Florida State Rankings
Caroline Wells, Alyssa Hendrix, and Alyson Churchill had standout season openers this weekend in the 3200m. These three ladies made history with some of the best distance season openers the state has seen.
Sophomore Standout, Caroline Wells, Shocks With 10:33 at Carl Friedland
Wells, who leads the nation in the event right now, raced a 10:33 at the Carl Friedland Memorial -- nearly a 21 second PR from her 10:54 that she ran at the state meet last season. The young sophomore standout is proving herself each and every race after her kick to finish second at the 3A cross country state finals this past season.
Her 10:33 was over one minute ahead of the rest of the field at Carl Friedland, demonstrating that she knows how to push the pace alone.
If this is any indication of her strength heading into the season this year, we can expect to see the Winter Springs star dominate class 3A distance, putting pressure on some of our top front runners over the years.
Alyssa Hendrix Opens Season With Strong Double
Hendrix doubled at the George Jenkins Invitational this weekend, running a 10:40 3200m to start off the morning and following it up with a 5:04 1600m. Last season she ran a 10:55 and 5:12 at the same meet, indicating a strong year-over-year improvement.
She took home the cross country state title in the fall, but track will once again test her strength as a racer, competing against some major competition in class 4A.
These improvements look to indicate that the NC State signee will have a very strong senior campaign as she looks to defend her two distance state titles come May.
Alyson Churchill Comes Back To The 3200m Distance
Last season we only had the chance of seeing Churchill race the 3200m twice -- including an 11:03 at the Chiles Track and Field Relays and a 10:44 at FSU Relays. This year, she raced her way to a 10:40 win over a minute ahead of the field on her home turf at the Chiles Track and Field Relays. Already improving drastically year-over-year, Churchill is on her way to having her best season yet.
This past cross country season we watched Churchill tear it up on the cross country course, setting a new huge PR of 17:51 at the FSU Invitational. This season is looking to be just as epic and she'll have the competition to push her there.
It's been since 2017 since we've seen Churchill compete in the 3200m at the state meet where she finished second with a time of 10:42.82. Will we see her race the event during the state series? One thing is for sure, the FSU signee is looking very strong this early February.