Fourth grader Brody Milek ran 10:54 for 3k against middle schoolers, and Aliana Alvarez is three for three. Our elementary top fives, girls and boys, now split the way FLYRA races them: kindergarten through second grade, and third through fifth.
Florida elementary cross country, season through September 19, 2026
Brody Milek is a fourth grader. On Friday at the Spanish River Invitational in Boca Raton he lined up in the middle school boys' 3k, 314 finishers deep, and ran 10:54.0 for 20th. That is the fastest 3k we have from an elementary runner in Florida this fall, boy or girl. It also put him 24 seconds ahead of Richard Destefanis and 28 ahead of Gabriel Hirakuri Lehmkuhl, the boy who had been No. 1 on our elementary list all season.
A day later Aliana Alvarez ran twice. She was second in the middle school 3k at the Bulldog Invitational in the morning, then won the elementary 2k at Running on the Range Under the Lights at Villages Charter's Middleton campus that night in 7:29.4, 43 seconds clear of the field. Three elementary races this fall, three wins, none closer than 43 seconds.
This time the youngest kids get their own lists. Below are the top fives for third through fifth grade and, for the first time, kindergarten through second grade, girls and boys, which is how FLYRA splits the elementary races at the state meet in Lakeland. The K-2 fields are small and a lot of kids race without a grade in the results, so we will miss some. If you know a K-2 runner who belongs here, tell us.
Above: first grader Cooper Moore (689) of Ocala Distance Project runs with Gabriel Crawford (705) and Vasily Swope (697) of Round Lake Charter in the elementary boys' 2k at Running on the Range Under the Lights on Saturday night, with Moore's teammate Connor Arthur (686), another first grader, just behind.
About the times: every runner is listed with the time they actually ran. The number in parentheses is our projection of what that run is worth at the FLYRA state meet. The projections set the order, the raced time is the official number, and when two ranked kids have raced each other, the finish decides. That now includes middle school races. When two elementary kids race up in the same 3k, the finish counts the same as it would in a 2k.
3rd-5th Grade Girls Top 5
1. Aliana Alvarez, Red Sea Running Club, 5th grade - 7:23.8 at the Horse Park (projects 7:18.1)
Wins at Jim Ryun Invitational by 77 seconds, at the Florida Horse Park Invitational by 49, and at Running on the Range on Saturday night by 43, in 7:29.4. That same morning she ran the middle school 3k at the Bulldog Invitational and was second in 11:55.4. No elementary girl has come within 43 seconds of the defending 3rd-5th grade state champion this fall. Under FLYRA's new rule, fifth graders cannot run the middle school division at state, so Lakeland will see her in the elementary race.
2. Paula Webb, Donahue Academy of Ave Maria, 5th grade - 12:01.1 for 3k at the SAC meet
She has not run an elementary race this fall. She won the middle school girls' 3k at the SAC Regular Season Meet in Naples on September 12 by 45 seconds. On the same course that day Gracie Freeman won the elementary 2k, and Webb held a faster pace for a race half again as long. That is the case for putting her second. Last fall, as a fourth grader, she ran the private school middle school race at state and was 48th in 12:52.7. The new FLYRA rule puts her in the elementary race in Lakeland this time.
3. Gracie Freeman, Naples Christian Academy, 5th grade - 8:19.2 at the SAC meet (projects 8:08.5)
Opened with a 74-second win in the elementary 2k at SAC and led a Naples Christian sweep of the top five. Fifth at state last fall in 8:05.0, and she is running right at that number. She and Rosales are even on paper and have not met.
4. Julieta Rosales, CPS Performance, 4th grade - 8:13.3 at the Horse Park (projects 8:07.6)
Second to Alvarez in Ocala, the fastest fourth-grade girl in Florida this fall. Seventh at state last fall for West Express Elite in 8:05.4. She beat Lainey Jessup by ten seconds at the Horse Park, and that result holds until they meet again.
