Showing posts with label Michael Phillips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Phillips. Show all posts

Saturday, November 11, 2017

State Championship Titles of Tallahassee & Leon County High School Cross-Country Teams, 1947-2017

As recently as 2011, Tallahassee high schools left Florida's State Cross-Country Meet without collecting either a team title or an individual championship. There are years like that. 2017 wasn't one of those years, thanks to the crew from Chiles High. At Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday morning, 11 November 2017, Chiles senior Ana Wallace ran 17:42.43 to win the FHSAA 3A girls' race, leading her team to a state title. Less than an hour later, Chiles senior Michael Phillips took the 3A boys' race for the second year in a row, running 15:14.69.

Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips

The morning opened with the 1A girls' 5K, where Tallahassee was represented by Maclay School. Placing 35th overall in 20:24.01, seventh-grader Ella Porcher led Maclay to a fifth-place showing with 184 points. Seventh-grader Sofia Paredes (39th, 20:37.25), sophomore Hannah Hosay (44th, 20:42.46), eighth-grader Madeline Lillie (59tth, 21:01.05), sophomore Avery Smith (63rd, 21:19.68), senior Anna Lewis (70th, 21:26), and junior Mackenzie Mazziotta (81st, 21:46) also raced for Maclay at State.


Tallahassee athletes also figured in the second race of the meet, the 2A girls' 5K. The Florida State University School placed twentieth in that race with 537 points, led by junior Summer Williams. Williams ran 21:01 for 88th. Williams was followed by five more Seminoles; frosh Oliva Dean (115th, 21:49.11), junior India Sander Nazario (116th, 21:49.16), junior Jordan Jones (135th, 22:37.75), frosh Ricondra Barrington (170th, 25:49.47), and sophomore Alysha Gutierrez-Tapia (171st, 26:15.09).

Dalton Gray
Dalton Gray

Maclay sophomore Junious Brown IV broke into the top ten in the third race on the schedule, the 1A boys' 5K, placing seventh overall in 16:28.94. The Maclay team placed sixteenth with 334 points in that race behind the efforts of Brown, sophomore Thomas Deison (79th, 18:02.75), senior Daniel Sweeney (80th, 18:02.76), junior James McDuffie (101st, 18:31.03), sophomore Damian Hundley (128th, 18:59.36), frosh Michael Sweeney (139th, 19:20.99), and junior Alfredo Paredes (153rd, 19:38.94). David Keen, a sophomore from Tallahassee's North Florida Christian School, placed 44th in the 1A boys' race, running 17:23.94.

Ana Wallace
Ana Wallace

None of the Tallahassee schools made the 2A boys' race, the fourth event of the State Meet, but Wakulla High from neighboring Crawfordville was in the field. The Wakulla War Eagles took fifteenth place behind the running of junior Chris Porter (49th, 16:55.56), senior Scott Lloyd (90th, 17:43.55), sophomores Daniel Wiedeman (92nd, 17:45.51) and Mason McCord (93rd, 17:46.25), and seniors Dalton Gray (111th, 18:04.11), Caleb Wiedeman (113th, 18:06.11), and Dalten Parker (148th, 18:52.92).


Valerie Lastra of Mater Academy had gone out hard in class 3A girls' 5K in 2016, dueling for the win with Lincoln frosh Alyson Churchill. As a sophomore Lastra started out fast again in the 2017 race. Just after the first kilometer, though, Ana Wallace of Chiles tucked in behind Lastra. By the two-kilometer mark Wallace was a step ahead. By the three-kilometer mark the race was all Wallace. Unchallenged through the last two kilometers, she went on to win in 17:42.43. It was the tenth state cross-country girls' title claimed by a Tallahassee athlete and the third by a Chiles runner. Wallace's win led the Chiles team to the girls' team championship, the fifth in school history. After Wallace, Chiles put three other runners in the top ten, with Emily Culley taking second in 18:09.03, sophomore Caitlin Wilkey ninth in 18:40.50, and senior Erin Phelps tenth in 18:53.92. Frosh runner Lindsay James completed the scoring for Chiles, placing eleventh in 19:01.00. Chiles junior Olivia Miller took 48th in 20:27.49, and Chiles senior Reagan Mahler was 79th in 21:02.15.

2017 FHSAA State Cross-Country Championship
Class 3A boys' 5K

More than a few athletes fought for the lead during the first half of the 3A boys 5K, the seventh event of the morning. The second half of the race, though, belonged solely to Michael Phillips. The defending champion in the event, the Chiles senior left the rest of the field more than 130 meters behind, winning the race in 15:14.69--not only the fastest time run at the State Meet that day, but the fastest 5K run at Apalachee Regional Park during 2017. Chiles took second in the team standings with 111 points, with Phillips joined by senior Matthew Newland (4th, 16:01.14), junior Connor Phillips (24th, 16:40.64), senior Robert Nowak (41st, 16:56.05), senior Noah Grzywacz (66th, 17:15.14), sophomore Hawthorne Hay (88th, 17:28.76), and junior Clay Milford (119th, 17:50.96). Lincoln High senior Clayton Carlson also represented Tallahassee in the race, finishing 112th in 17:48.68.


