Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19, meet by meet: Axel Sallault runs 15:05.9 at Hawks on the Hill with Quentin Thompson 23 seconds back, Katherine Eudaly takes 63 seconds off her best to win North Port in 17:37 and Luis Rivera beats three ranked 3A runners, and Spanish River's seniors win both Race of Champions titles on the course that now carries Rick Rothman's name. Madison Muller and Lyla Hallick win again, Vanguard scores 22 at Rockledge, Hagerty holds off Tavares, and a seventh grader wins the Bulldog. Then Florida on the road: Belen Jesuit goes 1-2-3 at the Southern Showcase, IMG Academy's girls win it with Niceville second, Bolles takes second and seventh at the adidas XC Challenge, and Nease puts five under 16:07 at Roy Griak. Saturday night's meets to be added.
Florida cross country, Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19, 2026
Fifteen meets and more than 10,000 results, and for the first time this season the loudest results came from out of state. Belen Jesuit put its top three across the line first, second and third at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, in a Championship race with 250 runners and 28 teams. IMG Academy's girls won the same meet with 34 points, and Niceville was second. Bolles took its girls to second and its boys to seventh at the adidas XC Challenge in Cary, North Carolina. Nease ran its full squad in Minnesota and had five under 16:07. All of that is at the bottom, where the out-of-state trips go. The Florida meets are first.
The fastest run in the state came at Lake Minneola. Axel Sallault of East Ridge won the Hawks on the Hill in 15:05.9, 41 seconds under anything he had run this year, with Quentin Thompson, the No. 5 boy in Florida, 23 seconds behind him. In North Port, Katherine Eudaly of Plant took 63 seconds off her best and won the Elite race in 17:37.3, and St. Cloud's Luis Rivera beat three ranked 3A runners in 15:20.2. In Boca Raton, the Spanish River course got Rick Rothman's name on Saturday morning and the host school's seniors, Casey Sangely and Alba Antunez-Perez, won both Race of Champions titles on it. Madison Muller ran 17:35.2 at the Raider Open in Plant City and is still unbeaten. And at Rockledge, Lyla Hallick of Vanguard beat the No. 1 girl in 2A by 25 seconds.
Saturday night's meets, including Running on the Range at The Villages and the other lights meets, are not in yet. They will be added here when the timing files arrive.
Every meet with a link goes to its full results in our database. Times are the times that were run. Where a runner has a rank next to the name, it is from our week 4 boys, week 4 girls, boys' team, girls' team or middle school lists, all written before any of this happened.
The photo up top is a South Fork runner at sunset at South Fork High School in Stuart, sent in by Carson Devlin through our cross country photos page. If you shot a Florida meet this weekend, send us yours. We feature one, you get a hat or a shirt.
Spanish River XC Invitational, South County Regional Park, Boca Raton
Forty-fourth year, two days, eight races, 2,300 finishers, and a course that is now officially the Rick Rothman Cross Country Course. Rothman founded the meet, built the course, and coached Spanish River to seven girls' state titles. On Saturday morning the school he coached won both Race of Champions individual titles.
Race of Champions boys: Sangely, in his first finish of the year
Casey Sangely (Spanish River, Sr., 4A) had two DNFs on his 2026 line coming in, at Pine Crest and at the Dr. Garcia meet. Saturday he ran 15:46.41 and won a 199-runner race by 1.4 seconds over Martin Fernandez (Doral Academy, Sr., 4A), with Kevin Aguilar (Mater Lakes, Sr., 3A) another 0.2 back. Three seniors inside two seconds. Nicholas Garcia (Columbus, Jr., 4A) was fourth, and Gulliver Prep's Adrian Iziliaev (Sr., No. 9 2A) and Kayaan Ghaffar (Jr., No. 4 2A) went fifth and sixth a second apart. Elijah Arterburn (Atlantic Christian, Sr., No. 2 1A) was ninth in 16:02.54.
The meet scores the Race of Champions by class rather than as one field. Braddock 4A, which is on nobody's list, won the 4A table with 78 on Yanliet Gomezdelafe (So.) seventh and four more inside the first 33 places. Columbus 4A (No. 6 4A) was second at 103, Doral Academy 4A (No. 5 4A) third at 105, and the host, Spanish River 4A (No. 8 4A), fourth at 127. Our preview had Columbus and Spanish River tied at 107 with Belen's varsity in Alabama. Belen's second seven won the 3A table anyway, 197 to Mater Lakes' 293. Gulliver Prep won 2A with 129 over Pine Crest 2A (No. 8 2A) at 359.
