Showing posts with label Charlotte Sikes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlotte Sikes. Show all posts

Saturday, March 22, 2025

The Bowlegs 5K was delayed, but not Hawthorne Hay or Charlotte Sikes

For the last 20 years, Gulf Winds Track Club's Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship has been a January race. Conditions have ranged from cool to frigid--or as frigid as Tallahassee, Florida ever gets. The 40th annual Bowlegs was scheduled for 25 January 2025, but had to be postponed when Florida State University closed the course--something about ice on the roads left over from a freak sleet storm that had closed the university campus. So the race was rescheduled for Saturday, 22 March 2025. And although the calendar said it was spring, the thermometer said otherwise, with race-day morning temperatures in the 40s. True Bowlegs weather.

Hawthorne Hay
Hawthorne Hay

"We got lucky with the weather," said Hawthorne Hay. "It could have been in the 70s with high humidity."


Luck didn't figure into Hay's performance at Bowlegs. The Tallahassee athlete won the race by just over 200 meters, posting a 17:36. Charlotte Sikes took first in the women's division, running 20:44 for ninth overall.


The postponement turned out to be fortunate for Hay.

Ryan Kunz
Ryan Kunz

"I was out of town on the original date," he said. "So when they moved the day, I thought: why not? I mainly ran just to enjoy the moment."


For the most part, Hay had to enjoy the moment on his own. Shortly after leaving the starting line on Potsdamer Street, he was alone out in front of the field. Hay likely never saw another athlete in the race till he made the turnaround on Dirac Drive, more than three kilometers into the 5K. He made it to the finish line unchallenged in a winning 17:36.


Ryan Kunz was the top master runner in the race, finishing runner-up to Hay in 18:21. Master runner Hong-Guo Yu took third in 18:50.

Hong-Guo Yu
Hong-Guo Yu

"The Palace Saloon 5K is my next serious race," said Hay. "I'll be doing the Springtime 5K as a tune-up for that."


The Springtime 5K is slated for one week after Bowlegs; the Palace Saloon 5K is another two weeks after Springtime.


Although this was Hay's first Bowlegs win, it wasn't his first appearance in the race. Nor was it his fastest Bowlegs; he went 17:23 in the 2019 race. Hay has raced at Bowlegs six times going back to 2015. Charlotte Sikes is also a Bowlegs veteran.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

"I did it at least last year and the year before," recalled Sikes.


Actually, Sikes has also done the race six times. She can be excused for losing count; she first raced Bowlegs as a seven-year-old back in 2018. 2025 was her first Bowlegs women's title, and her 20:44 equaled her personal best on the course from two years earlier. In 2023, though, Sikes was chasing women's leader Brittney Barnes. In 2025 Sikes led the women's field from start to finish.

Melanie Leitman
Melanie Leitman

Early in the race, Tallahassee master runner Jillian Heddaeus held the second women's spot behind Sikes. Heddaeus was eventually overtaken by another master runner, Tallahassee's Melanie Leitman. The two were close all the way to the finish, but Leitman arrived first, second in the women's standings and fifteenth overall in 21:57. Heddaeus was the third woman and sixteenth overall in 22:01.


Bowlegs may very well be the last road race for Sikes for a while, because the Swift Creek Middle School eighth-grader will soon be starting her final season of middle school track and field.


"Our first meet is in less than two weeks," said Sikes.

Jillian Heddaeus
Jillian Heddaeus

116 athletes finished the 2025 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2025 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship
  1. 17:36, Hawthorne Hay (M, 23) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 18:21, Ryan Kunz (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 18:50, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 56) Tallahassee, FL
  4. 19:08, Mickey Moore (M, 55) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 19:27, Stephen Andrews (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
  6. 19:30, Nathan Kollett (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 20:20, Chase Sims (M, 13) Tallahassee, FL
  8. 20:40, Paul Guyas (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
  9. 20:57, Camp Andrews (M, 14) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 21:03, Dan Manausa (M, 55) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2025 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship
  1. 20:44, Charlotte Sikes (F, 14) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 21:57, Melanie Leitman (F, 40) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 22:01, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 41) Tallahassee, FL
  4. 22:32, Cathy Bond (F, 44) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 23:30, Lily Swanbrow Becker (F, 41) Tallahassee, FL
  6. 24:29, Nancy Proctor (F, 64) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 24:48, Kelsey Mezzina (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL
  8. 25:01, Olivia Hitchcock Howard (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL
  9. 25:14, Kim Sims (F, 46) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 25:21, Kelley Coe El-Urfali (F, 61) Tallahassee, FL

Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship winners, 1985 - 2025
DateMenWomenField
16 February 198516:44, Scott Hinkle18:48, Darien Andreu153
15 February 198616:12, Rick Miller20:00, Janice Hochstein150
7 February 198715:54, Randy Jordan20:00, Sarah Patterson186
13 February 198816:05, Rick Miller20:02, Janice Hochstein220
4 February 198915:44, Rick Miller20:02, Barbara Balzer165
10 February 199017:28, Felton Wright19:30, Paula Johnson112
16 February 199116:15, Bill Crooks20:37, Tina Davies67
15 February 199215:51, Mike Macinko18:37, Paula Johnson81
20 February 199315:33, Gary Droze19:33, Carrie Hunnicutt143
19 February 199416:02, Phillip Healy22:18, Chateau Mangaroo83
18 February 199515:41, Reid Montini18:09, Jane Johnson158
17 February 199616:12, Tim Simpkins19:33, Janice Hochstein77
15 February 199715:45, Gary Droze18:20, Jane Johnson163
14 February 199816:23, Damian Wilson17:47, Sarah Docter-Williams104
13 February 199915:57, Robert Pautenius16:54, Breeda Dennehy-Willis77
12 February 200015:49, Aaron Scheer20:42, Laurel Slyck83
10 February 200116:48, Gary Droze18:18, Sarah Docter-Williams
9 February 200216:20, Thomas Kunish20:20, Allison Eagen77
8 February 200316:56, Paul Orfield21:15, Fran McLean76
21 February 200417:06, Adam David Churchill18:21, Breeda Dennehy-Willis82
15 January 200517:42, Art Remillard18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams72
14 January 200616:43, Shawn Patterson19:22, Stephanie Liles152
20 January 200717:37, Matt Mizereck19:02, Sheryl Rosen109
19 January 200816:32, Tripp Southerland21:39, Carly Thomas121
10 January 200917:59, Tim Unger20:09, Micah Adriani117
9 January 201017:21, Stephen Cox21:01, Lauren Switzer84
8 January 201116:38, Vince Molosky19:26, Sheryl Rosen204
7 January 201217:10, Stanley Linton19:27, Katie Showman166
5 January 201316:12, Stanley Linton20:19, Katie Showman110
18 January 201415:46, Stanley Linton19:18, Lisa Johnson168
10 January 201516:08, Stephen Cox18:35, Sheryl Rosen132
9 January 201616:41, Nate Kaiser19:00, Ani Veltcheva201
14 January 201716:57, Vince Molosky18:55, Sheryl Rosen105
13 January 201816:15, Charlie Johnson18:59, Katie Sherron166
12 January 201915:29, Stan Linton17:59, Ann Centner97
11 January 202016:36, Trevor Sununu17:54, Ann Centner172
8 January 202218:09, Leonardo Canete19:25, Caroline Willis129
28 January 202317:25, Brian Erb20:12, Brittney Barnes82
27 January 202418:41, Hawthorne Hay18:11, Ann Centner129
22 March 202517:36, Hawthorne Hay20:44, Charlotte Sikes116
From 1985 to 1994 the Bowlegs 5K was run on the main campus of Florida State University,
starting and finishing near Tully Gym, on USATF certified course FL88014BH.

From 1995 to 2020 the Bowlegs 5K was run in Innovation Park, starting and finishing near
the College of Engineering on USATF certified course FL95008DL. The course was later re-
certified with number FL12001EBM. In 2022 the course was slightly modified and certified
with number FL21047JK.


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Thursday, October 3, 2024

Charlotte Sikes and Jack Nottingham stay perfect at the LCS League Championship

No one wants baseball season to end, but it must for there to be a World Series. And no one wants cross-country season to end, but it must for there to be a Championship Meet. Thus, Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season came to a conclusion on Wednesday evening, 2 October 2024, with the League Championship Meet at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park. The Swift Creek girls scored 40 points to win the team title in their 3K race, led by a first place performance by eighth-grader Charlotte Sikes. Sikes covered the course in 11:06. In the boys' 3K, Montford took the team title with 37 points, with Montford eighth-grader Jack Nottingham taking first in 10:17.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

The girls' three-kilometer race started at 6:00 PM. Almost from the start, two-time League champion Charlotte Sikes was setting the pace for the field. At the first turn, 700 meters from the start, was twenty meters ahead and continuing to pull away. Behind her, Montford sixth-grader Acadia Hassell and Deerlake eighth-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum fought for the second spot.


They weren't going to catch Sikes, though. Through the Piney Woods, across the Shell Bridge, and up the Wall, Sikes continued to widen the gap. At the crest of the Wall, half a kilometer from the finish line, she had a lead of 70 meters and was still going away. Sike was 100 meters ahead when she finished first in 11:06.

Acadia Hassell, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum
Acadia Hassell and Emma-Claire Tanenbaum

Behind Sikes, Hassel broke away from Tanenbaum then went to finish runner-up in 11:29. Tanenbaum took third in 11:35, and Swift Creek seventh-grader Lyla Koerner was fourth in 11:41.


