In-depth preview of FHSAA 4A Region 3, Wednesday, November 11 at Ed Radice Sports Complex in Tampa: Natalia Gaona-Zelaya vs. defending champion Madison Muller, Jaxon Kiper, Wiregrass Ranch, Sunlake and the state cut.
FHSAA Class 4A Region 3 cross country, Wednesday, November 11, Ed Radice Sports Complex, Tampa. Hosted by Hillsborough.
The best girls race of region week is Wednesday morning in Tampa. Natalia Gaona-Zelaya of Wiregrass Ranch is No. 1 on our statewide list. Madison Muller of Riverview (Sarasota) is the defending 4A state champion and ran 16:50.8 at 4A District 6, the fastest girls time at any of the 32 FHSAA district meets. Katherine Eudaly of Plant was second to Muller in 17:13.4. All three are on our statewide top 10.
On the boys side, Jaxon Kiper of Strawberry Crest won 4A District 5 in 15:28.2 and is No. 9 statewide, but his team did not qualify, so he runs as one of the eight individuals. Wiregrass Ranch, George Steinbrenner and Newsome lead the team race.
Region 3 goes first, the only 4A regional on Wednesday, with the girls at 7:30 a.m. and the boys at 8:30. Those times come from the host; FHSAA's region page still shows the earlier schedule.
- Girls: 7:30 a.m.
- Boys: 8:30 a.m.
- Districts 5 and 6 meet here
- Top eight teams and the top four runners not on those teams go to the FHSAA state meet, Friday, November 20, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee
The field is official. FHSAA posted its regional qualifier list on November 9, and we checked every 4A Region 3 entry against it: every team and every individual qualifier below is on FHSAA's list.
About the times: every time listed is the best that runner actually ran this fall, and where. Courses run fast or slow, so the order comes from putting every race on the same scale, then our rankings and head-to-head results. When a slower time sits above a faster one, the note under that table says why. The order matches our Class 4A region rankings.
Girls: Three of the state's best on one line
4A Region 3 girls, 7:30 a.m.
Sunlake won 4A District 5 with 30 points behind Ana Cecilia Maia Menard (So.), 14th at state last fall, plus Ella Pope and Anna Connett. Lakewood Ranch won District 6 with 64 and has the most even pack in the region: Avery Webster, Addison Shear and Tatum Browne finished seventh, eighth and ninth, inside two seconds of each other.
Sarasota (71) and Plant (88) were second and third in District 6. Plant has Eudaly and Rylee Nelson, fifth at districts, and needs its third through fifth runners to close the gap.
Wiregrass Ranch and Riverview (Sarasota) have the two best runners in the race and sit sixth and seventh. Both lean on them, and both need their packs to hold to stay inside the top eight.
