Thursday through Saturday, October 15 to 17, meet by meet: Marcelo Mantecon set the New World Fall Spectacular course record at Cecil Field in 14:24 as Belen Jesuit went one-two-three and beat Nease for the team title, Natalia Gaona-Zelaya won the girls' Elite race over Annabella Tomasic and Emma Balaban as IMG Academy won the team race, Lakewood Ranch and Dunedin won at Clearwater Central Catholic, Fort Myers swept Lee County Under The Lights, and seven more meets around the state.
Florida cross country, Thursday through Saturday, October 15 to 17, 2026
Marcelo Mantecon ran 14:24 at Cecil Field on Saturday morning. That is a new course record at the New World Fall Spectacular, nine seconds under the one he set there a year ago, and the fastest 5K any Florida high schooler has run this fall. We were there for it.
He was not alone up front. Belen Jesuit (3A) went one-two-three in the boys' Elite race and won the team title with 55, 38 points clear of Nease (4A). In the girls' Elite race, Natalia Gaona-Zelaya and Emma Balaban finally met, and the race did not go the way either of them had run all season: Gaona-Zelaya won in 17:02, Annabella Tomasic was two seconds behind her, and Balaban was third, the first time a Florida girl has beaten her this year. Madison Muller, our No. 1, lost for the first time too. IMG Academy's girls won the team race.
Every meet with a link goes to its full results in our database. Times are the times that were run. Where a runner or team has a rank next to the name, it is from our week 8 lists, written before any of this happened. This recap covers the meets that have posted so far, and we will keep adding to it through the weekend.
New World Fall Spectacular, Cecil Field, Jacksonville
The ninth New World drew more than 2,000 runners across eight races on Friday evening and Saturday morning, hosted by Bolles on the course we use as our yardstick for every other course in the state. About 45 teams a side made the Elite fields.
Boys Elite
Mantecon (Belen Jesuit, Sr., No. 1 in Florida, No. 1 3A) is four for four this fall, and he has been faster every time out: 15:22 at Horse Park, 14:41 at the Southern Showcase, 14:35 to win the Great American, and now 14:24. He beat the field by 26 seconds.
Behind him came his teammates. Armando Cruz (Sr., No. 2 in Florida) was second in 14:50 and Jack Michalak (Jr., No. 5 in Florida) third in 14:55, a season best by almost seven seconds. Then came Isaiah Howdeshell (Largo, Sr., 3A), who is coming back from an injury. He ran 15:01, a season best by 19 seconds, in the first race he has finished since winning the Seffner Christian Invitational on September 12, and he finished ahead of Axel Sallault (East Ridge, Sr., No. 3 in Florida, No. 1 4A), who was fifth in 15:04.
From sixth to twelfth the race came down to four seconds. Fletcher Rodbro (IMG Academy, Jr.) ran 15:09. Jaxon Kiper (Strawberry Crest, Sr., No. 6 in Florida) and Luke Ross (Ponte Vedra, Sr., No. 6 3A) were both timed in 15:10, and Ross's run is 49 seconds better than anything he had done this season. Bryant Olson (Niceville, So., No. 7 4A) and Sean Cunningham (Providence, Sr., No. 10 in Florida, No. 1 1A) were both 15:11, Martin Fernandez (Doral Academy, Sr., 4A) 15:12, a season best by 26 seconds, and Matthew Ishee (Nease, Jr., No. 7 in Florida) 15:13. Andrew Sides (Buchholz, No. 8 in Florida) was 22nd in 15:30 and Nicholas Veloso (No. 9 in Florida) 25th.
Belen scored 55. Veloso was its fourth runner in 25th and David Jaramillo (So.) its fifth in 41st. Nease (No. 2 in Florida, No. 1 4A) was second with 93. IMG Academy (independent) was third with 201, then Bolles (2A, No. 3 in Florida) with 218 and Niceville (4A, No. 4 in Florida) with 270. Gulliver Prep (2A) was sixth, Columbus (4A, No. 10 in Florida) seventh, Doral Academy (4A) eighth, Creekside (4A) ninth and Braddock (4A) tenth. Flagler Palm Coast (4A, No. 8 in Florida) was 11th and Ponte Vedra (3A, No. 5 in Florida) 19th.