Eighth-grader Sadie Blake placed tenth in 12:53, giving the Swift Creek Wolves three scorers in the top ten. The remaining scorers for the Wolves were seventh-grader Calyce Guillermo (11th, 13:03) and Addison Evans (14th, 13:25), giving the Swift Creek girls 40 points and the League championship--the schools' first since 2018 and ending Deerlake's streak of girls' League titles at five.


The Deerlake girls, the defending champions, were runners-up with 49 points. Montford placed third with 55 points.

2024 Swift Creek Girls' Cross-Country
Swift Creek Girls

For Sikes and the other eighth-graders, it was their final middle school cross-country League race. During Sikes' three years of running cross-country in a Swift Creek uniform, she had competed in sixteen League races and won all sixteen, including three League Championships.


Girls' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. Swift Creek, 40
  2. Deerlake, 49
  3. Montford, 55
  4. Raa, 70
  5. Cobb, 151
  6. Fairview, 175
  7. Fort Braden, NTS
    Woodville, NTS
    Nims, NTS
    Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Girls, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. 11:05.87, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
  2. 11:28.54, Acadia Hassell (Montford) 6
  3. 11:34.21, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum (Deerlake) 8
  4. 11:40.68, Lyla Koerner (Swift Creek) 7
  5. 12:17.45, Reagan Kingsley (Raa) 8
  6. 12:34.36, Brixton Menendez (Raa) 8
  7. 12:35.58, Yujeong Lee (Deerlake) 8
  8. 12:37.56, Morgan Lord (Deerlake) 8
  9. 12:52.36, Andrea Jimenez (Montford) 8
  10. 12:52.58, Sadie Blake (Swift Creek) 8

Like Charlotte Sikes, Jack Nottingham had a winning streak going into the League Championship meet. Nottingham had won the boys' race in each of the first four meets of the season. Nottingham could go undefeated in 2024--all he had to do was win the League Championship race.

Jack Nottingham, Emerson Gandy
Emerson Gandy and Jack Nottingham

With 500 meters to go in the boys' 3000, Nottingham crested the final hill on the course--the Wall. He wasn't alone, though. Raa eighth-grader Emerson Gandy was right there. With 400 meters to go Nottingham had gained a few steps on Gandy. Nottingham couldn't break Gandy, but pulled steadily away, preserving his perfect season with a winning 10:17. Gandy was runner-up in 10:21.


100 meters behind the Nottingham and Gandy battle, there was a battle for third between Deerlake eighth-grader Jacob Hassell and Isiah Renn, a Montford seventh-grader. It was close all the way to the finish line, with Hassel prevailing over Renn 10:43 to 10:45. Another Montford seventh-grader, Chase Sims, edged Raa seventh-grader Fife Duncan for fifth, 10:51 to 10:52, giving Montford three Mustangs in the top ten.

Isiah Renn, Jacob Hassell
Isiah Renn and Jacob Hassell

But Raa also had three scorers in the top ten, with Gandy and Duncan joined by eighth-grader Connor Cherry (8th, 11:30). The next two Mustangs across the finish line were eighth-grader Cy Stanley (13th, 11:48) and sixth-grader Raney Oven (14th, 11:49). After that, the Montford boys had 37 points and first place. It was the third year in a row that the Montford boys had won the League team title.


Placing second, Raa was six points back at 43, falling just short of winning the Rams' first championship since 2011. The Deerlake boys took third with 60 points.

2024 Montford Boys' Cross-Country
Montford Boys

Brian Corbin timed and scored the races at Leon County Schools' 2024 Middle School Cross-Country League Championship.


Boys' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. Montford, 37
  2. Raa, 43
  3. Deerlake, 60
  4. Swift Creek, 83
  5. Fairview, 154
  6. Fort Braden, 184
  7. Cobb, 196
  8. Nims, NTS
    Woodville, NTS
    Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Boys, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. 10:16.78, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
  2. 10:20.65, Emerson Gandy (Raa) 8
  3. 10:42.19, Jacob Hassell (Deerlake) 8
  4. 10:44.01, Isiah Renn (Montford) 7
  5. 10:50.55, Chase Sims (Montford) 7
  6. 10:51.07, Fife Duncan (Raa) 7
  7. 10:57.08, Nicholas Hassell (Deerlake) 8
  8. 11:29.33, Connor Cherry (Raa) 8
  9. 11:29.75, Peter Curet (Swift Creek) 7
  10. 11:30.33, John Sharpe (Swift Creek) 7

2024 Leon County Schools
Middle School Cross-Country Season Summary
Girls
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
ARPXC
28 August 2024		Deerlake, 42 points11:33, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Fort Braden
3 September 2024		Deerlake, 3712:09, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Mustang
11 September 2024		Swift Creek, 3711:35, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Everhart
18 September 2024		Swift Creek, 3811:04, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Golden Ram
25 September 2024		Canceled
Championship
2 October 2024		Swift Creek, 4011:06, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Boys
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
ARPXC
28 August 2024		Deerlake, 40 points10:45, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Fort Braden
3 September 2024		Montford, 3811:08, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Mustang
11 September 2024		Montford, 3710:37, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Everhart
18 September 2024		Raa, 3510:23, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Golden Ram
25 September 2024		Canceled
Championship
2 October 2024		Montford, 3710:17, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8