Race of Champions boys top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casey Sangely, Sr. | Spanish River 4A | 15:46.41 |
| 2 | Martin Fernandez, Sr. | Doral Academy 4A | 15:47.79 |
| 3 | Kevin Aguilar, Sr. | Mater Lakes 3A | 15:47.96 |
| 4 | Nicholas Garcia, Jr. | Columbus 4A | 15:53.37 |
| 5 | Adrian Iziliaev, Sr. | Gulliver Prep 2A | 15:54.78 |
| 6 | Kayaan Ghaffar, Jr. | Gulliver Prep 2A | 15:55.68 |
| 7 | Yanliet Gomezdelafe, So. | Braddock 4A | 15:58.50 |
| 8 | David Lazo, Sr. | South Plantation 4A | 16:00.09 |
| 9 | Elijah Arterburn, Sr. | Atlantic Christian 1A | 16:02.54 |
| 10 | Dylan Stacey, Jr. | Centennial 4A | 16:06.06 |
Race of Champions girls: Antunez-Perez by 50 seconds
Alba Antunez-Perez (Spanish River, Sr., No. 10 4A) also came in with two DNFs and no finish. She ran 18:03.19 and won by 50 seconds over Nicole Lewis (Doral Academy, Jr., No. 7 4A), who had beaten her to the state list on a Horse Park run. Kendall Parrott (St. Thomas Aquinas, So., 4A) was third in 19:11.74, Samantha Helfant (Palm Beach Central, Sr., 4A) fourth, and Sofia Jimenez (Lourdes, So., 3A) fifth. Gabriella Socarras (Carrollton, Sr., No. 10 2A) was sixth.
Spanish River 4A (No. 3 4A, No. 10 in Florida) won the 4A table with 47, Doral 4A (No. 6 4A) was second at 80, and St. Thomas Aquinas 4A (No. 5 4A) third at 142. Carrollton 2A (No. 2 2A) won the 2A table with 61 on five girls inside the first 17 places, which is what the preview said it would do. Lourdes 3A (No. 5 3A) won 3A with 84 over South Fork at 224. Jupiter Christian was the only 1A team to score.
Race of Champions girls top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alba Antunez-Perez, Sr. | Spanish River 4A | 18:03.19 |
| 2 | Nicole Lewis, Jr. | Doral Academy 4A | 18:53.41 |
| 3 | Kendall Parrott, So. | St. Thomas Aquinas 4A | 19:11.74 |
| 4 | Samantha Helfant, Sr. | Palm Beach Central 4A | 19:16.74 |
| 5 | Sofia Jimenez, So. | Lourdes 3A | 19:19.68 |
| 6 | Gabriella Socarras, Sr. | Carrollton 2A | 19:24.93 |
| 7 | Makaela Morilla, So. | Spanish River 4A | 19:29.80 |
| 8 | Estefania Capriles, Fr. | Doral Academy 4A | 19:34.55 |
| 9 | Madison Chin, Sr. | Doral Academy 4A | 19:38.46 |
| 10 | Marisa Mantecon, So. | Lourdes 3A | 19:41.17 |
The class races and the middle school 3Ks
Friday night's 1A/2A boys' race went to Michael Gomez (FAU, Sr., No. 7 2A) in 16:13.33 over Lucian Burns (Marathon, So., No. 7 1A) by five seconds. Holy Trinity 1A (No. 1 1A) won the 1A table with 63 and Southwest Florida Christian 1A (No. 5 1A) was second at 75. Gulliver Prep took the 2A table with 107 with a second group, ahead of Wellen Park at 133. The 1A/2A girls' race belonged to an eighth grader: Taylor Geraghty (Holy Trinity, No. 6 1A) ran 18:50.65, 52 seconds under her best, and her freshman sister Kelly was fourth. Holy Trinity scored 21 in 1A. Claire Chanon (Cardinal Gibbons, Jr., No. 6 2A) was second in 19:19.27, and Cardinal Gibbons 2A, not on our list, won the 2A table with 44 over Cardinal Newman 2A (No. 6 2A) at 83 and Ransom Everglades 2A (No. 3 2A) at 86.
Saturday's 3A/4A boys' race was Antario Berek's (Vero Beach, Jr., 4A) in 16:10.86, 40 seconds clear of the field, with Columbus 4A winning the 4A table on 38 and a Belen Jesuit group winning 3A on 38. In the 3A/4A girls' race, Winter Park 4A went one-two with Kathryn Ryan (So.) in 19:38.21 and Bella Sacks (Sr.) 2.5 seconds back, and won the 4A table with 85 over Spanish River's second group. Lourdes won 3A with 47.
Javier Parker (Doral Academy, 8th) won the middle school boys' 3K in 9:55.60, 13 seconds ahead of Liam Piper (Southwest Florida Christian, 8th), and Belen Jesuit's middle schoolers won the 3A table with 54. In the girls' 3K, Valentina Sarcos (Palmer Trinity, 8th, No. 9 MS) beat Camila Boucher (Boca Warriors, 8th, No. 8 MS) by 1.2 seconds, 10:56.61 to 10:57.77, and the Boca Warriors scored 29 in the club table.