Here's how the annals look after the 2017 State Meet:



CHILES HIGH SCHOOLTimberwolves

Team Titles

Boys:
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2003
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2005
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2006
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2014

Girls:
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2008
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2009
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2010
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2015
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2017


Individual Titles

Boys:
2003 Alex Miletich, 3A State Champion
2016 Michael Phillips, 3A State Champion
2017 Michael Phillips, 3A State Champion

Girls:
2009 Carly Thomas, 3A State Champion
2012 Rachel Givens, 3A State Champion
2017 Ana Wallace, 3A State Champion


GODBY HIGH SCHOOL

Individual Titles

Boys:
2007 Joe Franklin, 2A State Champion




LEON HIGH SCHOOL

Team Titles

Boys:
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1969
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2007
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2008
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2009

Girls:
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 1977
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 1978
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 1986
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 1987
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 1988


Individual Titles:

Boys:
1976 Herb Wills, 4A State Champion
1986 Doug Dickinson, 3A State Champion
1988 Ray Carter, 3A State Champion
1989 Ray Carter, 3A State Champion
2007 Matt Mizereck, 3A State Champion
2008 Matt Mizereck, 3A State Champion
2009 Matt Mizereck, 3A State Champion
2013 Sukhi Khosla, 3A State Champion
2014 Sukhi Khosla, 3A State Champion

Girls:
1979 Rosemary Desloge, 3A State Champion
1988 Jessica Scafidi, 3A State Champion
1989 Jessica Scafidi, 3A State Champion
1990 Jessica Scafidi, 3A State Champion


LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL

Individual Titles

Girls:
1991 Kathy Ward, 4A State Champion
1992 Kathy Ward, 4A State Champion
2016 Alyson Churchill, 3A State Champion



MACLAY SCHOOL

Team Titles

Boys:
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1998
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 1999
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2000
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2001
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2002


Girls:
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1997
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1998
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 1999
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2001
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2005


Individual Titles

Boys:
2002 Ryan Deak, 1A State Champion
2008 Patrick Swain, 1A State Champion
2009 Patrick Swain, 1A State Champion


NORTH FLORIDA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Individual Titles

Boys:
1989, Robert Boyd, 1A State Champion






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Sunday, September 3, 2017

Phillips, Wallace, and Chiles win everything at the Big Bend Invitational

It was the Chiles High Timberwolf show at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park. During the high school session of the inaugural Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational on Saturday morning, 2 September 2017, the Timberwolves took the team titles in both the High School girls' 5K and the high school boys' 5K. Not only that, Chiles senior Ana Wallace won the girls' 5K in 19:02, and another Chiles senior, Michael Phillips, won the boys' 5K in 15:51.

Ana Wallace
Ana Wallace

After an open Community 5K at 7:30 AM, high school competition commenced just after 8:15 AM with the high school girls' 5K. Half a kilometer into the race there was a lead group of four runners--Arnold frosh Marisa Ashley, Mosley senior Ella Swigler, Chiles junior Emily Culley, and P. K. Yonge frosh Juliette Palechor. Ana Wallace was ten seconds back in the seventh position. Wallace wasn't running as fast as the leaders but she was running as fast as she needed that early in the race. When the early leaders wilted, Wallace took over. Halfway through the race Wallace was running first, ten seconds up on the next runner, with Culley in second, Ashley in third, and Swigler in fourth. Those runners spread out during the second half of the 5K, but maintained their positions. Chiles' Wallace took first in 19:02, Chiles' Culley was second in 19:21, Arnold's Ashley was third in 19:57, and Mosley's Swigler fourth in 20:21.


"It was all right," said Wallace. "It wasn't my best effort. I need to be able to push harder."

Emily Culley
Emily Culley

Wallace and Culley weren't the only Chiles girls in the top ten. The Timberwolves also had sophomores Caitlyn Wilkey (5th, 20:35) and Emily Molen (6th, 20:55) put up top ten performances. The Chiles fifth runner was senior Reagan Mahler (13th, 21:51), giving the Timberwolves a mathematically unbeatable score of 27 and first place in a field of fifteen teams. Led by the ninth-place, 21:22 finish of junior Kat Resavage, Leon was second with 77 points. Lincoln was third with 77 points behind their top runner, sophomore Megan Churchill (7th, 21:04).


"This will be the last time we race here [Apalachee Regional Park] before the State Meet," said Wallace of Chiles. "We're not going to the FSU Invitational. We're going to Great American in North Carolina instead."

Marisa Ashley
Marisa Ashley

Experience on the State Meet course is always important, but Wallace and her teammates look like they've figured out how to race at Apalachee Regional Park.


Team Standings, Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational High School Girls' 5K
  1. Chiles, 27
  2. Leon, 77
  3. Lincoln, 92
  4. Maclay, 106
  5. Arnold, 179
  6. Florida State, 196
  7. Suwannee, 219
  8. Santa Fe, 252
  9. Wakulla, 270
  10. Mosley, 282
  11. Rutherford, 288
  12. P. K. Yonge, 306
  13. Blountstown, 319
  14. Franklin County, 351
  15. John Paul II, 375

Top Ten, Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational High School Girls' 5K
  1. 19:01.49, Ana Wallace (Chiles) 12
  2. 19:20.15, Emily Culley (Chiles) 11
  3. 19:56.58, Marisa Ashley (Arnold) 9
  4. 20:20.85, Ella Swigler (Mosley) 12
  5. 20:34.50, Caitlin Wilkey (Chiles) 10
  6. 20:54.22, Emily Molen (Chiles) 10
  7. 21:03.89, Megan Churchill (Lincoln) 10
  8. 21:19.60, Chase Merrick (Lincoln) 10
  9. 21:21.65, Katherine Resavage (Leon) 11
  10. 21:23.81, Hannah Hosay (Maclay) 10

Count Chiles senior Michael Phillips as one of the athletes who knows how to win at Apalachee Regional Park. Phillips won the state title for class 3A boys on the course in 2016, and he dominated the field like a state champion at the 2017 Big Bend Invitational. Phillips shrugged off the competition during the first half of the race, then ran the second half of the 5K alone. Phillips took first in 15:51, while Chiles seniors Matthew Newland and Robert Nowak were second in 16:20 and third in 17:18.

Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips

The Chiles boys also got top ten performances from junior Clay Milford (6th, 17:35) and sophomore Hawthorne Hay (10th, 17:47), putting the Timberwolves first in the team standings with a mathematically unbeatable 22 points. Led by sophomore Joseph Ashebo (12th, 17:51), Leon edged Wakulla for second place, 104 to 107. Wakulla's top runner was junior Chris Porter, thirteenth in 17:55.


Team Standings, Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational High School Boys' 5K
  1. Chiles, 22
  2. Leon, 104
  3. Wakulla, 108
  4. Blountstown, 141
  5. Lincoln, 142
  6. Maclay, 174
  7. Suwannee, 193
  8. Santa Fe, 209
  9. P. K. Yonge, 253
  10. Rutherford, 275
  11. Mosley, 276
  12. Arnold, 320
  13. Franklin County, 349
  14. Northside Methodist, 360
  15. John Paul II, 361

Top Ten, Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational High School Boys' 5K
  1. 15:50.80, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 12
  2. 16:19.23, Matthew Newland (Chiles) 12
  3. 17:17.48, Robert Nowak (Chiles) 12
  4. 17:28.10, Micah Hilliard (Suwannee) 12
  5. 17:28.75, Blake Turner (Arnold) 12
  6. 17:34.43, Clayburn Milford (Chiles) 11
  7. 17:38.69, Jesse Boyd (Blountstown) 12
  8. 17:43.84, Timothy Choe (Suwannee) 12
  9. 17:46.32, Jay Brown (Maclay) 10
  10. 17:46.78, Hawthorne Hay (Chiles) 10

The middle school girls' 3K followed the high school races. Panhandle Express runners Stella Lewis and Clifton Lewis reached the top of The Wall before anyone else in the race, then over the last 400 meters Stella Lewis pulled away to win in 14:57. Clifton Lewis was second in 15:04. Montford seventh-grader Sophia Harris was third in 15:15.

Stella Lewis, Clifton Lewis
Clifton Lewis and Stella Lewis

Led by eighth-grader Shelby Harrison, Riversprings took first in the team standings with 24 points. Fairview was second with 31 points behind their top runner, eighth-grader Joycelin Foust (6th, 16:19).


Team Standings, Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational Middle School Girls' 3K
  1. Riversprings, 24
  2. Fairview, 31

Top Ten
  1. 14:56.65, Stella Lewis (Panhandle Express) 7
  2. 15:03.97, Clifton Lewis (Panhandle Express) 4
  3. 15:14.46, Sophia Harris (Montford) 7
  4. 15:56.38, Paige Campbell (Christ Classical) 8
  5. 16:01.09, Kate Smith (Holy Comforter) 8
  6. 16:18.01, Joycelin Foust (Fairview) 8
  7. 16:20.88, Ella Grace Hodges (Montford) 8
  8. 16:40.17, Sarah Tychsen (Unattached) 6
  9. 16:42.97, Shelby Harrison (Riversprings) 8
  10. 16:59.90, Morgan Crews (Community Christian) 6

The middle school boys' 3K concluded the Big Bend Invitational. In that last race, Patrick Koon went to the front almost immediately. The Fairview sixth-grader ran the rest of the race unchallenged, finishing 300 meters ahead of the next runner in 12:09. Montford eighth-grader Carter Quiggens was second in 13:28, and Montford sixth-grader Jackson Rowe was third in 13:37.

Patrick Koon
Patrick Koon

Montford also took three of the next four places, with sixth-grader Timothy Starling fourth in 13:50, eighth-grader Bradley Thompson fifth in 13:52, and seventh-grader Kellen Quiggens seventh in 14:00. The next three places also belonged to Montford runners, but the Mustangs already had a mathematically unbeatable total of 21 points and the team title. Fairview was second with 65 points. Christ Classical, led by eighth-grader Tristan Carrasquilla (13th, 14:22) was third with 74 points.


Team Standings, Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational Middle School Boys' 3K
  1. Montford, 21
  2. Fairview, 65
  3. Christ Classical, 74
  4. Maclay, 82

Top Ten
  1. 12:08.11, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 6
  2. 13:27.46, Carter Quiggens (Montford) 8
  3. 13:36.58, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 6
  4. 13:49.29, Timothy Starling (Montford) 6
  5. 13:51.89, Bradley Thompson (Montford) 8
  6. 13:57.82, Aiden Van Iddekinge (Maclay) 7
  7. 13:59.60, Kellen Quiggens (Montford) 7
  8. 14:00.08, Miller Strickland (Montford) 8
  9. 14:07.32, Dylan Davis (Montford) 6
  10. 14:08.25, Tony Guillen (Montford) 8

The Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational had originally been scheduled as an early season meet in 2016 but had to be canceled because of damage from Hurricane Hermine. With luck, the hurricanes will stay clear of Tallahassee and cross-country fans will see a second annual Big Bend Invite in 2018. Miles and Minutes, LLC, timed and scored the 2017 Big Bend Invitational.


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Sunday, August 27, 2017

Chiles sweeps, Phillips repeats, and Funderburk sets a record at the Cougar Challenge

In 2016, Lincoln High frosh Alyson Churchill won the high school girls' 5K at Cougar Cross-Country Challenge, then went on to win the FHSAA state cross-country title for class 3A girls. Additionally, Chiles High junior Michael Phillips won the Cougar Challenge high school boys' 5K that same year, and went on to win the FHSAA state cross-country title for class 3A boys. You might think that's an anomaly, but Joe Franklin, Patrick Swain, and Sukhi Khosla also won state titles in Florida after victories in the Cougar Challenge. In the ten-year history of the meet, that's a lot of state champions. Maybe the Cougar Challenge is a stepping-stone to victory in the State Final, and Florida's athletes should be making pilgrimages to Tallahassee's Phipps Park each autumn to compete in the Challenge. Or maybe Tallahassee just has produced a lot of great cross-country runners, many who have raced in the Cougar Challenge.

