Showing posts with label Ava Flaherty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ava Flaherty. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2019

Harriers Ava Flaherty and James Simkins lead the way in 2A District 1

In Florida, the rules for high school cross-country change from year to year, but one thing has been constant since 1975. In order for your team to compete at the State Championship Meet, you need to qualify at the Regional Meet. And in order to get to the Regional Meet, you need to qualify at District. That's why the athletes were assembled east of Tallahassee, Florida at Apalachee Regional Park on Thursday morning, 24 October 2019, for the 2A District 1 Cross-Country Championships. South Walton won the girls' title, led by the first-pace performance of their ace frosh, Ava Flaherty, who posted a winning time of 20:27. West Florida edged South Walton for the title in the boys' race, where Pensacola junior James Simkins took top individual honors in 16:44.

Ava Flaherty
Ava Flaherty

The Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course is a busy place during the season. Earlier in the morning of the 2A District 1 meet, the course had hosted the 3A District 1 races. The next day, the junior college teams of the FCSAA would compete on the course in their state championship meet. On 9 November 2019, the high schools would be back for the State Meet. But at 10:00 AM it was time for the 2A girls of District 1 to take their turn on the course.


By far the fastest in that group was Ava Flaherty. The South Walton frosh won the race in 20:27, a huge improvement over the 21:14 she had posted at ARPXC earlier in the season at the Red Hills Invitational. Skylar Grant, a West Florida Tech senior, took second in 21:01. North Bay Haven's Kyla Faint, a sixth-grader, placed third in 21:17.

Skylar Grant
Skylar Grant

Flaherty was joined in the top ten by her South Walton comrades, juniors Patasha Bryan (5th, 21:49) and Aris Short (6th, 21:51). South Walton also had scoring performances by Seahawk frosh Dafne Lucero, 13th in 22:56, and sophomore Heidi Scali, 14th in 22:59. With Scali's finish, the Seahawk girls had 37 points and were taking home the 2A District 1 team trophy.


Faint's North Bay Haven squad took second with 62 points. Pensacola, led by a tenth place 22:36 by senior Nala Baker, edged Suwannee for third, 122 to 125. Suwannee's top runner was sophomore Nellie Lamb, seventeenth in 23:16.

Kyla Faint
Kyla Faint

For 45 years teams had to go through District to get to Region, but in 2019 the rule was that the top ten teams made the cut. South Walton, North Bay Haven, Pensacola, and Suwannee each quadlified, and so did Pensacola Catholic (5th, 135), West Florida (6th, 137), Santa Fe (7th, 139), Florida State (8th, 164), Bay (9th, 245), and Rutherford (10th, 263). The 2A Region 1 meet is slated for Saturday morning, 2 November 2019, at the Oaks Equestrian Center in Lake City, Florida.


Girls' Team Standings, 2019 FHSAA 2A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. South Walton, 37 *
  2. North Bay Haven, 62 *
  3. Pensacola, 122 *
  4. Suwannee, 125 *
  5. Pensacola Catholic, 135 *
  6. West Florida, 137 *
  7. Santa Fe, 139 *
  8. Florida State, 164 *
  9. Bay, 245 *
  10. Rutherford, 263 *
  11. Marianna, 325
  12. Walton, 358
* Team advances to the 2A Region 1 Championship


Top 15 Girls, 2019 FHSAA 2A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. 20:27.00, Ava Flaherty (South Walton) 9
  2. 21:01.00, Skylar Grant (West Florida) 12
  3. 21:16.90, Kyla Faint (North Bay Haven) 6
  4. 21:26.50, Alexis Dillard (Pensacola Catholic) 10
  5. 21:48.60, Patasha Bryan (South Walton) 11
  6. 21:50.60, Aris Short (South Walton) 11
  7. 22:07.50, Katherine Lundgren (North Bay Haven) 9
  8. 22:20.10, Lakyn Carmichael (North Bay Haven) 9
  9. 22:20.20, Niya Coleman (Florida State) 9
  10. 22:35.10, Nala Baker (Pensacola) 12
  11. 22:45.90, Amaya Jones (Godby) 11
  12. 22:55.00, Ella Phillips (Pensacola) 12
  13. 22:55.40, Dafne Lucero (South Walton) 9
  14. 22:58.20, Heidi Scali (South Walton) 10
  15. 23:00.30, Kara Santorelli (Northview) 9

After the top girls' teams had earned their tickets to Lake City and the Region, it was time for the 2A boys' race. James Simkins led the field out, and he was leading them when they came in. The Pensacola High junior won the race in 16:44. Phillip Gindl, a senior at another Pensacola school, West Florida Tech, took second in 17:03. Jacob Daleo of South Walton placed third in 17:28.