Girls team rankings
| Rank | Team | District | Top five (fastest time this fall) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) 4A | 1st in District 5 (30) | Ana Cecilia Maia Menard 18:31.5, Ella Pope 18:39.6, Anna Connett 19:14.0, Jolynn Chen 20:12.0, Harshita Anne 20:58.3 |
| 2 | Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) 4A | 1st in District 6 (64) | Avery Webster 19:10.2, Addison Shear 19:30.7, Tatum Browne 19:31.2, Mackenzie Walker 20:26.7, Ariana Pressimone 21:04.2 |
| 3 | Sarasota 4A | 2nd in District 6 (71) | Annabella Cicilioni 18:48.0, Jasmine France 20:08.4, Annabella Alger 20:56.3, Faith Grajalez 20:57.4, Hannah Jennings 21:18.0 |
| 4 | Plant (Tampa) 4A | 3rd in District 6 (88) | Katherine Eudaly 17:13.4, Rylee Nelson 19:02.7, Jada Ordway 21:11.2, Hadley Almon 20:56.0, Olivia Cura 21:37.8 |
| 5 | Newsome (Lithia) 4A | 4th in District 6 (90) | Annabelle Phillips 18:49.1, Abby Warmbier 19:43.6, Deborah Colburn 20:44.6, Zoey Lazaridis 20:48.0, Hillary DiSanto 21:09.0 |
| 6 | Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) 4A | 2nd in District 5 (67) | Natalia Gaona-Zelaya 17:02.0, Sophia Zheng 20:36.7, Karley Powers 21:20.4, Marilyn Iwanski 20:37.0, Henrietta Crome 21:14.9 |
| 7 | Riverview (Sarasota) 4A | 5th in District 6 (110) | Madison Muller 16:50.8, Kenna Borras 19:58.2, Ella Dabringhaus 20:46.1, Hope Delhagen 21:40.2, Teagan Conner 21:39.9 |
| 8 | George Jenkins (Lakeland) 4A | 3rd in District 5 (88) | Alison Knowles 20:45.0, Summer Lear 21:21.9, Lillian Choe 21:30.6, Malina Alvarado 21:44.6, Jordan Steeves 22:54.6 |
| 9 | George Steinbrenner (Lutz) 4A | 4th in District 5 (114) | Blake Peifer 19:23.4, Madison Stubbs 19:21.1, Ella Caballos-Larson 22:45.2, Mia Arthurs 23:05.7, Skylar Martin 23:11.9 |
| 10 | Venice 4A | 6th in District 6 (208) | Isabella Legatie 19:47.2, Enya Strasser 21:59.6, Lily Walsh 22:13.3, Chloe Johnson 22:12.6, Lily Saba 23:23.3 |
| 11 | Sickles (Tampa) 4A | 5th in District 5 (135) | Launi Blackford 20:18.2, Tera Hisler 22:19.0, Kylie Beard 22:34.6, Alex Kontz 22:46.2, Cami Hisler 23:05.2 |
| 12 | Land O Lakes 4A | 6th in District 5 (135) | Regan Bondurant 20:01.5, Ashlyn Mills 21:53.5, Keira Homer 22:52.4, Sophia Bullough 23:21.4, Harper Gustin 23:21.2 |
| 13 | Riverview (Riverview) 4A | 7th in District 6 (209) | Kaylee Vallejo 21:20.5, Natalia Fernandez 21:50.1, Heidi Villavicencio 22:17.3, Melina Davis 21:51.8, Zoe Nix 23:50.5 |
| 14 | Parrish 4A | 8th in District 6 (209) | Kayla Hawk 18:58.1, Claire Hoyer 21:42.2, Janie Longabach 22:36.0, Lacey Kimbrell 23:51.5, Audrey Stone 24:01.8 |
| 15 | Winter Haven 4A | 7th in District 5 (171) | Melody Lopez 21:07.7, Leila Lopez 22:26.4, Maley Sainvistal 23:28.7, Princesse Tidert 23:48.7, Lucy Berry 23:44.8 |
| 16 | Palm Harbor University 4A | 8th in District 5 (220) | Marissa Ellis 22:54.9, Tiana Pavlovic 22:49.9, Patricia Cronin 23:29.3, Sophia Hanff 24:19.0, Kenna Kozlowski 24:21.6 |
The orange line marks the last of the eight team spots to state.
Gaona-Zelaya (Sr.) was third at 4A state last fall. She beat Muller at New World on October 17, 17:02.0 to 17:16.0, the only time they have met this season, and that is why she starts first here even though Muller has the faster best. She won 4A District 5 in 17:31.1.
Muller (Jr.) won 4A state last year in 17:37.7 and has only gotten faster. Her 16:50.8 at districts was 22.6 seconds clear of Eudaly. Eudaly (Jr.) was 13th at state a year ago and is now running with the best in Florida.
After the three, there is a gap of more than a minute. Maia Menard, Annabella Cicilioni (Jr.) of Sarasota, Analyse St John (Fr.) of Lennard and Ella Pope (Jr.) of Sunlake lead the next group, all with bests between 18:31 and 18:48.