North Port Invite, North Port High School
Elite boys: Rivera beats three ranked 3A runners
Luis Rivera (St. Cloud, Sr., No. 6 4A) ran 15:20.20, 23 seconds under his best, and won a race that had the No. 9 and No. 10 boys in Florida in it. Reed Hagen (Fort Myers, So., No. 9 in Florida, No. 4 3A) was second in 15:30.30, Jacob Sackenheim (Robinson, Sr., 3A) ran 15:37.07 for third, 48 seconds under his previous best, and Dylan Macias-Buenrostro (Mariner, Jr., No. 10 in Florida) and Jeb Bremerman (Naples, So., No. 7 3A) were fourth and fifth half a second apart. Antonino Pipia (Plant, Jr., 4A) was sixth.
Fort Myers 3A (No. 4 3A) won the team race with 84, George Steinbrenner 4A was second at 108, and St. Cloud 4A (No. 9 4A) third at 138. Our simulator had those three inside six points and could not pick between them. It was 24 in the end. Calvary Christian 2A (No. 4 2A) was fourth at 159 in a 22-team race.
Elite boys top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Rivera, Sr. | St. Cloud 4A | 15:20.20 |
| 2 | Reed Hagen, So. | Fort Myers 3A | 15:30.30 |
| 3 | Jacob Sackenheim, Sr. | Robinson 3A | 15:37.07 |
| 4 | Dylan Macias-Buenrostro, Jr. | Mariner 3A | 15:38.46 |
| 5 | Jeb Bremerman, So. | Naples 3A | 15:38.98 |
| 6 | Antonino Pipia, Jr. | Plant 4A | 15:54.13 |
| 7 | Skylar Manatt, Sr. | Cypress Creek 3A | 15:55.49 |
| 8 | Andrew McKay, Sr. | River Ridge 3A | 15:57.62 |
| 9 | Justin Garbowicz, Jr. | St. Petersburg 3A | 15:58.63 |
| 10 | Jack Bronder, Sr. | George Steinbrenner 4A | 16:00.63 |
Elite girls: Eudaly, 17:37, by 46 seconds
Katherine Eudaly (Plant, Jr., No. 5 in Florida) had won all three of her races this year without going under 18:40. Saturday she ran 17:37.27 and won by 46 seconds. Emma Poekert (Cypress Creek, Jr., 3A) was second in 18:23.20, a season best by 25 seconds, and 1.6 seconds ahead of Lydia Vincent (Zephyrhills, Sr., No. 5 3A). Kayla Hawk (Parrish, Jr., 4A) was fourth, Lily Ghavami (Berkeley Prep, Jr., No. 9 2A) fifth, and Alexandra Middleton (Indian Rocks Christian, Jr., No. 9 1A) seventh.
Berkeley Prep 2A (No. 5 2A) won the team race with 72 with Ghavami fifth, Alex Louie (Jr.) eighth, and three more inside the first 32 team places. Estero 3A was second at 133, and Plant 4A and Lakewood Ranch 4A tied at 146 with Plant taking third on the sixth runner. Sarasota 4A (No. 10 4A), which the simulator had winning on either clock, was fifth at 150.
Elite girls top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katherine Eudaly, Jr. | Plant 4A | 17:37.27 |
| 2 | Emma Poekert, Jr. | Cypress Creek 3A | 18:23.20 |
| 3 | Lydia Vincent, Sr. | Zephyrhills 3A | 18:24.77 |
| 4 | Kayla Hawk, Jr. | Parrish 4A | 18:58.09 |
| 5 | Lily Ghavami, Jr. | Berkeley Prep 2A | 19:03.35 |
| 6 | Isla Trunk, So. | St. Petersburg 3A | 19:15.26 |
| 7 | Alexandra Middleton, Jr. | Indian Rocks Christian 1A | 19:16.05 |
| 8 | Alex Louie, Jr. | Berkeley Prep 2A | 19:17.15 |
| 9 | Lillian Lampitt, So. | Bishop Verot 2A | 19:19.76 |
| 10 | Gianna Gyurich, Sr. | Estero 3A | 19:20.20 |
In the Large School races, Jackson Winkler (Charlotte, Jr., 3A) won the boys' in 17:04.72 and Robinson 3A won the team title with 62; Aurelia Sciandra (North Fort Myers, Sr., 3A) won the girls' in 19:25.84 and Robinson won that one too, 67 to Charlotte's 97. In the Small School races, Nolan Davel (Lemon Bay, So., 3A) won in 17:24.27 and Lemon Bay scored 26, and Calvary Christian (Clearwater) 2A went one-two-three in the girls' race behind Mirena Hagan (Jr.) in 20:27.35 and scored 21.