5. Lainey Jessup, Hillsborough Harriers, 5th grade - 8:12.6 at Running on the Range (projects 8:05.0)
Three races, three faster times: 9:32.3 at Jim Ryun, 8:23.9 at the Horse Park, 8:12.6 for second on Saturday night. On the projections she is now the fastest girl here after Alvarez, but Rosales beat her in Ocala and a head-to-head loss stands until the two race again. Tenth at state last fall in 8:24.7, and already well under that.
Next up: Sophia Dolan (Hillsborough Harriers, 4th), third at Running on the Range in 8:22.6 and 16 seconds ahead of Avery Maldonado; Ava Biege (Unattached), fourth there in 8:27.4, with no grade listed; Avery Maldonado (Red Sea Running Club, 5th), who ran the Bulldog 3k that morning and was sixth at night in 8:38.8.
3rd-5th Grade Boys Top 5
1. Brody Milek, Boca Warriors Track Club, 4th grade - 7:22.9 at 2025 state, hasn't raced a 2k yet
Fourth at state last fall as a third grader, the fastest returning elementary time in Florida. His only race this fall is the 10:54.0 at Spanish River, 20th against middle schoolers, and it beat both Destefanis and Hirakuri Lehmkuhl. He has one more season in this division after this one.
2. Richard Destefanis, Milers Running Club & Camp, 5th grade - 7:40.8 at 2025 state, hasn't raced a 2k yet
Seventh at state last fall. He has raced Hirakuri Lehmkuhl twice this season, both times in middle school 3ks, and beat him both times: 11:48.4 to 11:58.2 at Indian River on August 29, then 11:17.7 to 11:22.4 at Spanish River. Milek got him by 24 seconds on Friday.
3. Bodhi Teeters, Imagine Town Center, 5th grade - 11:55.3 for 3k at Indian River
He has not run an elementary race. He was 20th at Indian River, a step behind Destefanis and three seconds ahead of Hirakuri Lehmkuhl, then ran 11:29.4 for 36th out of 246 in the middle school race at the Horse Park while the elementary boys raced the 2k. That Indian River finish is why he sits here. Hirakuri Lehmkuhl has not had a chance to reverse it.
4. Gabriel Hirakuri Lehmkuhl, Boca Warriors Track Club, 5th grade - 7:36.8 at the Horse Park (projects 7:31.1)
Still unbeaten at 2k: he won Jim Ryun and then the Horse Park, holding off Julian Vazquez by 2.4 seconds. He drops because of the three boys above him, each of whom beat him in a 3k, and all three losses came racing up against middle schoolers. His 11:22.4 at Spanish River was a big run on its own terms. The first time he lines up in a 2k against Milek or Destefanis, this could turn around.
5. Julian Vazquez, SV Performance Training, 5th grade - 7:39.2 at the Horse Park (projects 7:33.5)
Second at the Horse Park, twenty seconds under the time he ran for 15th at state last fall. The only boy who has beaten him is Hirakuri Lehmkuhl. He is the son of Sam Vazquez, the Flagler Palm Coast miler who ran 4:03 in high school and the 1500 for Puerto Rico at the 2012 London Olympics.
Next up: Holden Griggs (Team FTC Kids, 5th), third at the Horse Park in 7:54.5 (7:48.8) and unraced since; Zander Noal (Boca Warriors Track Club), second at Jim Ryun in 8:32.9 (7:45.4), then 12:34.3 at Spanish River, four seconds behind his third-grade teammate Samuel Hirakuri Lehmkuhl; Graham Hymes (Hillsborough Harriers, 5th), who won Running on the Range in 7:59.4, 14 seconds clear, two weeks after running 9:07.0 for 22nd at the Horse Park. The Harriers took the first six places Saturday night.