Girls Elite
This was the race everyone came for, and it was even better than it looked on paper. Gaona-Zelaya (Wiregrass Ranch, Sr., No. 3 in Florida, No. 2 4A) won in 17:02, a season best by 33 seconds. She is six for six. Tomasic (Bishop Moore, So., No. 6 in Florida, No. 1 3A) was two seconds back in 17:04, 20 seconds under her previous best, and Balaban (IMG Academy, Jr., No. 2 in Florida) was third in 17:10. Balaban's only loss before Saturday came at the Great American, to girls from out of state.
Arabella Duffell (Lake Nona, Jr., No. 4 in Florida, No. 3 4A) was fourth in 17:13 and Muller (Riverview, Jr., No. 1 in Florida, No. 1 4A) fifth in 17:16. Muller had won all five of her races this fall, and 17:16 is a season best for her by 17 seconds.
There was a gap of more than half a minute to the next group. Alba Antunez-Perez (Spanish River, Sr., No. 8 in Florida) was sixth in 17:50, Lyla Hallick (Vanguard, So., No. 7 in Florida) seventh, and Sofie Stam (Bolles, So., No. 9 in Florida, No. 1 2A) ninth in 17:56, 24 seconds under her season best. Lydia Vincent (Zephyrhills, Sr., No. 8 3A) was tenth in 17:58, and Charlotte Roy (All Saints', 8th grade, No. 3 1A) eleventh in 18:00, a season best by 28 seconds. Selah Vignier (West Shore, Jr., No. 2 2A) was 12th.
IMG Academy (independent) won the team race with 94. Bolles (2A, No. 7 in Florida) was second with 208, Niceville (4A, No. 1 in Florida) third with 227, Chiles (3A, No. 4 in Florida) fourth and Carrollton (2A, No. 5 in Florida) fifth. Creekside (4A), Lourdes (3A), Ponte Vedra (3A), Spanish River (4A) and St. Thomas Aquinas (4A) made up the rest of the top ten. Bishop Moore (3A, No. 3 in Florida) was 11th, and Bishop Kenny (3A, No. 2 in Florida) 17th.
The B, C and middle school races
Belen (3A) also won the boys' B race, with 69, behind freshman Aiden Martinez in fifth. Frederick Gunther (Pensacola Catholic, So., No. 6 2A) won it in 15:47, and Lawson Phillips (Florida High, So.) was second in 15:54, 56 seconds under his previous best. Columbus (4A) was second as a team, and Bolles (2A) took third on a tiebreak with Belleview (3A), both on 207.
Laurie Dufault of IMG won the girls' B race in 18:11, which would have put her 13th in the Elite race. Bolles (2A) won the team title with 115 over Florida High (2A). Camila Castillo (Taravella, Jr.) was second in 19:09, more than a minute under her previous best.
Menendez (3A) won the boys' C race with 30 behind David Tellez Rodriguez in second, and Erick Garcia (Godby, Sr.) won the race in 16:53. Edgewood (2A) won the girls' C race with 35, led by Rebecca Lee (So.), who won in 19:50.
The middle school 3Ks went to Amari Isom of No Excuses (8th grade) in 10:21 and Brianna Motycka of Liberty Pines Academy (8th grade) in 10:28. Tavares Middle School won the boys' team race and No Excuses the girls'.
Clearwater Central Catholic Invitational
Girls. Brianna Bergin (Carrollwood, Sr., No. 7 1A) won in 19:23.8, almost a minute clear of the field. Behind her Lakewood Ranch (4A) put four girls in the top seven and won the team race with 30, two of them freshmen: Avery Webster second in 20:20.9 and Tatum Browne fourth, both season bests by more than 30 seconds. Lenix Brown (River Ridge, Fr.) split them in third. Calvary Christian of Clearwater (2A) was second with 75.
Boys. Colton Prater (Lakewood Ranch, Sr., 4A) won in 17:29.2, seven seconds ahead of Braden Workman (Dunedin, So., 2A). John Rocco Moralejo (Cambridge Christian, Jr., 1A) was third. Dunedin (No. 7 2A) won the team race with 44 over Lakewood Ranch's (4A) 49, with sophomores Workman and Owen Kalshoven second and fifth, and also won the JV race. Calvary Christian (No. 3 2A) was sixth.