Hawks on the Hill, Lake Minneola High School, Minneola
Boys: Sallault, 15:05.9, and Thompson 23 seconds back
Axel Sallault (East Ridge, Sr., No. 8 in Florida, No. 4 4A) had won at Whispering Pines and at Astronaut without going under 15:46. On the hill at Lake Minneola he ran 15:05.90. Quentin Thompson (Lake Minneola, Sr., No. 5 in Florida, No. 2 4A), who ran 15:16 at Cecil Field in August, was second in 15:29.00 on his home course. Nobody else broke 16:05; Thompson's teammate Jacob Kelly (Jr.) was third in 16:05.30 and Drew Sasson (Sr.) fourth. Aubin Sallault (East Ridge, Jr.) was eighth in 16:43.40, and their sister Hortance (So.) was fourth in the girls' race.
Lake Minneola 4A won the team title with 40 on 2-3-4-6-25, well clear of Lake Highland Prep 2A (No. 7 2A) at 78 and Wiregrass Ranch 4A (No. 7 4A) at 125. Lake Minneola is not on our 4A team list. It is now.
Boys top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Axel Sallault, Sr. | East Ridge 4A | 15:05.90 |
| 2 | Quentin Thompson, Sr. | Lake Minneola 4A | 15:29.00 |
| 3 | Jacob Kelly, Jr. | Lake Minneola 4A | 16:05.30 |
| 4 | Drew Sasson, Sr. | Lake Minneola 4A | 16:21.80 |
| 5 | Maleik Lewis, Jr. | Horizon 4A | 16:33.21 |
| 6 | Matthew Lydiard, Jr. | Lake Minneola 4A | 16:37.50 |
| 7 | Bogdan Anghel, Sr. | Wiregrass Ranch 4A | 16:38.71 |
| 8 | Aubin Sallault, Jr. | East Ridge 4A | 16:43.40 |
| 9 | Mason Taylor, So. | Ocoee 4A | 16:51.20 |
| 10 | Santiago Salazar, Sr. | Lake Highland Prep 2A | 17:01.30 |
Girls: White by three seconds, Windermere by one point
Abigayle White (Horizon, Sr., 4A) ran 19:09.50, her fourth straight race faster than the last, and held off Annabella Ekebergh (Windermere, Jr., 4A) by 3.3 seconds. Ryann Lange (Windermere, Sr.) was third, Hortance Sallault (East Ridge, So.) fourth in 19:42.50, and Claire Reburn (Lake Minneola, Sr.) fifth. Windermere 4A won the team race with 79 to East Ridge 4A's 80. Lake Minneola was third at 106, and Wiregrass Ranch 4A (No. 7 4A) and Lake Highland Prep 2A (No. 7 2A) tied at 115. Lake Highland Prep's boys won the JV race with 27 behind Roshan Parekh (Jr.) in 18:24.90.
Rockledge Raider Classic, Rockledge
Lyla Hallick (Vanguard, So., No. 9 in Florida, No. 2 3A) ran 18:10.80 on Friday, a season best by 12 seconds, and beat Selah Vignier (West Shore, Jr., No. 1 2A) by 25.5 seconds. Cierra Mills (Vanguard, Sr.) was third, Eva McMenemy-Hoang (Viera, Sr., No. 6 4A) fourth in 18:52.50, and Reese Cartwright (Vanguard, Sr.) fifth. Olivia Davis (Satellite, Fr., No. 7 3A) and Esther Dobbin (Cocoa Beach, 8th, No. 7 2A) were sixth and seventh. Vanguard 3A (No. 7 3A) scored 40 and beat West Shore 2A (No. 9 2A) at 84 and Edgewood 2A (No. 8 2A) at 88.
The boys' race came down to four tenths. Brody Johnson (Rockledge, Sr., 3A) ran 16:01.93 on his home course and beat Trevor Berquist (Vanguard, So., 3A) at 16:02.33. Vanguard took the next three places behind him, Lachlan Bryniarski (So.), Christopher Taylor (So.) and Jacob Rogers (Sr.), and won the team race with 22 points, 49 clear of Rockledge. Noah Childrey (Rockledge, Sr., No. 9 3A) was sixth. Vanguard 3A is No. 3 in 3A on our list and looked it.
Coach Joe McKinney Classic, New Smyrna Beach
Liam Ilea (Tavares, Jr., 3A) won in 16:19.4, his first win of the year after seconds at Whispering Pines and Astronaut, and Tavares' two freshmen, Emiliano and Navid Lozano, were fourth and fifth a second apart. Hagerty 4A (No. 4 4A) still won the team race, 37 to Tavares 3A's (No. 5 3A) 44, on Camden Thompson (Jr.) and Nate Winslow (Jr.) second and third and Wesley Lizon (Sr.) seventh. Boone 4A was third at 101.
Anne Vanos (Boone, Jr., 4A) won the girls' race in 19:16.2, 44 seconds under her only other 2026 time, over Cecelia Lear (Mount Dora, Jr., 3A) at 19:26.7. Boone 4A won with 53 over Hagerty 4A (No. 7 4A) at 58, with Lake Mary 4A third at 74.