Elizabeth Funderburk
Elizabeth Funderburk

In 2017, though, don't look for the Cougar Challenge high school girls' 5K winner to take any state titles in Florida. On Saturday morning, 26 August 2017, that race was won by a Moultrie, Georgia athlete, Colquitt County High senior Elizabeth Funderburk. Funderburk cruised up and down the Phipps Park hills in a girls' meet record of 18:29, besting a field of 182 athletes. Come November, though, Funderburk will be competing for a state title on the Carrollton High course in Carrollton, Georgia instead of racing for a Florida crown at Apalachee Regional Park. The Cougar Challenge just might produce a Florida title in 2017, though. Defending state champ Michael Phillips won the boys' 5K at the Challenge for the second year in a row, running 16:42.

Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips

The girls' 5K started a few minutes after 8:00 AM. Most of the first kilometer was downhill, encouraging a stiff early pace. Gravity didn't help anyone keep up with Funderburk, though. The Colquitt County High senior had already broken contact with the field by the end of the first kilometer. In addition to the long downhill, the runners also had to negotiate two major uphills. Up or down, Funderburk kept widening the gap. Eventually she was not only out of reach of the other competitors, but out of sight as well. Chiles senior Ana Wallace placed second in the race, running 19:37.


"It was a fast start, so it really hurt me," recalled Wallace. "And of course that last will was killer. I didn't really have anyone to run with because Elizabeth got away from me at the start."

Chiles High girls' cross-country team
Chiles High girls' cross-country team

Wallace's teammate Emily Culley finished third, giving the Chiles girls a strong start in the team scoring. However, West Florida Tech put four runners in the top twenty--sophomore Skylar Grant (9th, 22:01), juniors Mallory Mott (10th, 22:03) and Maria Areola (11th, 22:06), and sophomore Ale'jandra Gilley (17th, 22:46). Chiles third and fourth runners were sophomore Emily Molen (14th, 22:41) and frosh Brooke Waldal (27th, 23:12). West Florida Tech held a one-point advantage while the teams waited for their fifth scorers. Those final scorers were Chiles senior Shealyn Sullivan (38th, 24:20) and West Florida Tech sophomore Alana Gaynor (45th, 24:55), giving Chiles 80 points and victory. West Florida Tech was second with 86 points. Led by sophomore Elizabeth Calabro (8th, 22:00), Leon High was a close third with 88 points.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. Chiles, 80
  2. West Florida Tech, 86
  3. Leon, 88
  4. Lincoln, 127
  5. Maclay, 152
  6. Deerfield Windsor, 182
  7. Southland, 189
  8. Valwood, 198
  9. Suwannee, 284
  10. Bainbridge, 296
  11. Tift County, 297
  12. Community Christian, 336
  13. Thomas County Central, 337
  14. Colquitt County, 339
  15. Wakulla, 376
  16. Lowndes, 379
  17. Franklin County, 495
  18. John Paul II Catholic, 503
  19. Brookwood, 553

Top Ten High School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. 18:28.70, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 12
  2. 19:36.71, Ana Wallace (Chiles) 12
  3. 20:13.08, Emily Culley (Chiles) 11
  4. 20:51.37, Hannah Spooneybarger (Gulf Breeze) 11
  5. 21:29.96, Emily Golden (Tift County) 10
  6. 21:46.89, Charlotte Augenstein (Deerfield-Windsor) 10
  7. 21:57.70, Megan Churchill (Lincoln) 10
  8. 21:59.97, Elizabeth Calabro (Leon) 10
  9. 22:00.93, Skylar Grant (West Florida Tech) 10
  10. 22:02.43, Mallory Mott (West Florida Tech) 11

The runners in the boys' 5K were every bit as anxious as those in the girls' 5K to dash down the first kilometer of downhill running. The leaders went by the mile mark in 5:05, a pace that none of them maintained for the rest of the race. But while everyone in the boys' 5K slowed up, Michael Phillips slowed up least. The Chiles senior took charge, racing to a 16:42 win. Chiles senior Matthew Newland was second in 16:53, and Lincoln senior Clayton Carlson took third in 17:24.

Chiles High boys' cross-country team
Chiles High boys' cross-country team

Phillips and Newland were joined in the top ten by the rest of the Chiles scorers--senior Robert Nowak (4th, 17:34), junior Connor Phillips (6th, 17:47), and junior Clayburn Milford (10th, 18:00). Those five scored a mathematically unbeatable 23 points, and the Chiles boys won the team title for the second year in a row. Behind the eighth-place finish of sophomore Porter Hill, Deerfield-Windsor edged Lincoln for second in the team standings, 123 to 124. Leon was a close fourth with 126, led by sophomore Joseph Ashebo (15th, 18:32).


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. Chiles, 23
  2. Deerfield Windsor, 123
  3. Lincoln, 124
  4. Leon, 126
  5. West Florida Tech, 151
  6. Lowndes, 173
  7. Wakulla, 178
  8. Maclay, 244
  9. Tift County, 270
  10. Bainbridge, 300
  11. Suwannee, 309
  12. Rickards, 318
  13. Colquitt County, 346
  14. John Paul II Catholic, 383
  15. Thomas County Central, 393
  16. Grace Christian, 419
  17. Southland, 477
  18. Franklin County, 512
  19. Wakulla Christian, 530
  20. Jefferson County, 551

Top Ten High School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. 16:41.70, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 12
  2. 16:52.26, Matthew Newland (Chiles) 12
  3. 17:23.25, Clayton Carlson (Lincoln) 12
  4. 17:33.38, Robert Nowak (Chiles) 12
  5. 17:39.72, Brishen House (Lowndes) 12
  6. 17:46.02, Connor Phillips (Chiles) 11
  7. 17:54.05, Micah Hilliard (Suwannee) 12
  8. 17:55.70, Porter Hill (Deerfield-Windsor) 10
  9. 17:56.13, Ethan Merritt (Deerfield-Windsor) 12
  10. 17:59.05, Clayburn Milford (Chiles) 11


