The deck was stacked on both sides of the Class 4A race. The top four girls coming into the 4A race all had sub 18-minute marks. Winter Park's Rafaella Gibbons, the defending 4A state champ had the best time in the state this season. Lake Mary's Daniela Urzua was the UF Mt. Dew champ, Alexa Cruz of St. Thomas Aquinas was the 2013 state champ. None of that mattered to Tampa Riverview sophomore Bailey Hertenstein who set down a blistering 17:32.55, a new personal best and a new course record, also the top time of any girl from any classification on Saturday.
The course at Apalachee Regional Park is a cross country runner's dream. It takes off over undulation grass hills before turning to the left and coming down a sand and crushed shell runway that marks 1.5 miles runners then head up, "The Wall", a formidable hill before turning left again and coming back down through the starting area. One more trip around and the course completes.
Out of the gates it was Gibbons, Hertenstein and Kayley Delay of Duncan Fletcher. That same trio held around the sand and shell pathway through the 1.5 mile mark but put five seconds on the trailing runners. Over The Wall the first time, Gibbons and Hertenstein started to pull away from Delay and the rest of the field. Second trip down the sand path, closing in on 2.5 miles, Gibbons still had four or five strides on Hertenstein and it looked as though Gibbons would repeat as champ but surging up The Wall for the second time, Hertenstein emerged for the final straightaway in the lead.
(Photo by Chris Tucker)
"I've been training more for hills," Hertenstein said. "I found a hill near my house and just ran mile repeats on it."
Down the home stretch, Hertenstein extended her lead and closed in on the meet mark.
"I was totally unaware I had a big lead, I assumed she (Gibbons) was right behind me," Hertenstein said.
(Photo by Cedric Gillette)
As Hertenstein cut the tape, Gibbons had faded into fifth and Delay stepped up into second at 17:56.75, still 24 seconds behind Hertenstein. Urzua worked into third at 18:16.13. Gibbons might have had a rough finish to her race but she was not going home without a first place medal as Winter Park cruised to their second-straight team victory with 48 to Sarasota's 116. Gibbons got some help from Hana Herndon taking 10th in 19:03.34 and Katherine Kuhn taking 15th overall in 19:26.55."I'm extra proud of these girls, this has been a goal since the beginning of the summer to defend the title," Winter Park coach Kristin McWilliams said. "We've raced fewer races this year hoping to peak at Southeast Regionals, now we can focus on our next challenge."
McWilliams returns most of her current squad and has said that she has some promising prospects coming up through middle school.
(Photo by Cedric Gillette)
The boys race was more strategic in that the top runners paced out the early going, waiting for someone to make a move. The lead group was stacked with 2014 state champ Joshua Jacques of Lyman, 2014 runner up Carlin Berryhill and Pre State runner up Adam Bradtmueller of Sarasota. A group of 12-15 stuck together through the first 1.5 miles. The first trip over The Wall saw the lead group thin out to eight. Down the grass straightaway, Jacques and teammate Jordan Armstrong, along with Berryhill were just in front of the lead group. Down the sand and shell path nearing the 2.5-mile mark, it was Jacques, Armstrong, Berryhill, Bradtmueller and Durant's Haftom Fliegelman with a couple seconds on the rest of the field. The group attacked The Wall a second time and shattered as the place holders started to take shape. Bradtmuller made a huge move coming down the grass straightaway alone and took first in 15:44.83. Flagler Palm Coast's Justin Pacifico worked up into second at 15:50.54 and FW Buchholtz's Calum McFeteridge took third in 15:53.75 as Fliegelman grabbed fourth in a personal best 15:54.17. Lyman's Armstrong took fifth in 15:56.89 and Berryhill seventh in 15:56.92, sliding the top six times all under 16 minutes.
(Photo by Andy Warrener)
"It still hasn't hit me yet," Bradtmuller said. "All the leaders that came through Sarasota High, that's the reason I'm here."
Bradtmueller, after placing 11th at last year's meet, goes out on top with a state title under his belt.
"This is unbelievable, it's been a goal since I walked into the school as a 13-year-old," Bradtmueller said. "I think I might take Sunday off and enjoy it."
Bradtmueller had plenty to say about his teammates which piled up a seventh-place finish with 213 points. St. Thomas Aquinas won it with 90.
"I love these guys, they're a great team," Bradtmueller said. "Brady Hill, he surprises me every day at the way he steps up."
Hill was 15th overall in 16:22.45. St. Thomas didn't place a runner in the top 15, lead runner Sean Breslin taking 17th overall in 16:26.69. Yet, a cluster at 32nd through 34th clinched it. Ivan Donaher, Darian Adriano and Antonio Martinez bunched it up between 16:46.10 and 16:48.99 in the last three scoring slots.
(Photo by Andy Warrener)
