:23.7, Pia Beaulieu (Boca Raton) 10
  5. 18:24.4, Elayna Bahr (Winter Springs) 11
  6. 18:26.2, Caroline Lehman (Manatee) 9
  7. 18:27.2, Mya Bodrato (Lake Mary) 10
  8. 18:29.3, Mary Eudaly (Plant) 9
  9. 18:34.7, Rylee Pustilnik (Spanish River) 11
  10. 18:38.1, Chloe Hyde (Lake Brantley) 12

1A Girls, 7:55 AM

The last 4A girl had just crossed the finish line when the 1A girls 5K started. Carly McNatt, an eighth-grader on the Holy Trinity squad, opened a gap on the field during the first kilometer. During the subsequent kilometers, that gap grew longer. McNatt was well over 200 meters ahead when she crossed the finish line in 17:36, the 2018 state champion in class 1A. Circle Christian sophomore Sinkenesh Parker moved up into second during the third kilometer and held that position with an 18:29. Behind Parker, Oak Hall frosh Lauren Jones was also moving up through the field to take third in 18:34.

Carly McNatt

Parker managed to hold off Jones, and Parker's Circle Christian team likewise held off Jones' Oak Hall squad. Circle Christian took the state title with 70 points, while Oak Hall was second with 90. Led by state champ McNatt, Holy Trinity edged Maclay for third in the team standings, 149 to 156.


1A Girls' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Circle Christian, 70
  2. Oak Hall, 90
  3. Holy Trinity, 149
  4. Maclay, 156
  5. Father Lopez, 181
  6. Miami Country Day, 217
  7. Kings Academy, 257
  8. Fort Myers Canterbury, 265
  9. Out of Door, 279
  10. Bishop Snyder, 342
  11. Westminster Christian, 343
  12. Jupiter Christian, 377
  13. Providence, 378
  14. Cardinal Mooney, 380
  15. Saint Johns Country Day, 388
  16. Baker, 409
  17. Southwest Florida Christian, 410
  18. Tallahassee Community Christian, 414
  19. Geneva, 434
  20. Saint John Paul II, 460
  21. Indian Rocks Christian, 472
  22. Divine Savior, 496
  23. Palmer Trinity, 513
  24. Mount Dora Christian, 558

Top Ten 1A Girls, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 17:35.3, Carly McNatt (Holy Trinity) 8
  2. 18:28.2, Sinkenesh Parker (Circle Christian) 10
  3. 18:33.6, Lauren Jones (Oak Hall) 9
  4. 18:50.2, Laci Watford (University Christian) 9
  5. 18:50.4, Gianna Forte (Bishop Snyder) 12
  6. 18:51.4, Mary Peck (Father Lopez) 9
  7. 19:05.7, Brooke McEwen (Circle Christian) 11
  8. 19:10.9, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
  9. 19:11.1, Jessica Edwards (Canterbury) 10
  10. 19:11.2, Katelyn Beam (First Baptist) 8
1A Girls 5K race


4A Boys, 8:20 AM

Oviedo junior Kayamo Galloway tried to run with Benjamin Hartvigsen, Sarasota's senior ace, from the start of the 4A boys' race. It was not a good decision. By the end of the third kilometer, Galloway had gone from racing right with Hartvigsen to trailing by over a hundred meters. Hartvigsen cruised onward, winning the state title in 15:27--the fastest 5K run on the Apalachee Regional Park course in 2018. Seniors Jonathan Reid of Lakewood Ranch and Nehemiah Rivers of Wharton overtook the fading Galloway; Reid was second in 15:50 and Rivers third in 15:53. Galloway ended up fifth in 16:08 behind his Oviedo teammate, senior Angel Vicioso (4th, 16:00).


Hartvigsen's win apparently set the tone for Sarasota, because the Sailors won the team title with 84 points. Led by two top-twenty finishers, Gabriel Lara (17th, 16:27) and Ryan Gorman (19th, 16:27), Steinbrenner nabbed second with 109 points. Newsome junior Dominic Acosta made it to the podium with a tenth-place performance of 16:18, leading his school to third in the team standings with 123 points.