Cougar Cross Country Challenge High School Winners
2006 - 2017

Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
16 September 2006Maclay, 2320:44, Laura Hempel (Rickards)
10 September 2007Maclay, 1820:36, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
15 September 2008Maclay, 3920:18, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
14 September 2009Maclay, 4321:05, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
2 October 2010West Florida Tech, 2719:23, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
8 October 2011Lincoln, 4921:16, Savana Osterbye (FSUS)
2012No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013Leon, 2720:35, Madison Harris (Wakulla)
6 September 2014Leon, 4421:09, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla)
29 August 2015Fort Walton Beach, 2421:16, Caroline Willis (Maclay)
27 August 2016Chiles, 4018:47, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln)
26 August 2017Chiles, 8018:29, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
16 September 2006Lincoln, 4216:56, Joseph Franklin (Godby)
10 September 2007Maclay, 2317:18, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
15 September 2008Niceville, 3617:02, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
14 September 2009Maclay, 4717:27, Patrick Swain (Maclay)
2 October 2010Lincoln, 5216:10, Jacob Slupecki (Lincoln)
8 October 2011Lincoln, 6316:55, Stanley Linton (Wakulla)
2012No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013Leon, 3416:47, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
6 September 2014Leon, 1516:42, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
29 August 2015Leon, 5216:38, Adam Wallenfelsz (Leon)
27 August 2016Chiles, 3216:44, Michael Phillips (Chiles)
26 August 2017Chiles, 2316:42, Michael Phillips (Chiles)

The middle school athletes raced three kilometers at the Cougar Challenge, only enough distance for one trip downhill to the Lake Jackson basin and trip back uphill. Tift eighth-grader Ainsley Toews was the fastest on those slopes in the girls' race, running 13:06 and winning by well over 100 meters. Another Tift runner, seventh-grader Laura Kate Wright, grabbed the runner-up spot in 13:38, while Holy Comforter eighth-grader Sophia Umana took third in 13:43.

Ainsley Toews
Ainsley Toews

Tift took three of the next four places, with seventh-grader Hannah Larger fourth in 13:52, seventh-grader Madeline Perrin fifth in the same time, and sixth-grader Amanda Tovar seventh in 14:01. Once Tovar crossed the finish line, Tift had a near-perfect 18 points and first place in the team standings. Holy Comforter, the 2016 team champs, was second with 49 points. Led by sixth-grader Samantha Jennings (12th, 14:51), Thomas County scored 83 points to place third in the eight-team field.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. Tift, 18
  2. Holy Comforter, 49
  3. Thomas County, 83
  4. Southland, 104
  5. Wakulla, 158
  6. Riversprings, 174
  7. Brookwood, 191
  8. Community Leadership, 220

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. 13:05.43, Ainsley Toews (Tift) 8
  2. 13:37.20, Laura Kate Wright (Tift) 7
  3. 13:42.75, Sophia Umana (Holy Comforter) 8
  4. 13:51.13, Hannah Larger (Tift) 7
  5. 13:51.53, Madeline Perrin (Tift) 7
  6. 14:00.00, Ryland Bland (Bainbridge) 7
  7. 14:00.60, Amanda Tovar (Tift) 6
  8. 14:04.20, Camille Resavage (Holy Comforter) 7
  9. 14:06.79, Alexandria Vaughan (Tift) 8
  10. 14:19.02, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 7

In the middle school boys' 3K, Fairview sixth-grader Patrick Koon was racing in Phipps Park for the second Saturday in a row. The previous weekend, Koon had won the Miller Landing Madness 3K in the park. The Cougar Challenge 3K, though, was a different race on a different course.

Patrick Koon
Patrick Koon

"It was worse than last week," said Koon. "I was hilly. The competition was good. It wasn't just Leon County schools."


Handing the hills and the competition, Koon won the race in 11:06. Case Gregory, a Colquitt County eighth-grader, was second in 11:19. Holy Comforter eighth-grader Leo Kelly was third in 11:34.

Holy Comforter Episcopal School boys' cross-country team
Holy Comforter boys' cross-country team

After Kelly, Holy Comforter's next four scorers were eighth-grader Jackson Yarbrough (8th, 12:27), seventh-grader Jack Dessi (14th, 12:56), sixth-grader Will Winsor (15th, 12:56), and sixth-grader Matthew Wilbourn (20th, 13:03). Those five runners gave Holy Comforter 55 points, good enough to successfully defend their 2016 Cougar Challenge title. Colquitt County was second out of eleven teams with 77 points. Led by the seventh-place, 12:23 finish of eighth-grader Alex Cardoso, Tift was third with 93 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. Holy Comforter, 55
  2. Colquitt County, 77
  3. Tift, 93
  4. Bainbridge, 111
  5. Maclay, 135
  6. Southland, 158
  7. Fairview, 161
  8. Thomas County, 171
  9. Community Leadership, 206
  10. Whigham, 250
  11. Christ Classical, 281

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2017 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge
  1. 11:05.23, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 6
  2. 11:18.20, Case Gregory (Colquitt County) 8
  3. 11:33.95, Leo Kelly (Holy Comforter) 8
  4. 11:52.62, Tanner Humphrey (Southland) 8
  5. 12:08.32, Hayes Lightsey (Colquitt County) 8
  6. 12:14.46, Jack Saussy (Brookwood) 8
  7. 12:22.11, Alex Cardoso (Tift) 8
  8. 12:26.30, Jackson Yarbrough (Holy Comforter) 8
  9. 12:28.14, Blair Golden (Tift) 6
  10. 12:31.71, Aide Van Iddekinge (Maclay) 7

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Sunday, November 6, 2016

State Championship Titles of Tallahassee & Leon County High School Cross-Country Teams, 1947-2016

In the 40 cross-country seasons from 1976 to 2015, fifteen different Tallahassee athletes won 23 state titles in high school cross-country. As of Saturday, 5 November 2016, you can revise those numbers upward to seventeen different Tallahassee athletes and 25 state titles. That morning at the 2016 FHSAA State Cross-Country Final on Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross Country Course, two of the Capital City's distance runners won races. In the second event of the morning, Lincoln High frosh Alyson Churchill won the class 3A girls' 5K in 17:55.22, her fastest time of the season. Less than an hour later, Chiles High junior Michael Phillips won the class 3A boys' 5K with a 15:30.54.