Mitchell Mustang Invite, New Port Richey
Lainee Mercer (Springstead, Jr., No. 6 3A) ran 18:53.7 and won the girls' race by 78 seconds over Quynh Tollon (Osceola, Fr., 3A). Osceola 3A (No. 8 3A on the girls' list) put four girls inside the first ten and won with 33 over Holy Names at 70. In the boys' race, Matthew Hood (Palm Harbor University, Sr., 4A) won in 16:38.8 over Aidan Alam (McKeel, So., No. 10 2A) at 16:45.4, and Osceola's Spencer Mehltretter (Sr.) and Sebastian Laviano (Jr.) were third and fourth. Osceola 3A (No. 9 3A) won that one too, 36 to Palm Harbor's 62, a sweep for the Seminole school.
Raider Open, Plant City
Jonas Williams (Newsome, Sr., No. 10 4A) ran 15:27, 31 seconds under his Horse Park best, and won by 62 seconds over Noah Steed (Plant City, So., 4A). Joseph Laundry (Armwood, Jr., 4A) was third in 16:32.2. The meet scored two team divisions, and Newsome 4A won its side with 29 and Lakeland Christian 1A (No. 10 1A) won the other with 42.
Madison Muller (Riverview Sarasota, Jr., No. 1 in Florida) ran 17:35.2, two seconds off the 17:33.1 she opened the season with, and won her third race in three tries. Emma Wilkinson (Lakeland Christian, Jr., No. 2 1A) was second in 18:29.7, 54 seconds back. Newsome 4A won one girls' division with 20 and Riverview Sarasota 4A won the other with 39.
Bulldog Invitational, Melbourne
Fifty-one years in. Matteo Kirwan (Circle Christian, So., No. 9 1A) won the boys' race in 17:39.16 over teammate Jonah Lehman-Saba (Jr.) and Melbourne's Trent Orcutt (Jr.) and Charles Hanus (Sr.). Melbourne 4A won the team race by a point, 33 to Circle Christian 1A's (No. 6 1A) 34. The girls' race went to a seventh grader: Kaitlyn Conboy (Circle Christian, 7th) ran 22:33.51 and beat Kaylynn Ulrich (Melbourne, So.) by 26 seconds. Melbourne won that team race too, 34 to 45.
Red Sea Running Club swept the middle school 3Ks with perfect 15s in both. Alice Ilea (8th, No. 3 MS) won the girls' race in 10:58.18 over Aliana Alvarez (No. 6 MS), and Jack Ilea, a sixth grader, won the boys' race in 10:59.28 by a minute.
Lion's Invitational, Winter Garden
James Salas (Foundation Academy, Sr., 1A) won the boys' race in 17:40.7 and Trinity Prep 2A won the team title with 22 on Lucas Le Douran (Jr.) second and William O'Connor (Sr.) fourth. Avery Gervais (Master's Academy, Jr., 1A) won the girls' race in 21:29.2, and Trinity Prep won that one too, 35 to First Academy's 49. In the middle school 3Ks, Connor Lucas (Foundation Academy, 8th) won the boys' in 10:46.3 and Ava Miller (Cornerstone Charter, 8th) the girls' in 12:39.8; Foundation Academy won both team races.
Tiger XC Invitational, Tohopekaliga High School, Kissimmee
Riley Ramirez (Harmony, Sr., 4A) won in 17:23.97, his second win in a row after the JT Memorial, but Timber Creek 4A won the team race by three points, 44 to Harmony's 47, on Ethan Peterman (Jr.) second and four more inside twelve. Liliana Napolitano (Timber Creek, Sr.) won the girls' race in 20:57.10 over Kennedy Boles (Harmony, Fr.), and Timber Creek scored 20.
Katie Caples Meet, Northeast Florida
The high school 5Ks were as close as a race gets: Titus Sivyer (Menendez, So., 3A) beat Michael Breeding (Middleburg, Sr., 3A) by 0.34 seconds, 17:44.99 to 17:45.33, and Menendez beat Middleburg 34 to 37. Ella Harmon (Menendez, Sr.) won the girls' race in 21:28.37 by a minute, and Middleburg won that team race 59 to 61.
The middle school races were the point of the day. Jackson Laneve (Assumption Catholic, 8th) won the boys' 3K in 10:43.21 and Assumption scored 28 in a 12-team race. Quinn Dinola, a Bolles sixth grader, won the girls' 3K in 12:06.92 with Cornerstone Classical Academy's three, Haven Smith, Jayne McCarthy and Katelyn Milla, in the next three places. Bolles took the team race 29 to Cornerstone Classical's 33.
Central Florida Athletic Association Meet One
An elementary and middle school meet for the charter schools around Kissimmee and Davenport. Hunter Thornton, a third grader at Mater Academy Davenport, won the boys' 1600 in 7:26.39, and Mila Hernandez (Creation Village, 4th) the girls' in 8:42.62. Mater Academy Davenport won both elementary team races. In the middle school 3200s, Jacob Gomez (Kissimmee Charter, 8th) ran 15:31.60 and Yaneliz Villegas (Kissimmee Charter, 7th) 16:44.25.