K-2 Girls Top 5
1. Nora Eckerson, San Juan Del Rio School, 2nd grade - 13:54.6 for 3k at Katie Caples
Listed as a second grader in the results, she ran the girls' middle school 3k at the Katie Caples middle school meet in Jacksonville on Saturday and finished 27th out of 142. She held a faster pace for 3k than any K-2 girl has run for 2k this fall. This is the only race we have from her.
2. Allison Kay, Team FTC Kids, 1st grade - 9:33.0 at the Horse Park (projects 9:27.3)
Eleventh out of 73 in the elementary girls' race in Ocala against girls up to four years older. That is the fastest 2k by a K-2 runner in Florida this fall, boy or girl. She is a first grader.
3. Millie Austin, No Excuses RC, 2nd grade - 4:19.4 for 1k at 2025 state, hasn't raced a 2k yet (projects 9:42.2)
Third in the K-2 1k at state last fall as a first grader, and the two girls ahead of her have moved up to third grade. She ran the middle school 2.5k at Cecil Field in August, 57th in 13:36.0. We have not seen her over 2k, so she is placed on last fall's 1k.
4. Sylvia Destremps, Hillsborough Harriers, 2nd grade - 10:10.3 at Running on the Range (projects 10:02.7)
Eleventh on Saturday night, 0.6 seconds ahead of teammate Ella Hallinan and 3.5 ahead of Adelynn Deien. She has cut more than a minute and a half off her Jim Ryun time in four weeks. Ninth in the K-2 1k at state last fall.
5. Ella Hallinan, Hillsborough Harriers, 2nd grade - 9:57.6 at the Horse Park (projects 9:51.9)
The faster time of the two, and she beat Destremps by more than fifty seconds in Ocala. Destremps got her by a stride on Saturday, and the most recent race decides. Eighth in the K-2 1k at state last fall.
Next up: Adelynn Deien (Hillsborough Harriers, 2nd), 10:13.8 on Saturday and ninth at Jim Ryun in 10:54.8; Brooklyn Veretto (Team FTC Kids, 1st), 10:59.0 at the Horse Park; Tirzah Oyer (San Juan Del Rio School, 2nd), sixth in the K-2 1k at state last fall and unraced.
K-2 Boys Top 5
1. Ramsey Schmidt, Liza Jackson Preparatory School, 2nd grade - 4:10.3 for 1k at 2025 state, hasn't raced a 2k yet (projects 9:21.8)
Sixth in the K-2 1k at state last fall as a first grader, and all five boys ahead of him have moved up to third grade. That makes him the fastest returning K-2 boy in Florida. Liza Jackson has not entered an elementary race this fall. When he runs one, this spot is his to keep or lose.
2. Isaac Payne, Team FTC Kids, 1st grade - 9:48.5 at the Horse Park (projects 9:42.8)
Thirty-fifth out of 79 in Ocala, 16 seconds ahead of Fisher Peterika, and the fastest 2k by a K-2 boy this fall. A first grader, and his first race on our books.
3. Fisher Peterika, Tampa Bay Pirates, 2nd grade - 10:26.9 at Jim Ryun (projects 9:39.4)
The busiest little runner in the state. He ran the 3rd-5th grade 2k at state last fall as a first grader, 10:07.1, then this fall Jim Ryun, the Horse Park in 10:04.3, and the middle school 3k at Seffner Christian. His Jim Ryun run grades out slightly better than Payne's, but Payne beat him in Ocala.
4. Levi Beasley, Saint Patrick's Elementary, 2nd grade - 4:24.8 for 1k at 2025 state, hasn't raced a 2k yet (projects 9:54.3)
Tenth in the K-2 1k at state last fall as a first grader. Saint Patrick's has not run an elementary race yet this season, so he is placed on that time.
5. Cameron Barth, St. Matthew's, 2nd grade - 15:13.9 for 3k at Katie Caples
Listed as a second grader, 94th of 155 in the boys' middle school 3k on Saturday. The distance is half again as long as anything the boys above him have raced, and he ran it at almost the pace they ran their 2ks.