Girls individual rankings
| Rank | Runner | School | Best this fall | Where | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natalia Gaona-Zelaya (Sr.) | Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) | 17:02.0 | New World Fall Spectacular | 1st, 17:31.1 |
| 2 | Madison Muller (Jr.) | Riverview (Sarasota) | 16:50.8 | 4A District 6 | 1st, 16:50.8 |
| 3 | Katherine Eudaly (Jr.) | Plant (Tampa) | 17:13.4 | 4A District 6 | 2nd, 17:13.4 |
| 4 | Ana Cecilia Maia Menard (So.) | Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) | 18:31.5 | SAC East Championships | 2nd, 18:48.7 |
| 5 | Annabella Cicilioni (Jr.) | Sarasota | 18:48.0 | 4A District 6 | 3rd, 18:48.0 |
| 6 | Analyse St John (Fr.) * | Lennard (Ruskin) | 18:39.0 | Spartan Invite | 4th, 18:54.0 |
| 7 | Ella Pope (Jr.) | Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) | 18:39.6 | SAC East Championships | 3rd, 19:14.0 |
| 8 | Jade Walker (So.) * | Armwood (Seffner) | 19:19.6 | 4A District 5 | 4th, 19:19.6 |
| 9 | Rylee Nelson (Sr.) | Plant (Tampa) | 19:02.7 | 4A District 6 | 5th, 19:02.7 |
| 10 | Anna Connett (Jr.) | Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) | 19:14.0 | SAC East Championships | 5th, 19:20.9 |
* Projected to state as an individual (not on one of the top eight teams).
Why some slower times rank higher:
- Natalia Gaona-Zelaya (17:02.0): beat Madison Muller at New World on October 17, 17:02.0 to 17:16.0.
- Annabella Cicilioni (18:48.0): beat Analyse St John at the 4A District 6 meet on November 4, 18:48.0 to 18:54.0; beat Analyse St John at the 4A District 6 meet on November 4, and St John's best is the stronger mark than Pope's once courses are evened out.
- Jade Walker (19:19.6): beat Anna Connett at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4, 19:19.6 to 19:20.9; beat Rylee Nelson at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21, 19:25.8 to 19:41.8.
On the bubble
George Jenkins against George Steinbrenner for eighth. Jenkins was third in 4A District 5 at 88, Steinbrenner fourth at 114, so Jenkins holds the edge from last week. Steinbrenner has the better front pair in Blake Peifer and Madison Stubbs, 25th and 30th at state last year, but its third runner's best is more than three minutes behind Stubbs. Jenkins scores with five girls who run close together.
The four individual spots project to St John, Jade Walker (So.) of Armwood, Annika Zimmerman (Jr.) of Palmetto and Megan Taylor (Sr.) of North Port. Blake Peifer is the first runner out.
Projected to state: Sunlake, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, Plant, Newsome, Wiregrass Ranch, Riverview (Sarasota), George Jenkins; individuals Analyse St John (Lennard), Jade Walker (Armwood), Annika Zimmerman (Palmetto), Megan Taylor (North Port).
From 4A District 5 (November 4): Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) 4A (1st, 30), Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) 4A (2nd, 67), George Jenkins (Lakeland) 4A (3rd, 88), George Steinbrenner (Lutz) 4A (4th, 114), Sickles (Tampa) 4A (5th, 135), Land O Lakes 4A (6th, 135), Winter Haven 4A (7th, 171), Palm Harbor University 4A (8th, 220). Individuals: Jade Walker (Armwood, 4th), Joselyn Sada (Strawberry Crest, 14th), Keeley-Anne Garcia (Plant City, 29th), Zoe Zalkowitz (Alonso, 33rd).