4A Boys' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Sarasota, 84
  2. George Steinbrenner, 109
  3. Newsome, 123
  4. Oviedo, 176
  5. Saint Thomas Aquinas, 193
  6. Windermere, 197
  7. Plant, 214
  8. Columbus, 230
  9. Miami Coral Park, 291
  10. West Orange, 292
  11. Saint Cloud, 319
  12. Lake Mary, 329
  13. Wharton, 350
  14. Fleming Island, 361
  15. Spanish River, 372
  16. Buchholz, 378
  17. Martin County, 400
  18. Jupiter, 442
  19. Coral Gables, 454
  20. Palm Beach Central, 488
  21. Ferguson, 504
  22. Park Vista, 549
  23. Coral Reef, 600
  24. Boca Raton, 611

Top Ten 4A Boys, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 15:27.0, Benjamin Hartvigsen (Sarasota) 12
  2. 15:49.7, Jonathan Reid (Lakewood Ranch) 12
  3. 15:52.1, Nehemiah Rivers III (Wharton) 12
  4. 15:59.2, Angel Vicioso (Oviedo) 12
  5. 16:07.4, Kayamo Galloway (Oviedo) 11
  6. 16:10.5, Jacob Lockhart (Lake Mary) 12
  7. 16:10.8, Wynne Thomas (Plant) 10
  8. 16:12.1, Brady Zimmerman (George Jenkins) 12
  9. 16:13.4, Aidan Breslin (Saint Thomas Aquinas) 11
  10. 16:17.3, Dominic Acosta (Newsome) 11

1A Boys, 8:45 AM

I don't like to emphasize times in cross-country, but in three years of racing for Mount Dora Christian, Gabriel Curtis always ran his best time of the season at Apalachee Regional Park. His frosh year that was a 16:33.3 at the FSU Invitational. His sophomore year, Curtis posted a title-winning 16:17.7 in the 1A boys' race at the State Meet. As a Junior, his season-best was a 16:22.9 at the State Meet. Collins broke the pattern his senior year; his 15:52.7 in the State Meet was his best time ever at ARPXC, but it was well off his season best of 15:28.2. It was still fast enough to give Collins his second 1A boys' title, capping a four-year run during which he never finished farther back than eighth at State. Marathon sophomore Jonathan Pitchford was second in 15:58.9, and Maclay Junior Junious Brown edged South Florida HEAT junior Joseph Anderton for third, 16:03.0 to 16:03.4.

Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course

To be the winning team in cross-country you don't need the winning runner on your squad, but it doesn't hurt. It didn't hurt Mount Dora Christian to have state champion Curtis wearing Bulldog colors, nor was it a handicap to have Mount Dora Christian senior Jackson Pruim finishing fifth in 16:04.93. When the scores were tallied, the Bulldog boys had 84 points and the schools' second straight state title. Led by the sixth-place, 16:14.7 finish of sophomore Austin Montini, Oak Hall was second with 169 points. Providence was third with a score of 202, led by Steven Cartwright (17th, 16:52.1).


1A Boys' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Mount Dora Christian, 84
  2. Oak Hall, 169
  3. Providence, 202
  4. Seffner Christian, 210
  5. Admiral Farragut, 235
  6. Kings Academy, 238
  7. Saint Johns Country Day, 257
  8. Lakeland Christian, 264
  9. Marathon, 283
  10. St Joseph, 297
  11. Circle Christian, 304
  12. Father Lopez, 310
  13. Maclay, 320
  14. Seacrest Country Day, 325
  15. Pensacola Christian, 333
  16. Benjamin, 347
  17. Southwest Florida Christian, 360
  18. Palmer Trinity, 367
  19. Trinity Christian Jacksonville, 370
  20. Indian Rocks Christian, 402
  21. Geneva, 447
  22. South Florida HEAT, 452
  23. FAU Henderson, 458

Top Ten 1A Boys, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 15:52.7, Gabriel Curtis (Mount Dora Christian) 12
  2. 15:58.9, Jonathan Pitchford (Marathon) 10
  3. 16:03.0, Junious Brown (Maclay) 11
  4. 16:03.4, Joseph Anderton (South Florida HEAT) 11
  5. 16:04.3, Jackson Pruim (Mount Dora Christian) 12
  6. 16:14.7, Austin Montini (Oak Hall) 10
  7. 16:19.6, Ted Twyman (Benjamin) 12
  8. 16:19.9, Matthew Stratton (Saint Johns Country Day) 9
  9. 16:22.3, John McKenzie (Seffner Christian) 11
  10. 16:27.9, Philip Henderson (Admiral Farragut) 11

2A Girls, 9:10 AM

Tsion Yared won the 2A girls' race at the State Meet in 2014 as a seventh-grader. Yared won again in 2017, her sophomore year. She successfully defended that title in the 2018 race, running 17:26.6. That put Yared well ahead of the 17:39.7 posted by runner-up Rebecca Clark, a senior at Villages High. Another Pine Crest junior, Emily Faulhaber, grabbed third at 18:16.2.