James Simkins
James Simkins

In addition to Daleo's third-place performance, South Walton also got a top-ten finish from junior Chadwick Phillips, who was ninth in 18:46. In West Florida Tech's ledger, Gindl may have been their only runner in the top ten, but the Jaguars got scoring performances from junior Christopher Bissell (14th, 19:03), senior Steven Desposito (16th, 19:05), junior Aidan Lopez (22nd, 19:22), and junior Thomas Gray (24th, 19:26) while South Walton was still waiting for their fourth runner to finish. It was enough to give the West Florida Tech boys a winning score of 70 points and the District title. South Walton was a close second with 74 points.


Pensacola, on a quest for their first trip to the State Meet in the 21st Century, placed third in the team standings with 117 points. West Florida Tech, South Walton, and Pensacola each advanced to the 2A Region 1 meet, as did Northview (4th, 137), Pensacola Catholic (5th, 151), Suwannee (6th, 152), Santa Fe (7th, 164), North Bay Haven (8th, 177), Florida State (9th, 198), and Newberry (10th, 218).

Phillip Gindl
Phillip Gindl

Boys' Team Standings, 2019 FHSAA 2A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. West Florida, 70 *
  2. South Walton, 74 *
  3. Pensacola, 117 *
  4. Northview, 137 *
  5. Pensacola Catholic, 151 *
  6. Suwannee, 152 *
  7. Santa Fe, 164 *
  8. North Bay Haven, 177 *
  9. Florida State, 198 *
  10. Newberry, 218 *
  11. Walton, 314
  12. Marianna, 335
  13. Bay, 338
  14. Rutherford, 411
* Team advances to the 2A Region 1 Championship


Top 15 Boys, 2019 FHSAA 2A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. 16:43.60, James Simkins (Pensacola) 11
  2. 17:02.60, Phillip Gindl (West Florida) 12
  3. 17:27.60, Jacob Daleo (South Walton) 12
  4. 17:48.90, Blake Lofing (Santa Fe) 12
  5. 18:15.80, Jonathan Reyes (Chipley) 10
  6. 18:24.10, Hunter Land (Suwannee) 10
  7. 18:26.80, Russell Young (Pensacola Catholic) 11
  8. 18:34.00, Tyler Reeve (Florida State) 11
  9. 18:45.50, Chadwick Phillips (South Walton) 11
  10. 18:46.40, Donovan Kane (Pensacola) 10
  11. 18:51.80, Shiquel Tucker (Godby) 9
  12. 18:53.10, Gavin Morris (South Walton) 12
  13. 18:55.60, Anecio Torres (Newberry) 12
  14. 19:02.30, Christopher Bissell (West Florida) 11
  15. 19:03.30, Jon Harigel (Northview) 10

Links
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Monday, September 9, 2019

Ava Flaherty and David Keen were top cats at the Panther Invitational

Panthers279 athletes representing two dozen schools raced in Tallahassee, Florida's Southwood community on Saturday morning, 7 September 2019, at the Panther Invitational Cross-Country Meet, hosted by Saint John Paul II Catholic High School. South Walton sophomore Ava Flaherty won the high school girls' 5K, leading her team to a near-perfect score of nineteen points and first place. In the high school boys' 5K, North Florida Christian senior David Andrew Keen posted a winning 18:00, while Community Christian took the team title with 47 points.


South Walton High is in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, in a different time zone from Tallahassee. The Seahawks had never been to the Panther Invitational before, but they made their first visit a memorable one. Not only did Ava Flaherty win the girls' race in 21:10, but Seahwak junior Patasha Bryan was a close second in 21:20. Morgan Wilson, a sophomore at Tallahassee's Community Christian Academy, was third in 22:04.


Following Wilson, South Walton sophomore Heidi Scali was fourth in 23:12--the third of five Seahawks in the top ten. The remaining two Seahawk scorers were junior Aris Short (6th, 23:17) and frosh Dafne Lucero (9th, 23:53). With that, the South Walton girls had a mathematically unbeatable nineteen points and the Panther Invitational title. Morgan Wilson's Community Christian team took second with 56 points. Led by seniors Emma Romuald (13th, 24:24) and Rylee French (14th, 24:27), the Lincoln girls were third in the seven-team field with 74 points.