Florida on the road
The Southern Showcase, John Hunt Running Park, Huntsville, Alabama: Belen goes 1-2-3
Two hundred fifty runners and 28 teams in the Championship race, and the first three across the line all ran for the same school in Miami. Marcelo Mantecon (Belen Jesuit, Sr., No. 1 in Florida) won in 14:41.6, 17 seconds ahead of Armando Cruz (Sr., No. 2), and Jack Michalak (Jr.) was third in 15:01.7. Michalak's previous best this year was 15:47. Belen scored 57, and its fourth and fifth, Nicholas Veloso (Jr.) and Davi Bodoh (Sr.), were 32nd and 33rd in 15:51 and 15:52. Jesuit of New Orleans was second at 113.
The rest of Florida in that race: Sean Cunningham (Providence, Sr., No. 3 1A) was 11th in 15:15.7, the fastest 1A time in Florida this season. Douglas Seth (Flagler Palm Coast, So., No. 7 4A) was 13th in 15:20.7. Fletcher Rodbro (IMG Academy, Jr., No. 3 in Florida) was 15th in 15:21.6 and Bryant Olson (Niceville, So., No. 7 in Florida) 16th in 15:27.6, both of them beaten by Seth. Jonathan Kiros (Chiles, Sr., No. 10 3A) was 19th in 15:36.5; Chiles sent only him. David Barton (Maclay, Sr., No. 4 1A) ran 15:51.5 for 31st. IMG Academy was fourth in the team race at 213 and Niceville 4A (No. 5 in Florida, No. 3 4A) sixth at 227, 14 points apart. Flagler Palm Coast 4A, No. 3 in Florida on our list, was 15th at 388 with a two-minute spread between Seth and its fifth. Bartram Trail was 19th and Maclay 24th.
Championship boys top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcelo Mantecon, Sr. | Belen Jesuit 3A | 14:41.6 |
| 2 | Armando Cruz, Sr. | Belen Jesuit 3A | 14:58.6 |
| 3 | Jack Michalak, Jr. | Belen Jesuit 3A | 15:01.7 |
| 4 | Matthew Frick, Sr. | St. Xavier (KY) | 15:03.8 |
| 5 | Jack Wilbourne, Jr. | Signature (IN) | 15:04.8 |
| 6 | Trey Bailey, Sr. | Greeneville (TN) | 15:06.4 |
| 7 | David Quintana, Sr. | Jesuit (LA) | 15:07.2 |
| 8 | Tommy Babbit, Sr. | Maryville (TN) | 15:07.5 |
| 9 | Drew Woznicki, Jr. | Carrollton (GA) | 15:07.8 |
| 10 | JP Newman, Sr. | Montgomery Bell (TN) | 15:08.5 |
IMG's girls are the real deal, and Niceville is not far behind
For four weeks IMG Academy's girls had one race on their line, on their own course, against nobody. Now they have this. Emma Balaban (Jr., No. 2 in Florida) won the Championship race in 17:45.2 by 31 seconds. Rashida Reinhardt (Fr., No. 10) was fourth in 18:32.0, Sydney Johnson (Jr., No. 6) sixth in 18:47.3, Brooke Pelkey (So.) ninth in 18:54.1, and Brooklyn Brown (So.) 18th. Thirty-four points in a 19-team race, and the five were 92 seconds apart. IMG runs as an FHSAA Independent and does not go to a state meet, so we name it and do not score it on our team list. If we did, this is a No. 1 team.
Niceville 4A, the No. 1 girls' team in Florida, was second at 77, and its front two were faster than anyone expected. Lola Jackson, a freshman whose best coming in was 20:08, ran 18:56.9 for 11th, and Harmony Holland (Jr.) ran 18:58.2 for 12th, Jackson 71 seconds under her best and Holland 45 under hers. Sophie Clapp (Fr.) was 19th, Anais Almonte (Fr.) 21st and Riley Marise (Jr.) 25th; five Niceville girls inside 40 seconds, and three of the five are freshmen. Our preview had IMG by 39 over Niceville on the Florida-only sim. It was 43. Chiles, which was supposed to meet Niceville here after the Nights of Thunder washout, did not bring its girls.
Avery Hartley (Bartram Trail, So., No. 7 in Florida) was 14th in 19:01.6, behind both Niceville girls, and Bartram Trail was 11th as a team. Maclay 1A was 18th. In the Blue race, Anna Grigoruk (Flagler Palm Coast, Sr., 4A) won outright in 19:39.9 and Flagler Palm Coast won the team race with 155 in a 34-team field. Bartram Trail's second group won the Crimson race with 37 behind Presley Sands (Sr.) in fifth.
