The best four girls in 4A all won on Saturday on four different courses: Muller by two minutes at Wellen Park, Duffell by 50 seconds at St. Cloud, Gaona-Zelaya over Hallick, Tomasic and Mercer at the Horse Park, and Eudaly by 49 seconds at Parker Valby. They are first, third, fourth and sixth in Florida and have not raced each other.
Florida Class 4A girls cross country through three weeks: August 21-September 5, 2026
The best four girls in 4A all won on Saturday, on four different courses, and the class is the strongest in the state by a distance. Madison Muller won the inaugural Wellen Park Invitational by two minutes and three seconds. Arabella Duffell won St. Cloud by 50 seconds in 17:38.5, the fastest time of her season. Natalia Gaona-Zelaya won the Florida Horse Park out of 411, beating Lyla Hallick, Annabella Tomasic and Lainee Mercer of 3A in the deepest girls' race of the year. Katherine Eudaly won Parker Valby by 49 seconds over Katelin Wilcox. The four of them are ranked first, third, fourth and fifth in Florida, and they have not raced each other yet.
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 4A girls team rankings are here. The other classes this week: 4A boys, 1A girls, 2A girls and 3A girls.
1. Madison Muller, Riverview (Sarasota), Jr.
The defending 4A champion won the Wellen Park Invitational out of 131 in 17:52.6, two minutes and three seconds ahead of the next girl, on a course that runs a little slow. By our measure it was the best race she has run, better than the 17:33.1 at North Port, which came on a course that hands time back. Two races, two wins by more than a minute and a half, and the No. 1 girl in Florida on the strength of a head-to-head win over Emma Balaban of IMG Academy last fall.
2. Arabella Duffell, Lake Nona, Jr.
Won St. Cloud out of 151 in 17:38.5, 50 seconds ahead of Emma Wilkinson of 1A, on a course that is a shade quick. On neutral ground it lands right on top of the 17:53.0 she ran at Cecil Field on opening night. Two races under 17:55 on two courses. Ninth in 4A at state in 18:36.6, and a different runner now.
3. Natalia Gaona-Zelaya, Wiregrass Ranch, Sr.
Won the Horse Park in 18:03.8, 19 seconds clear of Hallick, 25 clear of Tomasic and 37 clear of Mercer. Three races, at Ragin' Storm, Whispering Pines and the Horse Park, each better than the last. Third in 4A at state in 18:06.9. She has done more racing, and more winning, than anybody in this class but Muller.
4. Katherine Eudaly, Plant, Jr.
Won the Parker Valby Invitational out of 103 in 18:48.7, 49 seconds ahead of Wilcox. Her third race and her third win, after 19:00.9 at Jim Ryun and 18:40.3 at West Hillsborough. Nobody else in the class has won every race she has entered. Parker Valby is a quick course, so the clock there says less than the win does, and the win is not held against her. She sits one place behind Gaona-Zelaya, who beat a deeper field on a fairer course, and that matches the statewide order.
5. Avery Hartley, Bartram Trail, So.
18:13.0 at Cecil Field, which needs no conversion, and a state time of 18:00.3, the second-fastest returning mark in the class. She has not raced in two weeks. The four girls above her raced and won on Saturday, and one race holds fifth for now.
6. Nicole Lewis, Doral Academy, Jr.
Won the Pine Crest meet out of 325 in 19:09.1 on August 28, then ran 18:43.0 for fifth at the Horse Park eight days later, the first finisher not from the top-four group. 37th in 4A at state in 19:43.6, so that is a minute in ten months.
7. Alba Antunez-Perez, Spanish River, Sr.: (P)
Sixth in 4A at state in 18:20.3, the fourth-fastest returning mark in the class, and still no result. Spanish River has raced twice without her. She holds seventh on November, and the girls around her have all run.
8. Elise Brown, St. Thomas Aquinas, So.
18:50.0 at Cecil Field, 74 seconds better than her state time, one of the largest improvements in the class. No race since.
9. Eva Delaney, Creekside, So.
18:57.0 at Cecil Field and 18:44.8 for sixth at the Horse Park, Creekside's first finisher on both days. Seventh in 4A at state in 18:21.1. Two fair courses, twelve seconds better the second time.
10. Allison Austin, Atlantic Coast, So.
18:56.0 at Cecil Field, four seconds better than her state time, and nothing since. Tenth on one race.
The race in November
Take IMG Academy off the statewide list, since it will not be at the state meet, and the five best girls in Florida on this season's form are Muller, Duffell, Gaona-Zelaya, Eudaly and Hartley. All five are 4A. They will run one race against each other in November, and the first time any two of them share a start line this fall is still ahead of us.
The class also returns the whole front of last year's race. Muller won it in 17:37.7, Hartley was second in 18:00.3 and Gaona-Zelaya third in 18:06.9. Antunez-Perez was sixth, Delaney seventh, Duffell ninth, and Eudaly, who was thirteenth in 18:57.4, has since won three races in three weeks. Nowhere else in Florida does one class hold the champion, the runner-up and the third-place finisher from last November plus the two most improved girls in the state. Every other class has a favorite. The 4A girls have an argument, and it does not get settled until Tallahassee.
Just missed
Peyton Cerasi (Matanzas, Jr.) is first out, and it is close: 19:07.0 at Cecil Field, then a win at DeLand by 56 seconds in 18:53.0. DeLand's rating is one we took conservatively, so the win is reported as run and not held against her, and she is ranked on the Cecil mark. Emma Godfrey (Creekside, Fr.) ran 19:08.0 at Cecil and 19:03.3 for eighth at the Horse Park, a freshman one place behind Delaney on the season. Avalyn Thompson (Lake Brantley, Sr.) ran 19:04.8 at Ocoee and won the Freedom Invitational by more than two minutes on a course we could not rate. Lailani Levy (Spanish River, Sr.) has not opened and projects on her 18:42.2 from state.
Emma Balaban, Sydney Johnson and Rashida Reinhardt of IMG Academy are second, fifth and ninth on the statewide list and do not appear here. IMG is not an FHSAA member and belongs to no class.
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.
- Gaona-Zelaya over Eudaly matches the statewide list: the deeper field and the fairer course carry the tie.
- Runners who have not opened are ranked on last November and marked (P).
- Grades and classes are 2026-27, resolved against the FHSAA classification documents.
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 4A girls cross country runner in Florida? expand_more
Madison Muller of Riverview (Sarasota), the defending 4A champion, who has won both of her 2026 races by more than a minute and a half, most recently the Wellen Park Invitational on September 5 in 17:52.6 by two minutes and three seconds. She is also the No. 1 girl in Florida.
Why is Natalia Gaona-Zelaya ranked ahead of Katherine Eudaly? expand_more
Both won on September 5. Gaona-Zelaya won the Florida Horse Park out of 411 on a fair course, beating Lyla Hallick, Annabella Tomasic and Lainee Mercer; Eudaly won Parker Valby out of 103 on a fast course. The deeper field and the fairer course carry the tie, matching the statewide order.
How are the Class 4A 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.
Why could the 4A girls race be the most competitive in Florida in November? expand_more
The five best FHSAA girls in the state on 2026 form are all 4A: Muller, Duffell, Gaona-Zelaya, Eudaly and Hartley. The class returns the champion, runner-up and third-place finisher from last November's race, plus the sixth, seventh and ninth, and Eudaly, thirteenth a year ago, has won three races in three weeks. None of the five have raced each other yet.