Leon County Schools Middle School Cross-Country Championships
Apalachee Regional Park, 2010 - 2024
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
6 October 2010Raa, 3213:34, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 8
28 September 2011Swift Creek, 3113:24, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 7
26 September 2012Swift Creek, 3612:49, Audrey Dogan (Raa) 8
2 October 2013Swift Creek, 4313:00, Ana Wallace (Deerlake) 8
1 October 2014Deerlake, 3612:12, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
7 October 2015Swift Creek, 3512:08, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
5 October 2016Montford, 4413:33, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
4 October 2017Swift Creek, 2713:14, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
4 October 2018Swift Creek, 2812:04, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
3 October 2019Deerlake, 3612:17, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
28 October 2020Deerlake, 2712:22, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
7 October 2021Deerlake, 2311:58, Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford) 7
5 October 2022Deerlake, 2911:21, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 6
5 October 2023Deerlake, 2211:15, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
2 October 2024Swift Creek, 4011:06, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
6 October 2010Raa, 2411:35, Wil Luca (Raa) 8
28 September 2011Raa, 5811:42, Evan Francis (Raa) 8
26 September 2012Montford, 5611:49, Matthew Cashin (Raa) 8
2 October 2013Montford, 3711:19, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
1 October 2014Fairview, 4411:59, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
7 October 2015Montford, 5011:34, Nile Bryant (Raa) 8
5 October 2016Swift Creek, 4411:38, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 8
4 October 2017Deerlake, 5011:31, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
4 October 2018Deerlake, 3810:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
3 October 2019Fairview, 3310:08, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
28 October 2020++
7 October 2021Swift Creek, 4410:46, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 7
5 October 2022Montford, 3610:16, Jack Koon (Fairview) 8
5 October 2023Montford, 4310:32, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 8
2 October 2024Montford, 3710:17, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Note: LCS held middle-school cross-country championships before 2010.
This table summarizes the history of the championship at ARPXC.

The races were two miles from 2010 to 2017 and 3 km afterwards.


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Friday, September 22, 2023

Charlotte Sikes and Carson Weiss were the victors at the battle of Fort Braden

On Wednesday evening, 20 September 2023, Fort Braden Park--west of Tallahassee, Florida--was inundated with hundreds of cross-country runners, coaches, and fans. The crowd was there for the fourth meet in Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season--the thirteenth annual Fort Braden Run. Swift Creek seventh-grader Charlotte Sikes won the opening event, the girls' 3K, for the second year in a row, running 11:49. The Deerlake girls' won the team competition in that race, tallying a winning 24 points. In a duel of two eighth-graders, Raa's Carson Weiss outkicked Emari Thomas of Fairview in the boys' 3K, winning the race 11:05 to 11:06. Montford took the team title in that race, scoring 41 points.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

The races started in Fort Braden Park, but less than 400 meters after the start the course took the runners over a bridge and onto the campus of Fort Braden School, the host of the meet. In the girls' 3K, Charlotte Sikes led the field over the bridge, shadowed by three Deerlake athletes--eighth-graders Chloe Molen and Honesty Daniel, and seventh-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum. The trio of pursuers kept Sikes in sight for the first kilometer; Daniel moving up to lead the chase, followed by Molen and then Tanenbaum.


"I was pretty aware they were back there," said Sikes. "I could hear footsteps and see people behind me."

Emma-Claire Tanenbaum
Emma-Claire Tanenbaum

They were still behind after two kilometers. Daniel fell back first during the second kilometer, then Molen, leaving Tanenbaum in second. With half a kilometer to go Tanenbaum was just over twenty meters behind Sikes. But Sikes widened that gap to nearly 40 meters during the drive to the finish line, going on to win in 11:49. Tanenbaum was runner-up in 12:04. Molen took third in 12:19 and Daniel fourth in 12:36.


With three of the top four finishers, the Deerlake Bucks had a good start on their team score. Two seventh-graders completed the total for the girls in green--Yujeong Lee was seventh in 13:00 and Morgan Lord placed eighth in 13:07. That gave the Deerlake girls a mathematically unbeatable 24 points as the Bucks won the Fort Braden Run for the third year in a row.

Chloe Molen
Chloe Molen

Led by Sikes, Swift Creek was second with 48 points. Montford was third in the nine-team field, scoring 80 points behind the top-ten finish of Mustang seventh-grader Andrea Jimenez (10th, 13:43).