John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls
  1. South Walton, 19
  2. Community Christian, 56
  3. Lincoln, 74
  4. Jefferson County, 113
  5. Aucilla Christian, 114
  6. Florida State University, 155
  7. Marianna, 208

Top Ten High School Girls, John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational
  1. 21:09.90, Ava Flaherty (South Walton) 10
  2. 21:19.55, Patasha Bryan (South Walton) 11
  3. 22:03.44, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 10
  4. 23:11.91, Heidi Scali (South Walton) 10
  5. 23:15.04, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 10
  6. 23:16.47, Aris Short (South Walton) 11
  7. 23:52.09, Amaya Jones (Godby) 11
  8. 23:52.59, Sammi Drawdy (Aucilla Christian) 9
  9. 23:52.59, Dafne Lucero (South Walton) 9
  10. 24:04.19, Katherine Bouck (Community Christian) 10

David Andrew Keen's career as a high school cross-country runner has paralleled the history of the Panther Invitational. As a North Florida Christian frosh, Keen was at the very first Panther Invitational in 2016. He ran 18:51 in that inaugural meet, placing second in the high school boys' 5K. The 2017 Panther Invitational was delayed two weeks by Hurricane Irma, and neither North Florida Christian nor Keen made it to the rescheduled meet. NFC raced at the 2018 Panther Invitational, though, and Keen, a junior, was third in 18:37.


Keen was back in Southwood in 2019 for the fourth Panther Invitational. It was the senior's fastest performance at the meet, just under 18:00, and it was good for the win. Well behind Keen, Community Christian Nicholas Ciarlariello and Florida State senior Morgan Castano battled for second, with Ciarlariello getting the nod 18:57 to 18:58. Maclay senior Thomas Deison was fourth in 19:00, close enough to read the tag on Ciarlariello's racing vest.


Ciarlariello was joined in the top ten by a pair of his Charger teammates, sophomore Keelan Tidwell (6th, 19:10) and frosh Stephen Machado (9th, 20:16). Senior Gavin Payne (19th, 21:12) and junior Luke Aagaard (25th, 21:47) completed Community Christian's scoring, giving the Charger's 47 points and first in place among the nine high school boys' teams at the Invitational.


Junior Wyatt Stafford's (7th, 19:58) Aucilla Christian squad had ninety points, but so did the Lincoln team led by frosh Corey Stavres (15th, 20:55). Aucilla Christian took second on the tiebreaker, leaving Lincoln in third.


John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys
  1. Community Christian, 47
  2. Aucilla Christian, 90
  3. Lincoln, 90
  4. Florida State University, 105
  5. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 126
  6. North Florida Christian, 133
  7. Rickards, 151
  8. Jefferson County, 180
  9. Marianna, 212

Top Ten High School Boys, John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational
  1. 17:59.54, David Andrew Keen (North Florida Christian) 12
  2. 18:56.30, Nicholas Ciarlariello (Community Christian) 11
  3. 18:57.85, Morgan Castano (Florida State University) 12
  4. 18:59.21, Thomas Deison (Maclay School) 12
  5. 19:04.18, Chadwick Phillips (South Walton) 11
  6. 19:09.35, Keelan Tidwell (Community Christian) 10
  7. 19:57.96, Wyatt Stafford (Aucilla Christian) 11
  8. 20:05.46, Jalen Brownlee (Rickards) 11
  9. 20:15.52, Stephen Machado (Community Christian) 9
  10. 20:27.48, Shiquel Tucker (Godby) 8

The South Walton girls weren't the only dominating team from Santa Rosa Beach at the fourth annual Panther Invitational. The 2019 edition of the meet included a middle school race for the first time, and the girls' competition was all about the Emerald Coast Stingrays. Emerald Coast seventh-graders Annabelle Melberg and Madilynn Jersey went one-two in the girls' standings, running 12:46 and 12:55 for three kilometers. Leah Keller, a Florida State eighth-grader, was third in 13:43, but Emerald Coast took three of the next four places, with seventh-grader Claire Griner fourth in 13:48, eighth-grader Wren Hall fifth in 13:49, and seventh-grader Vivian Peele seventh in 15:04.


All together, Emerald Coast put six runners in the top ten. No other school put a scoring athlete in the top ten, so Emerald Coast tallied a perfect fifteen points, placing first among three teams. Led by sxith-grader Aubrey Recks (15th, 16:27), the Riversprings girls were second with 56 points. The Community Leadership girls were third at 74 points, behind the eighteenth place, 16:40 showing of eighth-grader Emma Stewart.