Hooray for the home teams!

FHSAA 3A Girls' Cross Country Championship
Alyson Churchill and Valarie Lastra

Churchill and Phillips weren't the only Tallahassee runners at the State Cross-Country Final. In the first race of the morning, the class 2A girls' 5K, Florida State University School's team placed nineteenth with 458 points. sophomore India Sander-Nazario (78th, 20:45.02), eighth-grader Olivia Dean (114th, 21:46.00), sophomore Jordan Jones (134th, 22:16.94), eighth-grader Ricondra Barrington (139th, 22:26.83), eighth-grader Diamond Thompkins (176th, 24:23.89), and frosh Alysha Gutierrez-Tapia (178th, 25:20.89). Wakulla High isn't in Leon County, but the Crawfordville school is a close neighbor, and they had two athletes in the 2A girls' race, Haleigh Martin and Alyssa Langston. Martin, a senior, placed 20th, running 19:17.58. It was Martin's fourth appearance in the State Final in her four-year high school career. For Langston, a sophomore, it was the first trip to State. Langston placed 72nd in 20:42.2, her career best time.

FHSAA 2A Girls' Cross Country Championship
Class 2A Girls

For Leon County folks, the highlight of the second race, the class 3A girls' 5K, had to be Alyson Churchill's win. Churchill is only the second Lincoln High Trojan to ever win a state cross-country title; in that accomplishment she follows in the fast footsteps of Kathi Ward, the 4A state champ in 1991 and 1992. Of Leon County's roster of seventeen state cross-country champions, Churchill is the first frosh to ever win a title.


By the end of the first kilometer of the race, Churchill and Mater Academy frosh Valarie Lastra emerged from the hurly-burly of the start to share the lead. It was the first time the two athletes had met on a cross-country course. Both runners ran hard, flashing through the mile in a about 5:18--the kind of pace you set if you're going to run 16:30. Tactics? It was like a boxing match where the fighters don't really box, but spend the bout trading punches, clobbering each other. In the end, Churchill was the hardest hitter, pulling away late to get the decision over Lastra, 17:55.22 to 18:02.86.

FHSAA 3A Girls' Cross Country Championship
Class 3A Girls

In the same race the Chiles Timberwolves were racing for the school's fourth girls' team title and their first since 2010. The Wolves put two runners in the top ten, with junior Ana Wallace taking seventh in 18:33.16 and sophomore Emily Culley placing eighth in 18:40.45. They were joined at the finish line by junior Erin Phelps (26th, 19:08.38), frosh Caitlyn Wilkey (28th, 19:10.78), frosh Emily Molen (40th, 19:48.66), sophomore Yoonkyung Oh (44th, 19:57.09), and junior Anne Desotell (148th, 22:35.17). The Chiles girls did make it to the podium, placing second with 75 points. But the 2016 title went to panhandle rival Niceville, the Eagles scoring 63 points for the win. Lincoln's Churchill wasn't the only Trojan in the race, Lincoln's finishers also included frosh Chase Merrick (50th, 20:06.57), frosh Megan Churchill (63rd, 20:43.70), frosh Rylee French (114th, 21:56.05), junior Arianna Neely (115th, 21:56.26), junior Asta Hemenway (135th, 22:24.90), and sophomore Sarah Jones (170th, 23:24.73).


Leon County had no entries in the third race at the State Final, the 2A boys' 5K, but our neighbors from Wakulla High had a team competing. Wakulla placed eleventh in the field of 25 schools, scoring 332 points. Junior Dalten Parker led Wakulla, placing 69th in 17:21.12. His teammates were sophomore Chris Porter (74th, 17:24.53), senior Bryce Cole (76th, 17:26.70), junior Scott Lloyd (87th, 17:36.45), junior Dalton Gray (109th, 17:50.77), junior Dylan Peebles (134th, 18:10.42), and junior Caleb Wiedeman (138th, 18:11.77).


The fourth race was the 3A boys' 5K. Chiles' Michael Phillips ran patiently, working his way up to the leaders and then making his move in the final kilometer. It had worked for him at Pre-State, and it worked just as well at State. Phillips overpowered the field, winning in 15:30.54, while behind him Creekside seniors Matthew Clark and Nicholas Deal fought a 15:35.13 to 15:35.71 duel for second. Tallahassee runners also had two other top ten performances in the race, with Chiles junior Matt Newland placing sixth in 15:57.97 and Leon High senior Matthew Cashin taking eighth in 16:06.16.

FHSAA 3A Boys' Cross Country Championship
Class 3A Boys

Chiles other finishers included senior Alexander Gruenwald (18th, 16:26.34), junior Robert Nowak (25th, 16:35.42), sophomore Connor Phillips (72nd, 17:15.74), senior Zachary Jackson (97th, 17:27.68), and sophomore Samuel Mountin (129th, 18:00.82). When the scores were tallied, Chiles had 103 points, good for second place behind Creekside's 93. Leon High was eleventh with 341 points, with Cashin, senior Colter Foster (30th, 16:42.87), junior John Bohnstengel (117th, 17:42.65), senior Josh Wallenfelsz (119th, 17:45.89), junior Jacob Dodson (127th, 17:53.91), frosh Nile Bryant (143rd, 18:20.24), and frosh Bryson Gonzalez (145th, 18:22.62) competing for the Lions.