2023 Fort Braden Run Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 24
  2. Swift Creek, 48
  3. Montford, 80
  4. Raa, 95
  5. Cobb, 173
  6. Fairview, 181
  7. Fort Braden, 218
  8. Griffin, 230
  9. Woodville, 267
  10. Nims, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2023 Fort Braden Run
  1. 11:48.50, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
  2. 12:03.61, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum (Deerlake) 7
  3. 12:18.94, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 8
  4. 12:35.59, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 8
  5. 12:41.02, Alexis Mayfield (Swift Creek) 8
  6. 12:43.43, Brixton Menendez (Raa) 7
  7. 12:59.29, Yujeong Lee (Deerlake) 7
  8. 13:06.16, Morgan Lord (Deerlake) 7
  9. 13:30.89, Allie Davenport (Deerlake) 8
  10. 13:42.23, Andrea Jimenez (Montford) 7

Fairview's Emari Thomas had won the boys' race at the first three meets of the LCS season, nabbing firsts at the ARPXC Invitational, the Mustang Stampede, and the Everhart Invitational. Thomas opened the boys' 3K at the Fort Braden Run by leading the race across the bridge. In his wake was Montford seventh-grader Jack Nottingham, who had placed second at the ARPXC Invitational. Further back, Raa's Carson Weiss raced in fifth position. Weiss had finished runner-up to Thomas in both the Mustang Stampede and the Everhart Invitational. By the end of the first kilometer, Weiss had moved up alongside Nottingham.

Emari Thomas
Emari Thomas

"When we were turning to go around the football fields, I sped up and passed Jack," recalled Weiss. "Then I was right behind Emari."


Thomas kept the lead but couldn't shake Weiss. The pair ran one-two through the second kilometer and into the third, Thomas a step or two ahead of Weiss. Thomas was first on the return trip across the bridge, a little more than 200 meters from the finish.

Jack Nottingham, Carson Weiss
Jack Nottingham and Carson Weiss

"I paced off [Thomas] till the next to last turn, where I passed him," said Weiss.


Around the final turn and down the homestretch, Weiss held a narrow lead, reaching the finish line first in 11:05. Thomas took second a moment later in 11:06. Montford's Nottingham followed them home, third in 11:17.

Carson Weiss, Emari Thomas
Carson Weiss and Emari Thomas

Going into the Fort Braden Run, the fourth meet of Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season, the Raa boys had won two meet and Montford one. But in spite of Raa's Carson Weiss taking the top individual spot at Fort Braden, it was the Montford boys who prevailed in the team standings, 41 to 43. Jack Nottingham accounted for the first three of Montford's 41 points; the other Mustang scorers were eighth-grader Blake Swanson (8th, 11:54), sixth-grader Isaiah Renn (9th, 12:04), eighth-grader Stokes Bryan (10th, 12:07), and eighth-grader Jack Getman (11th, 12:08).


Deerlake was third with 70 points, led by the fourth place, 11:41 finisher of Buck seventh-grader Jacob Hassell. Eight teams competed in the race; 128 athletes representing ten schools finished.


Although many of the school planned to race at the Florida State University Invitational on 29 September 2023, the last Leon County Schools' middle school meet on the 2023 schedule was the League Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on 5 October 2023.


2023 Fort Braden Run Team Standings, Boys
  1. Montford, 41
  2. Raa, 43
  3. Deerlake, 70
  4. Fairview, 137
  5. Swift Creek, 142
  6. Cobb, 148
  7. Fort Braden, 201
  8. Griffin, 205
  9. Nims, NTS
    Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2023 Fort Braden Run
  1. 11:04.80, Carson Weiss (Raa) 8
  2. 11:05.57, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 8
  3. 11:17.00, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 7
  4. 11:40.13, Jacob Hassell (Deerlake) 7
  5. 11:41.76, Nicholas Hassell (Deerlake) 7
  6. 11:43.11, Emerson Gandy (Raa) 7
  7. 11:52.65, Alden Weiss (Raa) 8
  8. 11:53.09, Blake Swanson (Montford) 8
  9. 12:03.14, Isaiah Renn (Montford) 6
  10. 12:06.27, Stokes Bryan (Montford) 8

Fort Braden Cross-Country Meet Champions, 2010 - 2023
DateBoysGirls
22 September 201012:26, Sukhi Khosla (Raa) 815:01, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 8
14 September 201112:16, Evan Francis (Raa) 814:45, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 7
12 September 201212:40, Matthew Cashin (Raa) 813:58, Audrey Dogan (Raa) 8
4 September 201312:15, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 813:51, Saige Kemeny (Montford) 7
3 September 201413:00, Bryant McKnight (Montford) 813:13, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
9 September 201513:08, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 713:26, Alyson Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
14 September 201611:50, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 814:05, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
14 September 201711:51, Filippo Reina (Deerlake) 813:48, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
6 September 201811:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake ) 812:51, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
5 September 201910:27, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 812:58, Skye Williams (Montford) 8
2 September 202111:29, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 812:54, London Mellen (Deerlake) 8
31 August 202210:19, Caio Zacchi (Nims) 811:44, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 6
20 September 202311:05, Carson Weiss (Raa) 811:49, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7