John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls
  1. Emerald Coast, 15
  2. Riversprings, 56
  3. Community Leadership, 74

Top Ten Middle School Girls, John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational
  1. 12:45.23, Annabelle Melberg (Emerald Coast) 7
  2. 12:54.86, Madilynn Jersey (Emerald Coast) 7
  3. 13:42.51, Leah Keller (Florida State University) 8
  4. 13:47.18, Claire Griner (Emerald Coast) 7
  5. 14:22.71, Wren Hall (Emerald Coast) 8
  6. 14:34.36, Maddie Manausa (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  7. 15:03.45, Vivian Peele (Emerald Coast) 7
  8. 15:13.83, Kaitlyn Kristian (Montford) 8
  9. 15:22.23, Kate Reichelderfer (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 7
  10. 15:25.96, Reese Knowlton (Emerald Coast) 8

Just two days after throwing down a third-place finish in the middle school boys' 3K at the tenth annual Fort Braden Run, Jackson Rowe was racing again in the three-kilometer event at the Panther Invitational. The Montford eighth-grader wasn't third this time. Rowe ran 11:30 at Panther, taking first in the boys' standings. Community Leadership seventh-grader Noah Deem was right behind Rowe in second. Rowe and Deem had tangled three weeks earlier in another cross-country race, the Miller Landing Madness 3K, where Rowe had finished five seconds ahead of Deem. Deem was closer at the Panther Invite, running, 11:32, but Rowe still had the edge. Carter Ward, an eighth-grader racing for Emerald Coast, was third in 11:59.

Will Winsor, a Holy Comforter eighth-grader, took fourth in 12:08. Winsor was just the first of four Crusaders in the top ten, the others were eighth-graders Will Springer (6th, 12:14) and Matthew Wilbourn (7th, 12:19) and seventh-grader Heny Fernandez (10th, 12:30). Sixth-grader Graham Resavage (20th, 13:53) completed Holy Comforter's scoring, giving the Crusaders 39 points and a win in their hometown.


Behind the third-place finish of Carter Ward, Emerald Coast was a close second with 42 points. Led by the fifth place, 12:12 finish of seventh-grader Jayden Catrett, Marianna placed third in the six-team field with 88 points.


John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys
  1. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 39
  2. Emerald Coast, 42
  3. Marianna, 88
  4. Trinity Catholic, 97
  5. Community Leadership, 118
  6. Christ Classical, 152

Top Ten Middle School Boys, John Paul II Catholic's 2019 Panther Invitational
  1. 11:29.39, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 8
  2. 11:31.44, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 7
  3. 11:58.41, Carter Ward (Emerald Coast) 8
  4. 12:07.56, Will Winsor (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  5. 12:11.99, Jayden Catrett (Marianna) 7
  6. 12:13.14, Will Springer (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  7. 12:18.33, Matthew Wilbourn (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
  8. 12:19.51, Kiernan Ganske (Emerald Coast) 7
  9. 12:24.26, Reece Juno (Franklin County) 8
  10. 12:29.26, Henry Fernandez (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 7

Panther Invitational Cross-Country Meet Winners, 2016 - 2019
High School Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
9 September 2016Lincoln, 3818:18, Gatlin Nennstiel (Aucilla Christian) 12
23 September 2017Wakulla, 1518:17, Chris Porter (Wakulla) 11
8 September 2018Maclay, 1917:30, Junious Brown IV (Maclay) 11
7 September 2019Community Christian, 4718:00, David A. Keen (North Florida Christian) 12
High School Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
9 September 2016Florida State, 4121:52, Gianna Forte (Bishop Snyder) 10
23 September 2017Community Christian, 2922:31, Alyssa Langston (Wakulla) 11
8 September 2018Maclay, 2121:49, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
7 September 2019South Walton, 1721:10, Ava Flaherty (South Walton) 10


Links
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Friday, February 9, 2018

Kevin Kidd and Corrie Sober fly in Freeport

2018 Apple ClassicIn Freeport, Florida, Kevin Kidd won the seventh annual Apple Classic 10K, finishing nearly 700 meters ahead of the next runner. The Rosemary Beach, Florida master runner covered the 6.2-mile course in 44:44. Corrie Sober of Valparaiso, Florida was the top woman in the race, placing second overall in 47:59.


Miramar Beach, Florida master runner Robert Hinojosa was the runner-up male finisher in the 10K, placing third overall in 48:32. Chris Brown was third in the men's standings and fourth overall in 50:52.