From 4A District 6 (November 4): Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) 4A (1st, 64), Sarasota 4A (2nd, 71), Plant (Tampa) 4A (3rd, 88), Newsome (Lithia) 4A (4th, 90), Riverview (Sarasota) 4A (5th, 110), Venice 4A (6th, 208), Riverview (Riverview) 4A (7th, 209), Parrish 4A (8th, 209). Individuals: Analyse St John (Lennard, 4th), Annika Zimmerman (Palmetto, 10th), Megan Taylor (North Port, 11th), Alaina Cerrito (Riverdale, 14th).
Run the 4A Region 3 girls teams in the simulator and swap in your own lineup.
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Boys: Kiper alone, a three-team title fight
4A Region 3 boys, 8:30 a.m.
Wiregrass Ranch won 4A District 5 with 56 points behind Bogdan Anghel (Sr.), third there, and it is our pick. George Steinbrenner was second in District 5 at 79 with Jack Bronder, 18th at state last fall, and London Paladino up front.
Newsome won District 6 with 25 behind Jonas Williams (Sr.), who won in 15:37.8. Steinbrenner sits second on our list, ahead of Newsome, because it beat Newsome at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21. Sunlake and Sickles follow in fourth and fifth.
Plant is the hard one. It was second in District 6 with 54, and it beat Plant City at the Hillsborough County Championships. But Wharton and Sickles also beat Plant that day, and Plant City finished ahead of Wharton at districts. Our order keeps the most recent results, which leaves Plant 10th. It is the team most likely to prove us wrong.
Boys team rankings
| Rank | Team | District | Top five (fastest time this fall) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) 4A | 1st in District 5 (56) | Bogdan Anghel 15:20.0, Wade Pheffer 15:55.5, Avi Bhatia 16:14.1, Elijah Watson 16:29.0, Dominic Martin 16:46.6 |
| 2 | George Steinbrenner (Lutz) 4A | 2nd in District 5 (79) | London Paladino 16:17.9, Jack Bronder 15:50.1, Oliver Day 16:28.9, Luke Bronder 17:17.3, Punya Desai 17:07.1 |
| 3 | Newsome (Lithia) 4A | 1st in District 6 (25) | Jonas Williams 15:27.0, Johnathan Robison 16:06.3, Drake Jones 16:47.0, Ronald Ramos 16:49.1, Chance Fowler 17:02.2 |
| 4 | Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) 4A | 3rd in District 5 (110) | Collin Langston 16:24.6, Jose Diaz Cova 16:36.5, Jaxson Rose 17:10.6, Matthew Stone 17:19.7, Jacob Greene 17:15.1 |
| 5 | Sickles (Tampa) 4A | 4th in District 5 (126) | Landon Watkins 15:36.9, Colin O'Hara 16:39.9, Lukas Russ 17:26.6, Ishan Devpura 17:44.2, Marshall Galliano 18:37.5 |
| 6 | George Jenkins (Lakeland) 4A | 5th in District 5 (144) | Benjamin Harris 16:38.0, Rowan Parrish 16:35.0, Isaiah Elias 17:04.0, Liam Brule 17:15.0, Clayton Knowles 16:47.1 |
| 7 | Plant City 4A | 6th in District 5 (154) | Noah Steed 16:23.3, Mason Baker 16:48.3, Nehemias Fernandez 16:58.5, Derek Torres 17:52.8, Noah Stanley 18:25.3 |
| 8 | Palm Harbor University 4A | 7th in District 5 (159) | Matthew Hood 15:57.6, Mark Keleny 17:13.0, Jackson Sprehe 17:17.6, Gunnar Lawlor 17:10.3, Jeremiah Robinson 17:13.8 |
| 9 | Wharton (Tampa) 4A | 8th in District 5 (168) | Derek Cook 16:14.5, Dylan Wimbley 17:39.4, Naveen Andrews 17:06.4, Grady Toohey 17:26.2, Christian Wimbley 17:44.9 |