Miami-Dade County Youth Fair Championship, Friday
Columbus (No. 10 in Florida, No. 5 4A) won both boys' races, the varsity with 49 over Belen Jesuit's (3A) 120 and the JV with 37. This was the night before New World, and Belen's top group was not in it. Ivan LeFrak (Ransom Everglades, So., 2A) won the varsity race in 17:37.7, and Luke Jackson (Doctor's Charter, Sr., 1A) was second in 17:57.2, a season best by 75 seconds. Two Columbus freshmen, Brandon Gonzalez and Sebastian Schafir-Mendez, were seventh and eighth.
The girls' varsity race was won by a seventh grader. Lia Chaustre (True North) ran 21:36.1, 41 seconds clear of Alexandra Morfova (Coral Gables, Fr.). Mia Mancilla (St. Brendan, Jr.) was third in a season best. Miami Arts won the girls' JV race.
Lee County Under The Lights, Fort Myers, Friday
Boys. Dylan Macias-Buenrostro (Mariner, Jr., No. 8 3A) won under the lights at Terry Park in 15:56.0, almost 28 seconds clear of David Lazo (South Plantation, Sr., 4A), who came over from Broward a week after winning the BCAA title. Fort Myers (3A, No. 7 in Florida) won the team race with 26, with Noah Lefko (Fr.) third, Trae Britton (Jr.) fifth, Reed Hagen (So.) seventh and Ben Moss (So.) eighth. Naples (3A) was second with 69, led by Jeb Bremerman (So.) in fourth, three tenths of a second behind Lefko.
Girls. Gabriella Vazquez (Dunbar, Fr., 3A) won in 19:39.5, a season best, 34 seconds ahead of Aurelia Sciandra (North Fort Myers, Sr.). Fort Myers won this one too, with 77, over Coral Springs Charter (2A) and Southwest Florida Christian (1A).
St. Pete City Championships, Thursday
St. Petersburg High (3A) won all four races. Justin Garbowicz (Jr.) won the boys' varsity race in 16:35.4, and the Green Devils scored 21. Isla Trunk (So.) won the girls' race in 20:05.3 and St. Petersburg scored 19, with five runners in the top eight. Mason Matyas, a seventh grader at Shorecrest Prep, won the boys' JV race in 19:07.0.
GCAC Championship, Thursday
Noah Carpenter (Nature Coast, Sr., No. 1 2A) won the Gulf Coast conference title in 16:15.4, and Springstead (3A) won the boys' team race with 49, seven points ahead of Weeki Wachee (3A) and Hernando (2A). Theodore Toler of Springstead was second in 16:39.1, a season best by 45 seconds. Lainee Mercer (Springstead, Jr., No. 5 3A) won the girls' race in 18:37.0, more than four and a half minutes ahead of the next runner, and Springstead scored a perfect 15.
Around the state on Saturday
Bay Area Middle Schools Championship, Tampa. Every race was scored as two conferences, BAMS and TCAL. RJ Destremps of the Hillsborough Harriers (8th grade) won the boys' 3K in 9:58.3, and the Harriers won all four BAMS team titles. Layne Schiebel of the HTTR Tornadoes (7th grade) won the girls' 3K in 11:38.9. Terrace Community won the TCAL boys' title and Sunlake Academy the girls'.
Weekend Run at the ROC, Lakeland. Elliot DiPietro (FISH Homeschool, Sr.) won the boys' race in 17:48.9, 1.3 seconds ahead of Reed Corbett, a seventh grader at Lakeland Christian. Lakeland Christian (1A) won both team titles, and Kenzie Reber (8th grade) won the girls' race in 21:48.1.
ODA Thunder Invitational, Sarasota. Gabe Milliken (Sarasota Christian, Jr., 1A) won the boys' race in 17:17.8, four seconds ahead of Finn Randall of the host school. Wellen Park (2A) won the team race with 71, five points ahead of Out-of-Door (1A). Kayla Hawk (Parrish, Jr., 4A) won the girls' race in 19:52.4, and Sarasota (4A) won the team title with 35.