Monica Cosenzi was the second woman and ninth overall in 58:39, while Bethany Mason was the third woman and twelfth overall in 62:53. Sara Reese was the first woman master and fourth female finisher, thirteenth overall in 63:27.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Apple Classic 10K
  1. 44:44, Kevin Kidd (M, 63) Rosemary Beach, FL
  2. 48:32, Robert Hinojosa (M, 40)
  3. 50:52, Chris Brown (M, 34)
  4. 52:22, Greg Liberta (M, 51)
  5. 54:43, Thomas Reinking (M, 49)
  6. 56:45, Jamie Key (M, 41)
  7. 58:20, Ken Braidwood (M, 62)
  8. 59:04, Chris Harp (M, 43)
  9. 61:33, Jeremy Keich (M, 41)
  10. 66:26, Adam Brinson (M, 42)

Top Nine Women, 2018 Apple Classic 10K
  1. 47:59, Corrie Sober (F, 25) Valparaiso, FL
  2. 58:39, Monica Cosenzi (F, 38)
  3. 62:53, Bethany Mason (F, 24)
  4. 63:27, Sara Reese (F, 40)
  5. 64:18, Cassie Key (F, 36)
  6. 66:26, Amy Razz (F, 40)
  7. 67:04, Diane Murphy (F, 49)
  8. 70:46, Alison Shoaf (F, 38)
  9. 73:00, Kellie Ray (F, 30)

Since 2012, the Walton Education Foundation has quietly been hosting the Apple Classic in Hammock Bay, a small development tucked away in the Florida Panhandle town of Freeport. The event features a 10K and a 5K, both races on USATF-certified courses and professionally timed. At the 2018 Classic, the 5K started ten minutes after the 10K got under way.


A close finish distinguished the shorter race. Two Freeport High cross-country runners, frosh Cherokee Braun and senior Dakota Braun, crossed the finish line just a couple of steps apart. Cherokee Braun got the win 20:08 to 20:10. Nipping at their heels was Aiden Brandman, a seventh-grader on the Emerald Coast Middle School cross-country squad, third in 20:13.


Right behind them was another Emerald Coast Middle cross-country runner, seventh-grader Ava Flaherty. Flaherty took the women's title in the 5K, placing fourth overall in 20:21. Eleven-year-old Alison Churchill was second in the women's standings and twelfth overall in 24:10. Lauren Bakun was the third female runner and thirteenth overall in 24:16.


David Rich was the first master runner in the 5K and the tenth male finisher, eleventh overall in 23:18. Alisa Black was the top woman master and fifth female finisher, 21st overall in 26:26.


20 athletes finished the 10K and 178 finished the 5K at the 2018 Apple Classic. Results Event Timing, LLC, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida timed both races.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Apple Classic 5K
  1. 20:08, Cherokee Braun (M, 15)
  2. 20:10, Dakota Braun (M, 17)
  3. 20:13, Aiden Brandman (M, 12)
  4. 20:42, Anthony Wirsing (M, 13)
  5. 21:04, Jonathan Roeckle (M, 26)
  6. 22:16, Taylor Noon (M, 28)
  7. 22:51, David Reed (M, 30)
  8. 22:52, Jonathan Sanders (M, 15)
  9. 23:11, George McCann (M, 18)
  10. 23:18, David Rich (M, 48)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Apple Classic 5K
  1. 20:21, Ava Flaherty (F, 13)
  2. 24:10, Alison Churchill (F, 11)
  3. 24:16, Lauren Bakun (F, 15)
  4. 26:05, Tiffany Howell-Phillip (F, 33)
  5. 26:26, Alisa Black (F, 50)
  6. 26:27, Rebecca McConnell (F, 42)
  7. 27:33, Jeni Smith (F, 32)
  8. 27:47, Elizabeth Scalia (F, 52)
  9. 28:38, Michelle Smith (F, 49)
  10. 28:56, Beth Schwarting (F, 54)


Apple Classic winner, 2012 - 2018
DateDistanceMenWomenFinishers
10K
5K
2 February 201310K
5K
8 February 201410K
5K
21 February 201510K
5K
20 February 201610K42:05, Reid Tucker44:26, Amy Stoyles30
5K201:16, Lane Marshall22:14, Lauren Bakun169
25 February 201710K46:22, John Corbett46:00, Amy Stoyles19
5K23:48, Cherokee Braun27:33, Emily Salzlein103
3 February 201810K44:44, Kevin Kidd47:59, Corrie Sober20
5K20:08, Cherokee Braun20:21, Ava Flaherty178


Links
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