Fort Braden Cross-Country Meet Team Titles, 2010 - 2023
DateBoysGirls
22 September 2010Raa (15 points)Raa (33 points)
14 September 2011Montford (55 points)Swift Creek (47 points)
12 September 2012Swift Creek (54 points)Montford (48 points)
4 September 2013Montford (38 points)Swift Creek (44 points)
3 September 2014Swift Creek (60 points)Swift Creek (36 points)
9 September 2015Deerlake (44 points)Swift Creek (38 points)
14 September 2016Swift Creek (23 points)Deerlake (42 points)
14 September 2017Deerlake (41 points)Swift Creek (22 points)
6 September 2018Deerlake (39 points)Swift Creek (35 points)
5 September 2019Deerlake (32 points)Montford (46 points)
2 September 2021Swift Creek (60 points)Deerlake (25 points)
31 August 2022Montford (42 points)Deerlake (33 points)
20 September 2023Montford (41 points)Deerlake (24 points)


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Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Charlotte Sikes and Emari Thomas improve to 3-0 at the Everhart Invitational

The Everhart Invitational isn't the perfect cross-country meet. More than half the course is on pavement. Run at midday, it's usually too warm and bright for comfortable racing. But on the positive side, it's probably the oldest middle school cross-country meet in the state of Florida, having been around since 1988. And the athletes get to miss a few classes to race, which most middle school students are not going to complain about.


Tallahassee's 36th annual Everhart Invitational may not have been perfect, but the record of the race winners was. After the meet, Swift Creek seventh-grader Charlotte Sikes was a perfect 3-0 for the Leon County Middle School Cross-Country season, having won the girls' 3K in 11:49. Fairview eighth-grader Emari Thomas was likewise 3-0 after winning the boys' 3K in 10:45. In the team standings, the Deerlake girls took first for the third time this season, this time with a winning score of 25 points. The boys from Raa were first in their event, scoring 35 points.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

The girls raced first, their 3000-meter race starting at 11:00 AM. Charlotte Sikes set the early pace, shadowed by Deerlake eighth-grader Chloe Molen. Sikes broke away from Molen early in the second kilometer of the race. By the end of the second kilometer, Sikes had maintained her lead over Molen, but Deerlake seventh-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum had started to close on Molen. During the final kilometer, Tanenbaum overtook Molen and started to gain on Sikes.


Sikes, however, was too far ahead to be caught, and made it across the finish line first in 11:49. Tanenbaum took second in 11:55. Molen was third in 12:09.

Another Deerlake harrier, eighth-grader Honesty Daniel, placed fourth in 12:37. Deerlake's next two scorers were eighth-grader Madeline Brockmeier, seventh in 12:56, and seventh-grader Vujeong Lee, ninth in 13:09. With all five scorers in the top ten, the Bucks had a mathematically unbeatable 25 points and the Everhart Invitational title.

Emma-Claire Tanenbaum
Emma-Claire Tanenbaum

Sikes and the Swift Creek Wolves put up 50 points to take second. The Rams of Raa, led by seventh-grader Brixton Mendez (5th, 12:45), were third with 80 points.


2023 Everhart Invitational Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 25
  2. Swift Creek, 50
  3. Raa, 80
  4. Montford, 87
  5. Griffin, 164
  6. Cobb, 168
  7. Fairview, 225
  8. Fort Braden, 241
  9. Woodville, 272
  10. Nims, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2023 Everhart Invitational
  1. 11:48.84, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
  2. 11:54.64, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum (Deerlake) 7
  3. 12:08.54, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 8
  4. 12:36.17, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 8
  5. 12:44.50, Brixton Menendez (Raa) 7
  6. 12:48.56, Reagan Kingsley (Raa) 7
  7. 12:55.20, Madeline Brockmeier (Deerlake) 8
  8. 13:01.01, Sadie Blake (Swift Creek) 7
  9. 13:08.57, Yujeong Lee (Deerlake) 7
  10. 13:24.56, Morgan Lord (Deerlake) 7

At the season opener, the ARPXC Invitational, Emari Thomas won boys' 3K by less than five seconds. Two weeks later, at the Mustang Stampede, Thomas won the boys' race by less than three seconds. Another close race wasn't part of his plan at the Everhart Invitational, though. Thomas finished half a minute ahead of the second runner in the boys' 3K at Everhart, winning by a solid 150 meters.

Emari Thomas
Emari Thomas

Thomas was out ahead early in the race, and before the end of the first 800 meters he had broken contact with all challengers. After that it was a solo effort for the Fairview eighth-grader as he came home first in 10:45.


