Mary Summers did not race and still holds first, but the gap closed: Emma Wilkinson ran 18:28 for second at St. Cloud, an eighth grader from All Saints' was two tenths behind her, and Naeha Akella ran a minute faster than her state time. The top four are inside twenty seconds.
Florida Class 1A girls cross country through three weeks: August 21-September 5, 2026
Mary Summers did not race in week three, and she is still first in 1A, because nobody in the class has put together a better two weeks than her Lecanto and Whispering Pines runs. But the gap closed. Emma Wilkinson ran 18:28.3 for second at the St. Cloud Invitational on Saturday, behind only Arabella Duffell, and an eighth grader from All Saints' was two tenths behind her. Naeha Akella ran a minute faster than her state time at the IMG course. The top four in this class are now inside twenty seconds of each other, and two of them have never raced Summers.
Starting this week a runner is ranked on her whole season, with the most recent race counting most, and a race she wins never counts against her. As always, this is data plus judgment, and we will miss somebody along the way. A (P) next to a name means she has not opened yet and we are going on last November. How we sorted everybody out is at the bottom. Races are not won until the kids have run. Enjoy.
The statewide lists: Week 3 girls top 10 and Week 3 boys top 10. The week 2 edition of this list is here, and the week 2 1A girls team rankings are here. The other classes this week: 1A boys, 2A girls, 3A girls and 4A girls.
1. Mary Summers, Seven Rivers Christian, So.
18:32.9 at Lecanto on opening weekend and 18:39.3 at Whispering Pines a week later, two races on two courses that agree, and a 3A-calibre state time of 18:27.9 from November, third in 1A. She did not race in week three and dropped out of the statewide ten for it. In her own class she still holds first, by six seconds, over a girl who has raced three times.
2. Emma Wilkinson, Lakeland Christian, Jr.
Three races, each faster than the last: 19:37.2 at Ragin' Storm, a win at Lake Region in 18:57.7, and 18:28.3 for second at the St. Cloud Invitational on Saturday, 50 seconds behind Duffell and ahead of everybody else in a 151-girl field. The season figure is six seconds behind Summers. Sixth in 1A at state in 19:00.0, and the most improved girl in the class.
3. Naeha Akella, St. Stephens Episcopal, Sr.
Fifth at the IMGA Summit Challenge in 18:38.6, behind four IMG Academy girls and ahead of everybody else, on a course that runs a touch quick. Twelfth in 1A at state in 19:40.2, so that is a minute of improvement in one race. One race, and third on it.
4. Charlotte Roy, All Saints', 8th grade
Third at St. Cloud in 18:28.5, two tenths behind Wilkinson, after 19:14.4 at the Kowboy Invitational eight days earlier. An eighth grader. She is racing varsity for a 1A program and she is already fourth in the class on two races; the second one was 46 seconds faster than the first.
5. Emily Del Mazo-Collado, Community School of Naples, 7th grade
Won the Cape Coral Seahawk Invite on August 29 in 20:08.7 as a seventh grader, on a course that runs slow enough to make that worth about 19:30 leveled. One race, and she has not run since. The gap from fourth to fifth on this list is 32 seconds, and she is on the right side of it.
6. Noelle Richardson, Westminster Academy, Sr.
19:36.0 at Cecil Field and 19:30.9 for fifth at the Pine Crest meet out of 325, two fair courses five seconds apart. Thirteenth in 1A at state in 19:41.0.
7. Brianna Bergin, Carrollwood, Sr.
Seventeenth at the Horse Park in 19:27.5, the best raw time by a 1A girl at Cecil Field or the Horse Park this season. 31st in 1A at state in 20:22.2, so that is nearly a minute of summer. One race.
8. Clara Thiessen, Canterbury (Fort Myers), Sr.
Won the 3D Sommers Invitational in 20:15.7 by 31 seconds on a slow course, worth about 19:37 leveled. She was 72nd in 1A at state in 21:52.5. More than a minute and a half on the clock in ten months, and a win to show for it.
9. Rachel Judy, Master's Academy (Oviedo), Sr.
Fifth in 1A at state in 18:46.6, the second-fastest returning mark in the class, and two races that have not matched it yet: 20:40.1 at Trinity Prep and 19:49.1 for second at DeLand on Saturday, 56 seconds behind Peyton Cerasi. The second one was better than the first. She is ninth on what she has run, and she is capable of a lot more.
10. Joanie Webb, Donahue Academy, Fr.
19:42.8 at Lehigh on opening weekend, a fast course, and nothing since. A freshman with no state history, tenth on one race.
Just missed
Emma Akhundjanov (Providence, So.) is first out: 19:43.0 at Cecil Field and 19:58.5 at the Horse Park. Alexandra Middleton (Indian Rocks Christian, Jr.) ran 19:55.9 at the IMG course. Sofia Boussouf (Classical Academy of Sarasota, So.) ran 19:39.5 at North Port, a course that hands time back.
Jacquelyn Perrin, a 1A state qualifier for St. Edward's last November, is running for IMG Academy this fall, where she was sixth at the Summit Challenge in 18:57.3. IMG is not an FHSAA member, so she is off this list.
How we ranked them
- Courses do not all run the same speed, so we do not compare raw times. Cecil Field is the yardstick; for other meets we use runners who raced both that course and last year's state meet to work out what a time was worth. The girls' field ran about half a minute slower in August than at state, and that is removed before a course is rated.
- A runner is ranked on her whole season, weighted toward the most recent race: this week counts three times, last week twice, opening weekend once. A race she won is never allowed to lower that figure.
- Runners who have not opened are ranked on last November and marked (P). Nobody in this ten needed one.
- Grades and classes are 2026-27, resolved against the FHSAA classification documents. Middle schoolers racing varsity for a high school program are ranked with it.
The complete week 3 statewide lists and the team rankings are linked above, and every result behind this page is in the rankings section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the No. 1 ranked Class 1A girls cross country runner in Florida? expand_more
Mary Summers of Seven Rivers Christian, on her 18:32.9 at Lecanto and 18:39.3 at Whispering Pines, six seconds ahead of Emma Wilkinson of Lakeland Christian, who ran 18:28.3 for second at the St. Cloud Invitational on September 5.
Who is Charlotte Roy? expand_more
An eighth grader racing varsity for All Saints' in Winter Haven, who ran 18:28.5 for third at St. Cloud, two tenths behind Wilkinson, and is fourth in the class on two races.
How are the Class 1A girls rankings calculated? expand_more
A runner is ranked on her whole season, with her best course-leveled mark from each week averaged and the most recent week weighted highest: this week counts three times, last week twice, opening weekend once. A race she wins is never allowed to lower that figure. Times are leveled to Cecil Field using athletes who ran both the course in question and the 2025 FHSAA state meet.