FHSAA 1A Girls' Cross Country Championship
Girls' Class 1A

Tallahassee doesn't have any class 4A schools, but the Capital City was represented in the class 1A girls' race by the Marauders of Maclay. Caroline Willis led the Marauders with a 19:28.26. good for fifth place. It was the Maclay senior's sixth straight appearance in the State Final, as well as the highest placing at State of her career. The other Maclay finishers were eighth-grader Lindsay James (12th, 19:54.14), senior Molly McCann (15th, 19:59.26), sixth-grader Sophia Paredes (53rd, 21:12.62), frosh Avery Smith (60th, 21:23.66), sixth-grader Ella Porcher (68th, 21:35.64), and senior Rachel Rumana (153rd, 24:09.26). Those athletes gave Maclay 116 points, just three points away from a trip to the podium--Circle Christian edged Maclay for second with 113 points. The Oak Hall girls took the State title with 61 points.


The morning of racing concluded with the class 1A boys' 5K. The Maclay boys took fifth with 190 points, beating sixth-place Providence on a tie-breaker. The Marauder finishers in the race were sophomore Clay Milford (34th, 17:33.29), frosh Junious Brown (45th, 17:39.17), senior Gannon Hundley (49th, 17:43.70), senior Jake Mazziotta (54th, 17:51.81), junior Daniel Sweeney (78th, 18:17.34), frosh Thomas Deison (102nd, 18:52.12), and frosh Damian Hundley (129th, 19:13.63). Gatlin Nennstiel, a senior from Aucilla Christian in neighboring Jefferson County, was seventeenth in 17:12.21, his best time ever on the Apalachee Regional Park course. It was Nennstiel's fifth and final trip to the State Meet as well as his best career finish in the championship.

FHSAA 1A Boys' Cross Country
Boys' Class 1A

The Florida High School Athletic Association will eventually get around to updating its cross-country record book. Once that's done, you'll be able to go to that document and find the names of the seventeen athletes from Tallahassee and Leon County who have won cross-country titles over the years. All of the Capital City's team titles will be recorded their as well. In the meantime, here is the updated list of those teams and individuals.


CHILES HIGH SCHOOLTimberwolves

Team Titles

Boys:
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2003
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2005
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2006
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2014

Girls:
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2008
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2009
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2010
FHSAA 3A State Champions, 2015


Individual Titles

Boys:
2003 Alex Miletich, 3A State Champion
2016 Michael Phillips, 3A State Champion

Girls:
2009 Carly Thomas, 3A State Champion
2012 Rachel Givens, 3A State Champion


GODBY HIGH SCHOOL

Individual Titles

Boys:
2007 Joe Franklin, 2A State Champion




LEON HIGH SCHOOL

Team Titles

Boys:
FHSAA 2A State Champions 1969
FHSAA 3A State Champions 2007
FHSAA 3A State Champions 2008
FHSAA 3A State Champions 2009

Girls:
FHSAA 3A State Champions 1977
FHSAA 3A State Champions 1978
FHSAA 3A State Champions 1986
FHSAA 3A State Champions 1987
FHSAA 3A State Champions 1988


Individual Titles:

Boys:
1976 Herb Wills, 4A State Champion
1986 Doug Dickinson, 3A State Champion
1988 Ray Carter, 3A State Champion
1989 Ray Carter, 3A State Champion
2007 Matt Mizereck, 3A State Champion
2008 Matt Mizereck, 3A State Champion
2009 Matt Mizereck, 3A State Champion
2013 Sukhi Khosla, 3A State Champion
2014 Sukhi Khosla, 3A State Champion

Girls:
1979 Rosemary Desloge, 3A State Champion
1988 Jessica Scafidi, 3A State Champion
1989 Jessica Scafidi, 3A State Champion
1990 Jessica Scafidi, 3A State Champion


LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL

Individual Titles

Girls:
1991 Kathy Ward, 4A State Champion
1992 Kathy Ward, 4A State Champion
2016 Alyson Churchill, 3A State Champion



MACLAY SCHOOL

Team Titles

Boys:
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1998
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 1999
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2000
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2001
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2002


Girls:
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1997
FHSAA 2A State Champions, 1998
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 1999
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2001
FHSAA 1A State Champions, 2005


Individual Titles

Boys:
2002 Ryan Deak, 1A State Champion
2008 Patrick Swain, 1A State Champion
2009 Patrick Swain, 1A State Champion


NORTH FLORIDA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Individual Titles

Boys:
1989, Robert Boyd, 1A State Champion






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Saturday, October 8, 2016

Phillips and Churchill impress the hometown crowd at the FSU Invitational

The Florida State University cross country team has been hosting the FSU Invitational since 1972 and the meet has included high school events since 1974. The Invitational has been held on the old FSU Dairy Farm, the Seminole Golf Course, the Miccosukee Greenway, and most recently the Apalachee Regional Park Cross Country Course. Whatever the venue, the Seminoles have done such a good job of bringing teams to Tallahassee that they often lose their own invitational, and athletes from local schools seldom win the high school races. That wasn't the case, though, on Saturday morning, 8 October 2016, at the 45th annual FSU Invitational. Tallahassee Chiles junior Michael Phillips ran 15:28 to win the first race of the morning, the high school boys' elite 5K. Right after that, wunderfrosh Alyson Churchill of Tallahassee Lincoln won the high school girls' Elite 5K in 18:07.

Boys' Elite 5K
Boys' Elite 5K

Saturday's racing started at 7:40 AM, just five minutes after sunrise, with the high school boys' elite 5K. In the dim morning light, Hernando junior Trevor Foley led the field east toward the rising sun. By the mile mark, though, the race had turned back west and Foley had been overtaken.