| 10 | Plant (Tampa) 4A | 2nd in District 6 (54) | Antonino Pipia 15:54.1, Jack Christy 16:05.8, Fischer Speer 16:48.5, Ryan Pavliga 17:07.0, Akhil Nayak 17:24.9 |
| 11 | Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) 4A | 3rd in District 6 (133) | Colton Prater 16:32.0, Jacob Gomez 16:56.7, Kenneth Destefano 17:19.1, Alexander Begoske 17:37.6, Michael Noon 17:49.7 |
| 12 | Cape Coral 4A | 4th in District 6 (171) | Hunter Jendrusiak 16:26.9, Ruben Viera De Lemos 17:29.0, Mason Boyer 17:00.2, Chase Jendrusiak 16:48.4, Michael Jendrusiak 17:25.7 |
| 13 | Gateway (Fort Myers) 4A | 5th in District 6 (177) | Ian Janoschka 16:24.2, Benjamin Menendez 16:54.8, Holman Henriquez-Lopez 16:57.3, Eli Clifford 17:33.6, Austin Janoschka 17:59.3 |
| 14 | Riverview (Riverview) 4A | 6th in District 6 (185) | Gregory Spinney 16:36.2, Ethan Lockridge 17:29.8, Kadeen Clarke 17:25.5, Christian Barcewicz 17:29.4, Daniel Rogers 18:47.0 |
| 15 | Venice 4A | 7th in District 6 (197) | Nolan Heaney 16:18.9, Luke Koehl 17:34.1, Case Dam 17:35.6, Kaden Kelling 17:40.1, Eli Semones 17:40.3 |
| 16 | Parrish 4A | 8th in District 6 (209) | Elijah Castillo 17:28.3, Dominic Gamez 18:05.3, Kai Minteer 17:10.2, Ian Perez 17:29.3, Vance Porter 17:53.9 |
The orange line marks the last of the eight team spots to state.
Kiper (Sr.) ran 15:10.0 at New World and won District 5 by 20.5 seconds over Landon Watkins (Jr.) of Sickles. He is the clear pick.
Watkins beat Anghel at districts and beat Williams at the Hillsborough County Championships, so he is second. Anghel ran 15:20.0 at New World and is third; Williams, 15:27.0 at the Raider Open, is fourth. Matthew Hood (Sr.) of Palm Harbor University, fourth at districts in 16:12.0, is fifth.
Strawberry Crest's James Nolan (Sr.) also goes on as an individual. He was 19th at districts, with a best of 16:12.9.
Boys individual rankings
| Rank | Runner | School | Best this fall | Where | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaxon Kiper (Sr.) * | Strawberry Crest (Dover) | 15:10.0 | New World Fall Spectacular | 1st, 15:28.2 |
| 2 | Landon Watkins (Jr.) | Sickles (Tampa) | 15:36.9 | Hillsborough County Championships | 2nd, 15:48.7 |
| 3 | Bogdan Anghel (Sr.) | Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) | 15:20.0 | New World Fall Spectacular | 3rd, 16:03.6 |
| 4 | Jonas Williams (Sr.) | Newsome (Lithia) | 15:27.0 | Raider Open-East Hillsborough | 1st, 15:37.8 |
| 5 | Matthew Hood (Sr.) | Palm Harbor University | 15:57.6 | PCAC Championship | 4th, 16:12.0 |
| 6 | London Paladino (Sr.) | George Steinbrenner (Lutz) | 16:17.9 | 4A District 5 | 5th, 16:17.9 |
| 7 | Noah Steed (So.) | Plant City | 16:23.3 | 4A District 5 | 6th, 16:23.3 |
| 8 | Jack Bronder (Sr.) | George Steinbrenner (Lutz) | 15:50.1 | Stampede Sprint Invitational | 7th, 16:24.8 |
| 9 | Antonino Pipia (Jr.) * | Plant (Tampa) | 15:54.1 | North Port Invite | 2nd, 16:03.8 |
| 10 | Wade Pheffer (Jr.) | Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) | 15:55.5 | SAC East Championships | 8th, 16:26.2 |
* Projected to state as an individual (not on one of the top eight teams).
