Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Annabelle Wiktorski and Jonathan Kiros rule at the Everhart Invitational

After skipping 2020, Tallahassee, Florida's oldest middle school cross-country meet was back on the schedule on Wednesday morning, 15 September 2021. Annabelle Wiktorski, a Montford seventh-grader, won the girls' 3K race in 12:07, while the Deerlake girls scored 27 points to take first in the team standings. In the boys' 3K, Deerlake seventh-grader Jonathan Kiros threw down a winning 11:10. The Montford boys took the team title with 35 points.

Annabelle Wiktorski
Annabelle Wiktorski

The grounds of Everhart School aren't expansive enough for a three-kilometer course, and the school is surrounded by suburban development, so a good bit of the racing at the Everhart Invitational is on nearby streets. The course also includes as much of the school property as possible, including the bus ramp. Unfortunately, three vehicles were navigating the bus ramp when the girls came through during the first 500 meters of their race.


"They let a car onto the course and I had to run farther to go around it, then work hard to catch up with her," said Annabelle Wiktorski, indicating her Montford teammate Andi Vilardo. "London ran into a tree."

Top Ten Girls
Top Ten Girls

London Mellen, a Deerlake eighth-grader, recovered from her encounter with a live oak soon enough to lead the field around the school yard. By the time the race had left Everhart for the streets, Wiktorski had moved into second. At 1600 meters the Montford seventh-grader was just off Mellen's shoulder. Overtaking Mellen late in the second kilometer, Wiktorski started to open a gap. Another Deerlake eighth-grader, Abbey Griffin, passed Mellen on the way back to the school, but no one caught Wiktorski. Maintaining her lead, she crossed the finish line in a winning 12:07. Griffin took the runner-up spot in 12:13. Mellen was third in 12:30, and Vilardo fourth in 12:32.


"It was not the most difficult course I've run, but it wasn't easy," said Wiktorski after the race. "I did get a new PR today. I usually run better in the morning."

Deerlake Girls' Cross-Country Team
Deerlake Girls

Deerlake ended up with six runners in the top ten; Griffin and Mellen were the first two. The remaining Deerlake scorers were sixth-grader Chloe Molen (6th, 12:41), seventh-grader Kaia Ables (7th, 12:46), and sixth-grader Honesty Daniel (9th, 13:15). Those five gave the Bucks a mathematically unbeatable 27 points and the first-place team trophy. It was the fourth win in four appearances for the Deerlake girs, who have a five-meet winning streak in Leon County Schools cross-country going back to the 2020 season.


Wiktorski's Montford Mustangs were second with 34 points. Raa, led by eighth-grader Kennedy Bell (11th, 13:42) edged Cobb for third, 98 to 103. Eight schools had teams in the race.


2021 Everhart Invitational Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 27
  2. Montford, 34
  3. Raa, 98
  4. Cobb, 103
  5. Swift Creek, 122
  6. Fairview, 154
  7. Nims, 214
  8. Griffin, 236
  9. Fort Braden, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2021 Everhart Invitational
  1. 12:06.20, Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford) 7
  2. 12:12.45, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 8
  3. 12:29.75, London Mellen (Deerlake) 8
  4. 12:31.16, Andi Vilardo (Montford) 7
  5. 12:33.49, Savannah Stanley (Montford) 7
  6. 12:40.01, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 6
  7. 12:45.94, Kaia Ables (Deerlake) 7
  8. 13:01.34, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 7
  9. 13:14.70, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 6
  10. 13:17.59, Madeline Morris (Deerlake) 8

Between the streets and the bus ramps, there is a lot of pavement on the three-kilometer course at the Everhart Invitational, certainly more than you'd typically expect in cross-country running. For some people, that's not a bad thing.


"I actually really loved it," said Jonathan Kiros. "I run well on the roads."

Jonathan Kiros
Jonathan Kiros

The seventh-grader certainly ran well at the Everhart Invitational. In the three previous meets of Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season, the boys' 3K was a duel between Kiros and Swift Creek's Asa Swope, with Kiros winning the ARPXC Invitational and Swope winning at the Fort Braden Run and the Mustang Stampede. But Swope wasn't at the Everhart Invitational.


"I could go out harder knowing that Asa wasn't in the race," said Kiros.

Top Ten Boys
Top Ten Boys

Kiros did go out harder. He was already in front of the field coming off the bus ramp, half a kilometer into the race. Swift Creek eighth-grader Kingsley Knispel, Fairview seventh-grader Jack Koon, and Montford seventh-grader Gavin Poucher were the closest athletes to Kiros as the race left the school, but no one was able to challenge the Deerlake seventh-grader. Kiros just kept widening the gap, ultimately winning by nearly 150 meters in 11:10. Knispel took second in 11:42. Koon stuck with Knispel for most of the race, but eventually fell back and was overtaken by Poucher, who placed third in 11:49. Koon held off a late charge by Montford eighth-grader Matthew Hauser to take fourth in 11:58. Hauser was fifth in 11:59.


