The Avery Creek Running Club (Trinity Prep) extended their post-season and made history in the process. Running at the Nike Cross Nationals Southeast Regional, the group became the fourth team ever to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon after a runner-up finish with 191 points. If you want a close call the team battle for that spot was as close as they come, edging out the third and fourth place teams by five and six points respectively!
The group jumped up front early positioning themselves in second place through 2k with senior Chas Cook (2A Cross Country Finals champion) and junior teammate Trent Mandato in 23rd and 25th respectively. The duo would remain just four seconds apart all the way to the finish crossing the line in a pair of personal bests 15:34.10 for Mandato (12th) and 15:38.40 (15th). A 15:56.10 (sub 16) team average and 1-5 spread of 58 seconds against some of the top teams from the Southeast, not too bad! Check out Mandato (left) and Cook's (right) reaction after they found out they were headed to NXN!
Former Trinity Prep standout Steve Curley (c/o 2005) who went onto run at Villanova University took to Facebook to show his appreciation for his alma mater saying, "A shout-out to Coach Vinal (aka, "Chappy") and the Trinity Prep boys XC team for being the smallest school to ever qualify for Nike Team Nationals in Oregon! There is nothing stronger than a team, a brotherhood, a united stride. Continue to pave the road for the generations that will come after you." #oneteamonestride #TPSXC #strengthandhonor
Watch Avery Creek Running Club (Trinity Prep) Post-Race Interview
Park XC Club (Winter Park) sophomore Rafaella Gibbons was clearly disappointed after finishing 5th in 18:41 at the 4A Cross Country Finals and not defending her title. So, what did she do? Went right back to work. Gibbons and her Park XC Club teammates teamed up with Avery Creek Running Club (Trinity Prep) for a 3200m postal run where she ran a blistering 10:27.00. Coach McWilliams knew she was in shape to run low 17 after that. The super soph sat in 5th place at the 2k mark with four other Florida girls in the top 25. She then worked her way up to third where she crosse the line in a new personal best time of 17:20, beating her time of 17:39.40 last year by nearly twenty seconds and improving by three places!
Including Gibbons, four other runners finished in the top 15. Caitlyn Collier of Bulldog XC Club (Bolles) was 7th, 3A state champion Brittany Gill of Dillard added to her stock as a senior with a 9th place finish and PR of 17:45.80. Hannah Brookover and Krissy Gear finished in near identical times in 15th and 16th at 18:14.60 and 18:14.90 respectively.
Watch Girls Championship Race
Watch Rafaella Gibbons Post-Race Interview
Bulldog XC Club (Bolles School) the 2A Cross Country Finals team champions improved on their 7th place showing from 2014, just missing out on a berth with a third place finish. Sophomore Caitlyn Collier, who had a heartbreaking state meet falling short meters before the finish and coming in second, set a new personal best time of 17:41.8 but was the 7th individual overall, with the top five heading to Portland. Gibbon's and her Park XC Club (Winter Park) teammates were 7th. Bolles Coach Tony Ryan says this was by far the most successful group he's had at any race.
"What a great way to finally close out the 2015 Cross Country Season, with a 3rd place finish at the Nike Southeast Region in Cary, North Carolina last Saturday (that's twelve Southern/Eastern states plus DC, from Delaware down to Florida!) We were only beaten by two Virginia teams and only one place away from going to the Nike National meet in Oregon, easily the best Bolles girls CC performance ever, with a new school record of 17:41, four girls under 19:00, and a team average of 18:38 (fastest ever in school history). I'm very proud of all of these girls (Varsity & JV) and of all the hard work they have put in and the sacrifices that they have made to get to this level. We can now look forward to some time off, enjoying the holidays, and then slowly building back up again for a great 2016 track season."
Other Florida Highlights:
- Bulldogs XC Club (Bolles) junior Aoife O' Riordan finished 19th in the girls open race with a time of 20:02.50. O'Riordan was Florida's top finisher. Bulldogs XC Club placed 9th out of 14 teams.
- Avery Creek Running Club's Jacob Goldberg (Trinity Prep) was 18th in the boys open race with a time of 16:44.80. Avery Creek was 15th out of 29 teams in the field.
- More love for Avery Creek Running Club! Trinity Prep alumni Sam Goldberg whose brother Jacob was 18th in the open race, competed in the community 5k and finished 2nd in 16:31.70. Fellow TP alum Sam Millson whose brother Jesse competed with the club in the championship race, was 18th in 18:25.70!