Championship girls top ten
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emma Balaban, Jr. | IMG Academy | 17:45.2 |
| 2 | Hadleih Mitchey, So. | Maryville (TN) | 18:16.1 |
| 3 | Lorelai Whitten, Jr. | Summit (TN) | 18:23.1 |
| 4 | Rashida Reinhardt, Fr. | IMG Academy | 18:32.0 |
| 5 | Gianna DeLima, So. | Creekview (GA) | 18:33.1 |
| 6 | Sydney Johnson, Jr. | IMG Academy | 18:47.3 |
| 7 | Taylor Stanford, Jr. | Chattanooga Christian (TN) | 18:47.6 |
| 8 | Naomi Ward, Jr. | Marist (GA) | 18:53.8 |
| 9 | Brooke Pelkey, So. | IMG Academy | 18:54.1 |
| 10 | Emmie Underwood, So. | Independence (TN) | 18:56.4 |
adidas XC Challenge, Cary, North Carolina: Bolles second and seventh
Bolles took both teams to Cary and ran the Championship races against the best of North Carolina and Virginia. The girls (No. 4 2A) were second of 28 teams with 204 points behind North Lincoln of North Carolina at 103. Sofie Stam (So., No. 5 2A) was eighth in 18:20.1, a minute under her Cecil Field opener, and Palmer Edwards (Sr.) was 34th in 19:19.8. The boys (No. 4 in Florida, No. 1 2A) were seventh of 38 with 279 in a race Broughton of Raleigh won with 38. Armaan Sharma (So.) led Bolles in 34th in 16:01.5, Aidan Chandler (Sr., No. 6 2A) was 47th in 16:08.9, and Aaron Ches (Jr.) 62nd in 16:22.2. The Bolles boys' second group was third in the JV Red race with 82.
Roy Griak Invitational, St. Paul, Minnesota: Nease runs its five
A week after its top five jogged the JV race at Buchholz, Nease (No. 2 in Florida, No. 1 4A) went to the Roy Griak Championship race in Minnesota and ran all ten of its varsity. Matthew Ishee (Jr., No. 8 4A) was 15th of 382 in 15:13.2, Rishi Chopra (Sr., No. 5 4A) 24th in 15:22.8, Joseph Morley (Jr.) 59th in 15:49.7, Austin Courson (So.) 68th in 15:53.4, and Charles Carlson (Sr.) 95th in 16:06.7. Five under 16:07, and Colin Lasota (So.) and Oliver Carter-Drewry (Jr.) behind them in 16:25 and 16:31. Nease was third of 40 teams with 240, behind Sioux Falls Lincoln of South Dakota at 165 and Dowling Catholic of Iowa at 227. Logan Bleich of Gilbert, Iowa, won the race in 14:38.5.
What the weekend does to the rankings
The rule is the same every week: a loss stands until the two meet again, and a win never lowers anyone's figure. Here is what that means.
Boys. Mantecon and Cruz went one-two again and both broke 15:00 on a course we have no rating for. Michalak's 15:01.7 in the same race beat Rodbro, No. 3 in the state, by 20 seconds and Olson, No. 7, by 26; he goes into the state ten and into 3A behind his two teammates. Sallault beat Thompson by 23 seconds at Lake Minneola and moves above him in both the state and 4A lists. Rivera beat Hagen and Macias-Buenrostro at North Port and goes into the state ten ahead of both. Seth beat Olson in Huntsville and takes third in 4A; Ishee beat Chopra in Minnesota and takes fifth. Cunningham's 15:15.7 is the best 1A time of the year by 36 seconds, and the second-best is Barton's from the same race; Cunningham has the case for first in 1A, and Barton stays behind him. Jonas Williams' 15:27 holds him in the 4A ten. Sackenheim's 15:37 puts him on the 3A watch list, and Alam lost to Hood by seven seconds at Mitchell.
Boys' teams. Belen scored 57 in a 28-team national field and stays No. 1 by more than it was. Nease was third at Griak with its five under 16:07 and holds second. Niceville beat Flagler Palm Coast by nine places and 161 points in the same race, so Niceville moves to third in Florida and second in 4A and Flagler drops behind it. IMG was 14 points ahead of Niceville in that race; IMG stays named and unscored. Bolles was seventh in Cary and holds fourth for now. Hagerty beat Tavares by seven at New Smyrna and both stay where they are, a 4A team beating a 3A team. Lake Minneola beat Wiregrass Ranch by 85 and goes into the 4A ten. Braddock beat Columbus and Doral head to head in the Race of Champions 4A table and goes in too. Vanguard's 22 at Rockledge holds it third in 3A, Fort Myers holds fourth after beating St. Cloud, and Osceola's sweep at Mitchell keeps it at ninth.