Why some slower times rank higher:
- Landon Watkins (15:36.9): beat Bogdan Anghel at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4, 15:48.7 to 16:03.6; beat Jonas Williams at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21, 15:36.9 to 16:02.1.
- Matthew Hood (15:57.6): beat Jack Bronder and Wade Pheffer at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4; beat Jack Bronder at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4 and Bronder beat Antonino Pipia at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21 (Pipia had beaten Hood at the Parker Valby Invitational on September 5).
- London Paladino (16:17.9): beat Jack Bronder and Wade Pheffer at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4; beat Jack Bronder at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4 and Bronder beat Antonino Pipia at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21 (Pipia had beaten Paladino at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21).
- Noah Steed (16:23.3): beat Jack Bronder and Wade Pheffer at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4; beat Jack Bronder at the 4A District 5 meet on November 4 and Bronder beat Antonino Pipia at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21 (Pipia had beaten Steed at the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21).
On the bubble
Palm Harbor University against Wharton for eighth. They were seventh and eighth at 4A District 5, 159 to 168. Palm Harbor has Hood; Wharton has Derek Cook (Sr.), 16:14.5 at the North Port Invite. Plant is right behind both.
The individual spots project to Kiper, Antonino Pipia (Jr.) of Plant, Cook and Nolan. If Wharton or Plant gets into the top eight, its runner comes off that list and the next runner not on a qualifying team moves in.
Projected to state: Wiregrass Ranch, George Steinbrenner, Newsome, Sunlake, Sickles, George Jenkins, Plant City, Palm Harbor University; individuals Jaxon Kiper (Strawberry Crest), Antonino Pipia (Plant), Derek Cook (Wharton), James Nolan (Strawberry Crest).
From 4A District 5 (November 4): Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) 4A (1st, 56), George Steinbrenner (Lutz) 4A (2nd, 79), Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) 4A (3rd, 110), Sickles (Tampa) 4A (4th, 126), George Jenkins (Lakeland) 4A (5th, 144), Plant City 4A (6th, 154), Palm Harbor University 4A (7th, 159), Wharton (Tampa) 4A (8th, 168). Individuals: Jaxon Kiper (Strawberry Crest, 1st), James Nolan (Strawberry Crest, 19th), Keagan Roy (Mitchell, 23rd), Julian Smith (Mitchell, 26th).
From 4A District 6 (November 4): Newsome (Lithia) 4A (1st, 25), Plant (Tampa) 4A (2nd, 54), Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) 4A (3rd, 133), Cape Coral 4A (4th, 171), Gateway (Fort Myers) 4A (5th, 177), Riverview (Riverview) 4A (6th, 185), Venice 4A (7th, 197), Parrish 4A (8th, 209). Individuals: Sebastian Velazquez-Rodriguez (North Port, 5th), Osmani Zayas (Ida Baker, 11th), Ethan Millet (Bloomingdale, 15th), Amos Mobley (Sarasota, 16th).
Run the 4A Region 3 boys teams in the simulator and swap in your own lineup.
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How we did it
- Qualifiers are from the district results in our database and match FHSAA's official regional qualifier list (posted November 9).
- Each region is run as one race with the runners who finished their district for a qualifying team, plus the individual qualifiers. Every runner keeps their best race this fall, put on one scale using the runners who raced on both courses.
- Head-to-head results since September decide pairs, the most recent meeting standing, so last week's district finish holds inside each district.
- Teams count a head-to-head only when both had at least four of their top five there. Roy Griak is left out. Only 2026 races count.
- Team rosters can change at the region meet. A team entry is a fact; a runner's start is not until the gun goes.
Every district result is in the Florida XC results database. All four regions are in our Class 4A region rankings.