With runners placing first and third, Pine Crest had a great start on their team score. But while the Panthers were waiting for their third runner, Bolles put six runners across the finish line--eighth-grader Elizabeth Csikai (11th, 18:47.5), sophomore Maxine Montoya (12th, 18:47.6), junior Helena Cummings (16th, 18:59.3), eighth-grader Jillian Candelino (18th, 19:06.3), eighth-grader Ella Mickler (21st, 19:08.4), and senior Maeve O'Riordan (22nd, 19:13.3). The first five of those runners gave Bolles 66 points and the eleventh girls' team title for the Bulldogs--equaling the state record set earlier in the morning by Plant. Pine Crest was second with 84 points, and Montverde squeaked by Trinity Prep to take third, 112 to 113.


2A Girls' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Bolles, 66
  2. Pine Crest, 84
  3. Montverde Academy, 112
  4. Trinity Prep, 113
  5. Rockledge, 153
  6. Titusville, 218
  7. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian, 222
  8. Citrus Park Christian, 286
  9. Satellite, 306
  10. Holy Names, 319
  11. Saint Brendan, 334
  12. Berkeley Prep, 336
  13. South Walton, 387
  14. Episcopal, 391
  15. Villages, 391
  16. Frostproof, 453
  17. Bishop Kenny, 458
  18. Citrus, 460
  19. West Florida, 471
  20. Bishop Verot, 474
  21. Nature Coast, 528
  22. McKeel, 539
  23. Pensacola Catholic, 539

Top Ten 2A Girls, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 17:26.6, Tsion Yared (Pine Crest) 11
  2. 17:39.7, Rebecca Clark (Villages) 12
  3. 18:16.2, Emily Faulhaber (Pine Crest) 11
  4. 18:22.0, Lily Henne (Montverde) 9
  5. 18:24.6, Megan Hughes (Holy Names) 11
  6. 18:27.7, Eleanor Tymorek (Saint Andrews) 10
  7. 18:31.2, Emily Vargas (Avon Park) 11
  8. 18:38.2, Billie Castillo (Titusville) 11
  9. 18:46.5, Kendyl Cardwell (Montverde) 10
  10. 18:47.2, Audrey McAnally (Trinity Prep) 11

3A Girls, 9:35 AM

Tsion Yared's 17:26.63 in the 2A girls' race was just a sliver of a second off of the high school girls' course record at ARPXC, the 17:26.61 posted by Bailey Hertenstein in the 2017 State Meet. As fast as those performances were, Valerie Lastra eclipsed both marks, running 17:17.5 in the 3A girls' 5K. Lastra had some company during the first couple of kilometers, but the Mater Academy junior ran alone during the second half of the race, finishing the 5K with a lead of nearly 150 meters. Gainesville frosh Ani Veltcheva, running in her first State Meet, placed second in 17:46.5. East Lake junior Parker Valby edged Taylor Stone of Osceola Seminole for third, 18:00.0 to 18:00.2.


Emily Culley, a Chiles senior, took fifth in 18:04.6. Culley was joined in the top ten by two other Chiles athletes--junior Caitlin Wilkey (7th, 18:11.0) and junior Alyson Churchill (9th, 18:16.6). Chiles seniors Abby Schrobilgen (17th, 19:12.1) and Olivia Miller (24th, 19:32.5) finished up the scoring for the Timberwolves, giving their team first place. Osceola Seminole took the second-place trophy home with a score of 94. Creekside, led by sophomore Elizabeth Iliff (10th, 18:23.8), placed third with 111 points.


3A Girls' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Chiles, 45
  2. Osceola Seminole, 94
  3. Creekside, 111
  4. Naples, 176
  5. Fort Myers, 188
  6. Niceville, 273
  7. Harmony, 276
  8. Saint Augustine, 279
  9. Robinson, 281
  10. Sunlake, 283
  11. Charlotte, 284
  12. Dillard, 334
  13. Cape Coral, 349
  14. Ponte Vedra, 356
  15. Viera, 359
  16. Leon, 361
  17. Vanguard, 403
  18. Miami Northwestern, 419
  19. South Fork, 451
  20. Gainesville, 485
  21. Matanzas, 535
  22. Jensen Beach, 576
  23. New Smyrna Beach, 585
  24. West Shore, 650

Top Ten 3A Girls, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 17:17.5, Valerie Lastra (Mater Academy) 11
  2. 17:46.5, Ani Veltcheva (Gainesville) 9
  3. 18:00.0, Parker Valby (East Lake) 11
  4. 18:00.2, Taylor Stone (Osceola Seminole) 11
  5. 18:04.6, Emily Culley (Chiles) 12
  6. 18:06.5, Liina Winborn (Sunlake) 11
  7. 18:11.0, Caitlin Wilkey (Chiles) 11
  8. 18:16.4, Lillian Holtery (Niceville) 10
  9. 18:16.6, Alyson Churchill (Chiles) 11
  10. 18:23.8, Elizabeth Iliff (Creekside) 10

2A Boys, 10:00 AM

Bolles senior Charles Hicks placed first in the 2A boys race with a 15:29.2. Bolles senior Chase Rivera placed second in the 2A boys race with a 15:41.9. Bolles senior Benjamin Foltz placed third in the 2A boys race with a 15:43.6.