Girls. Muller and Balaban both won and are still one and two. Eudaly's 17:37 is the third-fastest time in the state this year and holds her fifth; the girls above her have not raced her. Hallick beat Vignier, the No. 1 girl in 2A, by 25 seconds at Rockledge and holds ninth in the state with a case for higher; Vignier stays first in 2A because nobody in 2A has beaten her. Poekert beat Vincent by 1.6 seconds at North Port and goes into the 3A ten above her. Antunez-Perez beat Lewis by 50 seconds in the Race of Champions and moves above her in 4A. Jackson and Holland of Niceville both beat Hartley in Huntsville, so both go into the 4A list above her and Hartley drops. Taylor Geraghty's 18:50 moves her up in 1A; Wilkinson holds second in 1A after losing only to Muller. Sarcos beat Boucher by 1.2 seconds in the middle school 3K, and they flip.
Girls' teams. Niceville was second to IMG by 43 in Huntsville with a freshman and a junior in the top twelve, and holds No. 1. Bishop Kenny and Bishop Moore did not race. Spanish River beat Doral and St. Thomas Aquinas in the Race of Champions 4A table and holds third in 4A above both. Cardinal Gibbons beat Cardinal Newman and Ransom Everglades on Friday night and goes into the 2A ten. Carrollton's 61 holds it second in 2A. Berkeley Prep won North Port over Sarasota and stays fifth in 2A. Vanguard beat two ranked 2A teams at Rockledge and holds seventh in 3A. Holy Trinity's 21 keeps it first in 1A. Bolles' second at Cary against a 28-team field keeps it fourth in 2A.
Middle school. Alice Ilea won again and stays third. Jack Ilea, a sixth grader, won a 3K in 10:59 and goes on the boys' watch list. Parker's 9:55.60 at Spanish River is the second-fastest raw 3K of the season behind Lomoriello's 9:42.6, and he goes into the boys' ten.
The week 5 lists come Sunday night, after the Saturday night files are in.
How we put this together
- Every result above comes from the official timing files, loaded into our results database: fourteen meets and more than 8,400 results, JV, middle school and elementary included. The adidas XC Challenge is written from the timing file and will link to the database once its out-of-state field is tagged.
- The Southern Showcase, the adidas XC Challenge and the Roy Griak Invitational were mostly out-of-state fields. Out-of-state runners and teams are shown in the results but are not ranked.
- Spanish River scores its Race of Champions and its class races by FHSAA class rather than as one field, and the Raider Open scored two team divisions. Team scores are reported exactly as the timers published them.
- Saturday night's meets are not in this recap yet. They will be added in place when their files arrive, and the rankings section will be rewritten to match.
- We use both data and judgment, and we will most likely miss one or two along the way. If we missed your race or your runner, tell us.
The database is open all season at runfloridarun.com/data. Go find your name.
Photo: a South Fork runner at South Fork High School, Stuart, September 2026. Submitted by Carson Devlin through our cross country photos page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Southern Showcase Championship races? expand_more
Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit won the boys' Championship race in 14:41.6, with teammates Armando Cruz second in 14:58.6 and Jack Michalak third in 15:01.7. Belen won the team race with 57 points in a 28-team field. Emma Balaban of IMG Academy won the girls' Championship race in 17:45.2 and IMG won the team race with 34; Niceville was second with 77.
What did Axel Sallault run at Hawks on the Hill? expand_more
Axel Sallault of East Ridge ran 15:05.90 at Lake Minneola on September 19, 2026, 41 seconds under his previous 2026 best, and beat Lake Minneola's Quentin Thompson by 23 seconds. Lake Minneola won the boys' team race with 40 points.
Who won the 2026 North Port Invite Elite races? expand_more
Luis Rivera of St. Cloud won the Elite boys' race in 15:20.20 over Fort Myers' Reed Hagen, and Fort Myers won the team race with 84 over George Steinbrenner's 108. Katherine Eudaly of Plant won the Elite girls' race in 17:37.27 by 46 seconds over Emma Poekert of Cypress Creek, and Berkeley Prep won the girls' team race with 72.
Who won the Spanish River Race of Champions in 2026? expand_more
Casey Sangely of Spanish River won the boys' Race of Champions in 15:46.41, 1.4 seconds ahead of Doral Academy's Martin Fernandez, and Alba Antunez-Perez of Spanish River won the girls' race in 18:03.19 by 50 seconds over Doral's Nicole Lewis. The meet scores its teams by FHSAA class; Braddock won the boys' 4A table with 78 and Spanish River won the girls' 4A table with 47.
How did Bolles and Nease do out of state? expand_more
At the adidas XC Challenge in Cary, North Carolina, the Bolles girls were second of 28 teams with 204 points and Sofie Stam was eighth in 18:20.1; the Bolles boys were seventh of 38 with 279. At the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, Nease was third of 40 teams with 240 points, and Matthew Ishee (15:13.2), Rishi Chopra (15:22.8), Joseph Morley, Austin Courson and Charles Carlson all ran under 16:07.