Whispering Pines Invitational Highlights Girls' Championship Race

Inverness, FL – August 30, 2025 — The Whispering Pines Invitational delivered a thrilling girls' race on Saturday morning, with standout performances from several of Florida's top young distance runners.

Summers Shines Again

Mary Summers of Seven Rivers Christian School captured the individual title in 18:22, a 15-second improvement from her winning time of 18:37 at last year's meet as an 8th grader.
Now a ninth grader, Summers enters the season with an impressive résumé. She was the 2024 FHSAA 1A cross-country state champion and also claimed the 1A titles in the 1600m and 3200m on the track. This fall, she opened her season at the Cecil Field Summer Classic, where she placed 4th in 18:46, before coming back the very next day to win the Wildwood MS/HS Open.

Top Finishers

Behind Summers, Cheyenne Thomas of Tavares High School finished second in 18:54, while Ava Curtis of Vanguard High School rounded out the top three with a time of 19:11.

Tight Team Battle

The girls' team competition came down to the narrowest of margins. East Ridge High School won the title with 56 points, edging Vanguard High School in a tiebreaker after both teams posted the same score. Tavares High School was close behind in third with 61 points.
The win marked a turnaround for East Ridge, which finished behind Vanguard just last week at the Cecil Field Summer Classic. At that meet, Vanguard placed 5th with 224 points, while East Ridge finished 6th with 238.

Looking Ahead

With Summers opening her freshman year in strong form, Thomas running consistently, and Curtis showing promise, the Whispering Pines Invitational set the stage for an exciting cross-country season across Florida.

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Girls Varsity — Top 10

1) Mary Summers (Seven Rivers Christian) — 18:22.2 2) Cheyenne Thomas (Tavares) — 18:54.0 3) Ava Curtis (Vanguard, Ocala) — 19:11.3 4) Jimena Nava Garcia (Tavares) — 19:16.7 5) Emma Curtis (Vanguard, Ocala) — 19:19.6 6) Laken Hartley (Tavares) — 19:23.5 7) Ana Cecilia Maia Menard (Sunlake) — 19:34.6 8) Rhyen Foley (East Ridge) — 19:44.4 9) Lyla Hallick (Forest) — 20:04.6 10) Sydney Farris (St. John Lutheran) — 20:06.4

Team Results (Girls Varsity)

1) East Ridge — 56 2) Vanguard (Ocala) — 56 3) Tavares — 61 4) Sunlake — 96 5) St. John Lutheran — 174 6) River Ridge — 201 7) Lecanto — 205 8) Villages — 229 9) Belleview — 263 10) West Port — 270 11) P. K. Yonge — 270 12) Forest — 275 13) Nature Coast — 310 14) Newberry — 348