Late in the race, Raa eighth-grader Carson Weiss got away from Montford seventh-grader Jack Nottingham to take second in 11:19. Deerlake seventh-grader Jacob Hassell overtook Nottingham on the homestretch; at the finish line Hassell was third in 11:23 and Nottingham a close fourth in 11:24.


Behind Hassell and Nottingham, Raa seventh-grader Emerson Gandy placed fifth in 11:28. Two more Raa Rams broke into the top ten--eighth-grader Alden Weiss was eighth in 11:40 and seventh-grader Connor Cherry was ninth in 11:50. The fifth scorer for the Rams was the youngest, sixth-grader Fife Duncan, eleventh in 11:59. The Raa boys had 35 points and the team title, the first time since 2010 that the Rams took a team trophy home to Raa from Everhart. That 2010 team had been led by Wil Luca and Sukhi Khosla.


Nottingham and the Montford boys' squad, Everhart winners in 2021 and 2022, placed second in the 2023 meet with 46 points. Jacob Hassell and the Deerlake Bucks scored 67 points, taking third.


The Everhart Invitational was the third meet in Leon County Schools' 2023 middle school cross-country season. Three more meets remain in the schedule--the Fort Braden Run at Fort Braden Park on 20 September 2023, the FSU Invitational at Apalachee Regional Park on 30 September 2023, and the LCS League Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park on 6 October 2023.


2023 Everhart Invitational Team Standings, Boys
  1. Raa, 35
  2. Montford, 46
  3. Deerlake, 67
  4. Fairview, 120
  5. Swift Creek, 142
  6. Cobb, 153
  7. Griffin, 199
  8. Fort Braden, 215
  9. Nims, NTS
    Everhart, NTS
    Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2023 Everhart Invitational
  1. 10:44.21, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 8
  2. 11:18.79, Carson Weiss (Raa) 8
  3. 11:22.10, Jacob Hassell (Deerlake) 7
  4. 11:23.32, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 7
  5. 11:27.41, Emerson Gandy (Raa) 7
  6. 11:35.01, Nicholas Hassell (Deerlake) 7
  7. 11:35.27, Johannes Hassell (Montford) 8
  8. 11:39.49, Alden Weiss (Raa) 8
  9. 11:49.76, Connor Cherry (Raa) 7
  10. 11:54.07, Blake Swanson (Montford) 8

Everhart Invitational Champions, 1988 - 2023
DateBoysGirls
13 September 202310:45, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 811:49, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
14 September 202210:39, Caio Zacchi (Nims) 811:52, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 6
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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Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Charlotte Sikes and Emari Thomas trot to victory at the Mustang Stampede

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on 30 August 2023. Schools in Leon County were closed that day and the next, so that the second meet of the county's middle school cross-country season, the Fort Braden Run, had to be rescheduled for 20 September 2023. Tallahassee's middle school harriers were back in action the following week at the eleventh annual Mustang Stampede Cross-Country Meet at Montford Middle School on Tuesday evening, 5 September 2023. Swift Creek seventh-grader Charlotte Sikes won the girls' 3K at Montford for the second year in a row, but it was the Deerlake girls who took the team title, scoring a winning 28 points. Eighth-grader Emari Thomas of Fairview went 11:32 for the win in the boys' 3K, while the Raa boys were team champs at the Stampede for the first time in school history, scoring 42 points and beating Montford on a tiebreaker.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

In the future, Montford Middle School may be able to use Leon County's Northeast Park and the Welaunee Greenway for cross-country running. Neither of those existed in 2023, however, so Montford hosted the Mustang Stampede on their excellent course on the school campus. Going into the Stampede, you'd have to say that Charlotte Sikes was the favorite in the girls' 3K. The Swift Creek athlete had gone undefeated in the 2022 Leon County Schools cross-country season, winning six races, and she had extended that winning streak to seven at the ARPXC Invitational, the opening meet of the 2023 campaign. Sikes made it eight in a row at the Stampede, finishing first in 12:00 with a lead of 120 meters. Deerlake eighth-grader Chloe Molen was runner-up in 12:29. Alexis Mayfield, a Swift Creek eighth-grader, edged Deerlake seventh-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum for third, 12:36 to 12:37.


After the first four athletes finished, Swift Creek was up two points on Deerlake. But if Sikes had been the individual favorite in the race, Deerlake was the team favorite with a winning streak that started in 2020. After Tanenbaum took fourth for the Bucks, Deerlake eighth-grader Honesty Daniel placed fifth in 13:25, Deerlake seventh-grader Yuejong Lee was eighth in 13:42, and Deerlake eighth-grader Allie Davenport was ninth in 13:45. Deerlake had all five scorers across the line before any other team had more than two. The Bucks also had 28 points and the team title.


Sikes and Swift Creek were second with 71 points. Raa, led by seventh-grader Brixton Hernandez (6th, 13:32), placed third with 71 points.