Next up: Brooks Maynard (Ocala Distance Project, 1st), 25th at Running on the Range in 10:09.6, the fastest first grader of the night and within a hair of Barth's pace over a shorter race, with teammate River Smith (2nd) seven seconds back; Jose Carlo Alejandro (West Express Elite, 2nd), 13th in the K-2 1k at state last fall and unraced; Jonathan Drigo (Tampa Bay HEAT, 2nd), 12:28.2 at Jim Ryun; Yadiel Pou (Imagine Kissimmee, 2nd), sixth in the 1600 meters at the Central Florida Athletic Association meet in 8:34.3, a race we cannot line up with the 2k courses.
Where the teams stand
The Hillsborough Harriers were the only full elementary team at Running on the Range, and their boys took the first six places. They have won five of the six elementary team titles they have raced for this fall. The one team that has beaten them is Team FTC Kids, who took the Horse Park girls' title by four points. FTC Kids also have the fastest K-2 girl and boy on the 2k lists.
How these lists were built
- Elementary 2k races count: Jim Ryun (August 22), the Horse Park (September 5), the SAC meet (September 12) and Running on the Range (September 19). Each one is priced against last fall's state meet using the kids who ran both, and that projection sets the order. The raced time is the official number.
- Kids who raced up in a middle school 3k: the 3k time is not converted. When two elementary kids meet in one, the finish counts as a head-to-head. A kid who has only raced up is placed by those head-to-heads, or by whether they held a faster pace over 3k than a ranked kid ran for 2k.
- Unraced returners are placed on last fall's state time. For K-2 kids that is a 1k, placed against the 2k lists using the kids who ran both last fall's K-2 1k and a 2k this fall. A real race beats a seed that is a few seconds better.
- Grades come from the meet results and last fall's state file, and for Running on the Range from the meet's graded results. A K-2 runner with no listed grade anywhere will not show up here.
- A missed meet is never held against anyone. A head-to-head loss stands until the two kids race again.
Milek, Destefanis, Schmidt and Millie Austin are all sitting on last fall's numbers or on races at another distance, and the first 2k any of them runs will move these lists. Catch up on the older kids in the FLYRA middle school top fives and team race, and find every result in the Florida XC results database.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the fastest elementary cross country runner in Florida? expand_more
Aliana Alvarez of the Red Sea Running Club, a fifth grader. She won the 3rd-5th grade girls' race at the 2025 FLYRA state meet and has won all three elementary 2k races she has entered this fall, the closest by 43 seconds, with a best of 7:23.8 at the Florida Horse Park Invitational. Among the boys, fourth grader Brody Milek of the Boca Warriors Track Club ran 10:54.0 in the middle school 3k at the Spanish River Invitational, the fastest 3k by a Florida elementary runner this fall.
Who are the top K-2 cross country runners in Florida? expand_more
Through September 19, 2026, the K-2 girls are led by Nora Eckerson of San Juan Del Rio School, Allison Kay of Team FTC Kids, Millie Austin of No Excuses RC, and Sylvia Destremps and Ella Hallinan of the Hillsborough Harriers. The K-2 boys are led by Ramsey Schmidt of Liza Jackson Preparatory School, Isaac Payne of Team FTC Kids, Fisher Peterika of the Tampa Bay Pirates, Levi Beasley of Saint Patrick's Elementary and Cameron Barth of St. Matthew's.
Can fifth graders run in the FLYRA middle school race? expand_more
Not at the state meet this year. Under a new FLYRA rule, fifth graders cannot compete in the middle school division at the 2026 state championship, so fifth graders who race middle school 3ks at invitationals, such as Aliana Alvarez and Paula Webb, will run the elementary race in Lakeland.
What distance do elementary cross country runners race in Florida? expand_more
Most Florida invitationals run a 2k for elementary runners. At the FLYRA state meet, the 3rd-5th grade race is 2k and the kindergarten through 2nd grade race is 1k. Some charter school meets run a 1600 meter race instead.