Montford's Poucher and Hauser were joined in the top ten by two more Mustangs--seventh-grader Parker Smith was seventh in 12:10 and eighth-grader Edward Bass placed ninth in 12:18. When Montford eighth-grader Jackson Beener finished eleventh in 12:24, the Mustangs had 35 points and first place in the boys' team standings.

Montford Boys' Cross-Country Team
Montford Boys

Kiros' Deerlake squad took second with 50 points. Close behind at 55 points, Koon and the Fairview Falcons placed third--Fairview's best showing as a team this season at a Leon County Schools meet. Nine schools fielded boys' teams.


Fairview hosts the next Leon County Schools middle school cross-country event--the Falcon Invitational at the North Florida Fairgrounds on Thursday, 23 September 2021. The season continues at the Florida State University Recreation SportPlex on Friday, 1 October 2021, with the Mabry Invitational. Competition concludes on Thursday, 7 October 2021, with the League Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park.


2021 Everhart Invitational Team Standings, Boys
  1. Montford, 35
  2. Deerlake, 50
  3. Fairview, 55
  4. Swift Creek, 95
  5. Cobb, 143
  6. Raa, 178
  7. Fort Braden, 201
  8. Nims, 242
  9. Griffin, 257
  10. Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2021 Everhart Invitational
  1. 11:09.08, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 7
  2. 11:41.27, Kingsley Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
  3. 11:48.59, Gavin Poucher (Montford) 7
  4. 11:57.51, Jack Koon (Fairview) 7
  5. 11:58.98, Matthew Hauser (Montford) 8
  6. 11:59.88, Antonio Clements (Cobb) 6
  7. 12:09.63, Parker Smith (Montford) 7
  8. 12:10.30, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 6
  9. 12:17.79, Edward Bass (Montford) 8
  10. 12:20.40, Hagen Perdue (Deerlake) 7

Everhart Invitational Champions, 1988 - 2021
DateBoysGirls
15 September 2021Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 11:10Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford 12:07
12 September 2019Patrick Koon (Fairview) 10:12Skye Williams (Montford) 12:29
13 September 2018Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 10:46Maya Tang (Deerlake) 12:16
21 September 2017Ben Kirbo (Montford) 11:41Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 13:45
22 September 2016Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 11:47Amaya Jones (Raa) 13:51
17 September 2015Spencer Amsellem (Deerlake) 12:17Emily Molen (Deerlake) 12:16
18 September 2014Tavaris King (Griffin) 12:04Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 12:41
19 September 2013Jacob Dodson (Raa) 11:46Ana Wallace (Deerlake) 13:13
20 September 2012Matthew Cashin (Raa) 12:01Saige Kemeny (Montford) 13:19
22 September 2011Evan Francis (Raa) 11:56Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 13:43
30 September 2010Wil Luca (Raa) 11:41Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 13:57
1 October 2009Cade Zimmerman (Deerlake) 11:33Cece Williams (Deerlake) 13:26
25 September 2008Will Henderson (Raa) 11:42Cece Williams (Deerlake) 11:56
27 September 2007Will Henderson (Raa) 12:11Carly Thomas (Raa) 12:27
28 September 2006Will Stanford (Raa) 10:59Summer Shepherd (Raa) 12:59
29 September 2005Kurt Dietrich (Swift Creek) 12:07Jana Stolting (Deerlake) 13:26
30 September 2004Graham Hawkes (Cobb) 11:51Mallory Alonzo (Raa) 14:01
2 October 2003Joe Franklin (Griffin) 11:38Charlotte Murrell (Cobb) 14:17
3 October 2002Bryan Miletich (Deerlake) 11:51Julia Bryant (Deerlake) 14:06
4 October 2001Kevin Bryant (Raa) 12:33Karen Devick (Raa) 13:58
4 October 2000Danny Sass (Deerlake) 13:04LaShaunta Arnold (Fairview) 14:50
1 October 1999Logan Wolcott (Raa) 12:52LaShaunta Arnold (Fairview) 14:30
13 October 1998Matt Varn (Swift Creek) 12:31Allie Hunter (Swift Creek) 14:27
1997Anthony Washington (Bellevue) 12:26Allie Hunter (Swift Creek) 15:00
1996
6 October 1995Bryan Hendricks (Cobb) 8:15*Meredith Warren (Raa) 10:36*
6 October 1994Kevin Anderson (Deerlake) 8:10*Meredith Warren (Raa) 9:56*
20 October 1993
20 October 1992Mark Roehl (Raa) 8:40*Brianne Pla (Cobb) 9:33*
22 October 1991Michael Rodriguez (Raa) 8:38*Holly Skinner (Cobb) 10:15*
10 October 1990Tim Bolton (Cobb) 8:44*Christy Weinberger(Bellevue)10:17*
24 May 1990Wayne McDaniel (Raa) 6:58†Cynthia Costin (Griffin) 8:06†
23 May 1989Wayne McDaniel (Raa) 7:09†Tonia Jackson (Nims) 8:13†
10 May 1988Bobby Jessup (Griffin) †Tonia Jackson (Raa) †
* 1-1/2 mile race at Gretchen Everhart School
† 2 km race at Florida State University


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Posted by Herb Wills at 8:05 PM
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