2023 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 28
  2. Swift Creek, 46
  3. Raa, 71
  4. Montford, 100
  5. Cobb, 160
  6. Fairview, 190
  7. Fort Braden, 214
  8. Griffin, 215
  9. Woodville, NTS
    Nims, NTS

Top 10 Girls, 2023 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K
  1. 11:59.08, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
  2. 12:28.04, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 8
  3. 12:35.30, Alexis Mayfield (Swift Creek) 8
  4. 12:36.26, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum (Deerlake) 7
  5. 13:24.05, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 8
  6. 13:31.01, Brixton Menendez (Raa) 7
  7. 13:32.08, Reagan Kingsley (Raa) 7
  8. 13:41.97, Yujeong Lee (Deerlake) 7
  9. 13:43.36, Allie Davenport (Deerlake) 8
  10. 14:02.75, Morgan Lord (Deerlake) 7

Eighth-grader Emari Thomas, Fairview's ace, had won a close race in the season opener at the ARPXC Invitational on 23 August 2023, finishing five seconds before Montford's Jack Nottingham. At the Mustang Stampede, Thomas won an even closer contest. This time he came out on top by just three seconds, beating the runner-up, Raa eighth-grader Carson Weiss, to the finish line 11:32 to 11:35. Just behind Weiss, Deerlake seventh-grader Jacob Hassell was third in 11:36, and Jack Nottingham fourth in 11:37.

Emari Thomas
Emari Thomas

Montford, racing on their home course, had three more athletes in the top ten--eighth-grader Johannes Hassell (8th, 12:16), sixth-grader Chase Sims (9th, 12:23), and sixth-grader Isaiah Renn (10th, 12:25). When Montford's eighth-grader Blake Swanson (11th, 12:29) had finished, the Mustang boys had 42 points. But Raa's scorers--Carson Weiss, seventh-grader Emerson Gandy (6th, 11:53), eighth-grader Alden Weiss (7th, 12:02), seventh-grader Connor Cherry (13th, 12:41), and sixth-grader Fife Duncan--put up and identical 42 points. The meet would be decided on a tiebreaker. In Leon County, the middle schools use the National Federation of High Schools rule for tie scores--the sixth runner determines the winner. Raa's sixth was seventh-grader Christian Acree, and Acree placed fifteenth in 12:44--just ahead of Montford's sixth, eighth-grader Jack Spicer, sixteenth in 12:53. With the faster sixth runner, Raa had won the meet.

Deerlake, led by Jacob Hassell, scored 67 points, placing third in the eight-team field.


The 2023 Mustang Stampede was timed and scored by Brian Corbin.


2023 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Boys
  1. Raa, 42
  2. Montford, 42
  3. Deerlake, 67
  4. Fairview, 117
  5. Swift Creek, 124
  6. Cobb, 171
  7. Fort Braden, 212
  8. Griffin, 230
  9. Nims, NTS
    Woodville, NTS

Top 10 Boys, 2023 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K
  1. 11:31.49, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 8
  2. 11:34.44, Carson Weiss (Raa) 8
  3. 11:35.84, Jacob Hassell (Deerlake) 7
  4. 11:36.99, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 7
  5. 11:50.87, Nicholas Hassell (Deerlake) 7
  6. 11:52.09, Emerson Gandy (Raa) 7
  7. 12:01.85, Alden Weiss (Raa) 8
  8. 12:15.62, Johannes Hassell (Montford) 8
  9. 12:22.43, Chase Sims (Montford) 6
  10. 12:24.96, Isaiah Renn (Montford) 6

Mustang Cross-Country Stampede Champions
2013 - 2022
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2013Swift Creek, 37 points13:42, Saige Kemeny (Montford) 7
10 September 2014Swift Creek, 3412:46, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
30 September 2015Swift Creek, 4312:25, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
28 September 2016Montford, 4313:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
28 September 2017Swift Creek, 2013:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
20 September 2018Montford, 4011:45, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
19 September 2019Deerlake, 4013:03, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
14 October 2020Deerlake, 1812:50, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
7 September 2021Deerlake, 2211:55, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake ) 8
6 September 2022Deerlake, 2812:29, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 6
5 September 2023Deerlake, 2812:00, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2013Montford, 56 points11:56, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
10 September 2014Swift Creek, 6612:14, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
30 September 2015Deerlake, 4311:56, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2016Swift Creek, 3911:28, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2017Deerlake, 4211:15, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
20 September 2018Deerlake, 349:43, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
19 September 2019Deerlake, 3610:54, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
14 October 2020Deerlake, 4311:31, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
7 September 2021Montford, 4511:02, Asa Swope (Swift Creek ) 8
6 September 2022Deerlake, 4910:55, Caio Zacchi (Nims) 8
5 September 2023Raa, 4211:32, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 8
From 2013 to 2017, the race distance at the Mustang Stampede was two miles. In
2018 the distance was changed to three kilometers.


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