The second mile belonged to Michael Phillips. The Chiles junior had run repeats on that mile during a workout with his team earlier in the week, covering every hill and turn four times. That included four trips up the infamous uphill, the Wall. By the first time up the Wall on race day, Phillips was in the lead, shadowed by Joshua Collins, a Belen Jesuit junior.


During the second half of the race Phillips and Collins left the rest of the field farther and farther behind. Collins refused to go away, but he could never catch Phillips, and the Chiles junior took the FSU Invitational title in 15:28. Collins was second in 15:31.

Girls' Elite 5K
Girls' Elite 5K

Marist senior Quinn Burden edged Matthew Newland of Chiles for third, 15:57 to 15:58. With first and fourth, the Chiles Timberwolves were off to a great start on their team score. But the Marist War Eagles answered with David Reteneller (7th, 16:10), William O'Reilly (13th, 16:32), Knox Pittman (16th, 16:40), and Leif Andersen (17th, 16:41). With that, the War Eagles had a winning 49 points and were taking the team trophy home to Atlanta, Georgia. Chiles was second with 90 points and Belen Jesuit third with 116.


Team Standings, 2016 FSU Invitational High School Boys' Elite 5K
  1. Marist, 49
  2. Chiles, 90
  3. Belen Jesuit, 116
  4. Estero, 137
  5. Steinbrenner, 171
  6. Niceville, 246
  7. South Walton, 257
  8. Wharton, 268
  9. Peachtree Ridge, 279
  10. Robinson, 280
  11. Maclay, 320
  12. Wakulla, 327
  13. Sarasota, 330
  14. Leon, 353
  15. Plant, 386
  16. Lincoln, 399
  17. Bleckley County, 414
  18. Carrollton, 454
  19. Pace, 455
  20. Spanish Fort, 486
  21. Pensacola Catholic, 491


Top Ten Athletes, 2016 FSU Invitational High School Boys' Elite 5K
  1. 15:27.80 ~ Michael Phillips (Chiles) 11
  2. 15:30.90 ~ Joshua Collins (Belen Jesuit) 11
  3. 15:56.70 ~ Quinn Burden (Marist) 12
  4. 15:57.60 ~ Matthew Newland (Chiles) 11
  5. 15:59.00 ~ Chase Condra (Peachtree Ridge) 10
  6. 16:09.20 ~ Trevor Foley (Hernando) 11
  7. 16:09.60 ~ David Reteneller (Marist) 11
  8. 16:13.00 ~ Matthew Cashin (Leon) 12
  9. 16:15.60 ~ Carl Ellis Corley (Bleckley County) 12
  10. 16:18.80 ~ Terrance Sessoms (Sandalwood) 12

Alyson Churchill
Alyson Churchill

In the girls' 5K, Alyson Churchill went straight to the front, much like Trevor Foley had done in the boys' race. But unlike Foley, Churchill was still leading at the mile mark. Like Michael Phillips, the winner of the earlier race, Churchill had a lot of experience on the Apalachee Regional Park course. The Lincoln frosh had been racing there ever since first taking up cross-country at Swift Creek Middle School. The Wall may not have been her friend, but at least it was familiar to her.

Amanda Beach
Amanda Beach

After two miles Churchill was even farther ahead. Over the final half kilometer she started to look tired, and Melbourne Central Catholic senior Amanda Beach began to narrow the gap. Churchill's lead proved insurmountable, though, and the Lincoln runner won the race in 18:07, her best time since the Bearcat Invitational. Beach was second in 18:16, and Colquitt County junior Elizabeth Funderburk took third in 18:25.

Elizabeth Funderburk
Elizabeth Funderburk

Abbie Harrelson of Niceville placed fourth in 18:45, starting the scoring for the Eagles. She was joined by Ally Woodward (14th, 19:14), Alexis Sherwin (16th, 19:18), Jayden Horne (25th, 19:44), and Ciara Coger (26th, 19:44). Those five Eagles gave Niceville 61 points and the team title. Behind the tenth place finish of sophomore Alexandra Straumann, Tampa Steinbrenner was second with 70 points. Marist was second with 70 points, led by junior Jose Wirtz (11th, 10:05). Chiles High, the defending state champions in class 3A, were fourth with 111.

Team Standings, 2016 FSU Invitational High School Girls' Elite 5K
  1. Niceville, 61
  2. Steinbrenner, 70
  3. Marist, 108
  4. Chiles, 111
  5. Plant, 165
  6. Maclay, 208
  7. Lincoln, 251
  8. Sarasota, 263
  9. Wharton, 281
  10. Estero, 302
  11. Peachtree Ridge, 313
  12. Holy Trinity, 337
  13. Spanish Fort, 345
  14. Eastside, 352
  15. Leon, 381
  16. Robinson, 420
  17. Pace, 430
  18. P.K. Yonge, 479
  19. Southland, 487
  20. South Walton, 529

Top Ten Athletes, 2016 FSU Invitational High School Girls' Elite 5K
  1. 18:06.70 ~ Alyson Churchill (Lincoln) 9
  2. 18:15.40 ~ Amanda Beach (Melbourne Central Catholic) 12
  3. 18:24.60 ~ Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
  4. 18:44.50 ~ Abbie Harrelson (Niceville) 12
  5. 18:46.90 ~ Kayla Easterly (North Fort Myers) 12
  6. 18:48.20 ~ Kara Funke (Leesburg) 12
  7. 18:48.60 ~ Ana Wallace (Chiles) 11
  8. 18:53.00 ~ Laura Jones (Plant) 12
  9. 18:56.50 ~ Samantha Folio (Holy Trinity) 12
  10. 18:57.80 ~ Alexandra Straumann (Steinbrenner) 10

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