Just in case you were thinking that only Bolles athletes were in the race, fourth place went to Avon Park senior Dylan Branch, who ran 15:48.3.


Bolles wasn't done yet, though. Senior Alexander Hastings took sixth for the Bulldogs, running 15:53.5. Bolles fifth scorer was senior Kamren Khan, fourteenth in 16:19.1, giving the Bulldogs a mathematically unbeatable team score of 21 and the championship. Satellite was second with 118 points and Lake Highland Prep third with 213.


2A Boys' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Bolles, 21
  2. Satellite, 118
  3. Lake Highland Prep, 213
  4. Bishop Kenny, 217
  5. Key West, 227
  6. Lake Wales, 258
  7. Fernandina Beach, 276
  8. Pine Crest, 284
  9. Ransom Everglades, 312
  10. Trinity Prep, 321
  11. Cocoa Beach, 324
  12. Bishop Moore, 364
  13. Astronaut, 369
  14. Episcopal, 372
  15. Gulf, 372
  16. Berkeley Prep, 382
  17. LaBelle, 384
  18. Lely, 385
  19. South Walton, 387
  20. Port Orange Atlantic, 410
  21. Dunbar, 456
  22. Arnold, 489
  23. Eastside, 520
  24. Citrus Park Christian, 582

Top Ten 2A Boys, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 15:29.2, Charles Hicks (Bolles) 12
  2. 15:41.9, Chase Rivera (Bolles) 12
  3. 15:43.6, Benjamin Foltz (Bolles) 12
  4. 15:48.3, Dylan Branch (Avon Park) 12
  5. 15:50.4, Troy Smith (Rockledge) 12
  6. 15:53.5, Alexander Hastings (Bolles) 12
  7. 15:56.2, Anderson Denton (Lake Wales) 11
  8. 15:58.1, Jacob Hensley (Citrus) 12
  9. 16:01.2, John Sorensen (Fernandina Beach) 12
  10. 16:02.0, Robert Pedroza (Key West) 11

3A Boys, 10:25 AM

During the second half of the 3A boys' race, Belen Jesuit runners Javier Vento and Adam Magoulas emerged from the pack together, going on to take the first two spots. Vento, a sophomore, was state champion in 15:39.9, while frosh Magoulas finished runner-up in 15:41.9. Armwood junior Jake Turner was a close third in 15:42.8.


3A Boys' Team Standings, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. Belen Jesuit, 35
  2. Chiles, 170
  3. Creekside, 203
  4. Sunlake, 211
  5. Bartram Trail, 214
  6. Niceville, 215
  7. Nease, 230
  8. Robinson, 238
  9. Ponte Vedra, 248
  10. Fort Myers, 280
  11. Estero, 327
  12. Jesuit, 359
  13. Naples, 372
  14. Vanguard, 381
  15. Gulf Coast, 402
  16. West Shore, 403
  17. Gainesville, 416
  18. Dwyer, 426
  19. Lecanto, 466
  20. Seabreeze, 474
  21. Viera, 476
  22. South Fork, 491
  23. Terra Institute, 521
  24. Land O Lakes, 526

Top Ten 3A Boys, 2018 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
  1. 15:39.9, Javier Vento (Belen Jesuit) 10
  2. 15:41.9, Adam Magoulas (Belen Jesuit) 9
  3. 15:42.8, Jake Turner (Armwood) 11
  4. 15:52.6, Aidan O Gorman (New Smyrna Beach) 12
  5. 15:55.0, Hugh Brittenham (Estero) 12
  6. 15:57.4, Ethan Geiger (Robinson) 11
  7. 16:07.1, Thomas Weiler (South Fork) 11
  8. 16:13.0, Nickolas Kamen (Gulf Coast) 12
  9. 16:14.4, Justin Tackling (Nease) 11
  10. 16:14.5, Lucas De La Hoz (Belen Jesuit) 12

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Posted by Herb Wills at 4:58 PM
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