Hardee Invite, Wauchula. The host school won all three team titles: the boys' varsity with 50, the girls' with 36 and the boys' JV with a perfect 15. Dominic Martinez (Frostproof, Jr., 2A) won the boys' race in 16:43.3, ten seconds ahead of Asa Slager (Hardee, So.), who ran 50 seconds under his previous best. Arliss Vargas (Candlelight Christian, Sr.) won the girls' race in 19:05.1, a season best by 26 seconds.
East River Invitational, Orlando. Jayden Viala won his home race in 17:25.2, but Tohopekaliga (4A) won the team title with 38, ahead of Freedom and East River. East River's girls won theirs by two points, 35 to Astronaut's 37, and Aleyshia Diaz (Astronaut, So., 2A) won the race in 21:03.9.
MCC Fall Fun Run, Melbourne. Dwayne Rhymes (Heritage, Sr., 3A) won the boys' 5K in 18:35.3, and Sebastian River (3A) won both 5K team titles, the girls' with a perfect 15 behind Olivia Fox (Sr.), who won in 21:59.9. Viera Charter and Sebastian Charter tied on 36 in the boys' middle school 3K, and Emmy Orr of Viera Charter (7th grade) won the girls' 3K in 13:23.6.
What the weekend did to the rankings
The week 9 lists come out after the weekend is in. New World is the meet we will lean on hardest for them, and for the rest of the season. Here is where it puts pressure on the week 8 order.
Boys. Nothing here argues for moving Mantecon or Cruz. Michalak beat Sallault, and Howdeshell beat everyone outside Belen's top three. Ross, Olson and Fernandez all ran in among the ranked runners and will be looked at hard.
Girls. Gaona-Zelaya and Tomasic both beat Balaban and Muller head to head, and Duffell beat Muller too. That is the biggest question for the week 9 list, and on Saturday's evidence the answer starts with Gaona-Zelaya.
Teams. Belen (3A) and Nease (4A) ran first and second, as ranked. IMG Academy's girls were clearly best on the day, but IMG is an independent school and does not appear in our class lists. Bolles (2A) beat Niceville (4A), and Bishop Kenny (3A) and Bishop Moore (3A) were well back of where they are ranked.
How we put this together
- Every result above comes from the official timing files, loaded into our results database, with every team score exactly as the timers published it.
- Cecil Field is the course we measure every other Florida course against. We looked at New World and the state meet over the last three seasons, and the order runners and teams finish in at New World has held up at state about nine times out of ten. That is why it carries so much weight.
- The Bay Area Middle Schools results publish each conference separately, so places within each one skip the other conference's runners.
- The MCC Fall Fun Run results list the girls' middle school race as a 5K. The race name and the times say 3K, so it is in our database as a 3K race.
- If we missed your race or your runner, tell us and we will add it.
The database is open all season at runfloridarun.com/data. Go find your name.
Photos: New World Fall Spectacular, Cecil Field, Jacksonville, October 17, 2026, by Darrin DeTorres.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 New World Fall Spectacular? expand_more
Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit won the boys' Elite race on October 17, 2026, at Cecil Field in Jacksonville in 14:24, a course record, and Belen Jesuit went one-two-three with Armando Cruz and Jack Michalak to win the team title with 55 over Nease's 93. Natalia Gaona-Zelaya of Wiregrass Ranch won the girls' Elite race in 17:02, two seconds ahead of Annabella Tomasic of Bishop Moore, and IMG Academy won the girls' team title with 94.
What is the New World Fall Spectacular course record? expand_more
Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit ran 14:24 at Cecil Field on October 17, 2026, nine seconds under the 14:33 he ran there in 2025. It was the fastest 5K by a Florida high school runner in the 2026 season to that date.
Who won the 2026 Lee County Under The Lights cross country meet? expand_more
Dylan Macias-Buenrostro of Mariner won the boys' race on October 16, 2026, at Terry Park in Fort Myers in 15:56.0, and Fort Myers won the boys' team title with 26. Gabriella Vazquez of Dunbar, a freshman, won the girls' race in 19:39.5, and Fort Myers won the girls' team title with 77.