FHSAA 2A Girls State XC Race Preview

FHSAA State Finals
Mark Stonecipher


WATCH LIVE: FHSAA State XC Championships


2A girls race preview for the 2023 FHSAA State XC Championships on Saturday, November 16th at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.


Team Favorite:  Bishop Kenny

The rivalry for the two Jacksonville teams is one of the best in XC.  The Bolles girls have 14 FHSAA team titles.  The Bishop Kenny girls have 9.  Bolles was the 2022 team champ and last year Bishop Kenny took the title.    In the 2A Region 1 race, the Bishop Kenny girls came out on top with a score of 32.  Bolles was runner-up with 56.  And, the Episcopal School of Jacksonville was 3rd with 79.  The three team will go at it again this weekend, but Kenny may have the edge this season.  The Bishop Kenny girls are led by the #8-10 ranked  2A girls in the state.  Sr. Stephanie Grden is #8 ranked, Sr. Tessa Massa is #9, and Jr. Alexis Wilson is #10.  The trio has less than a 15 second spread.  Their #4 girl, So. Taylor Lawhon is on the verge of going sub-19 and the #5 scorer is another So. Jillian Jakab. Grden, Massa, Wilson and Lawhon all return from last years team.  Rounding out this years team are Jr. Olivia Lumpkin and Fr. Emily McEnany.

The Bolles girls will always challenge, but this year, considering the experience of the Kenny girls and the approximately 14 second difference in the teams' average times, 18:55.28 for Kenny and 19:09.92 for Bolles, the Bishop Kenny girls should win their 10th team title.

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Team Contenders:  Bolles HS, Episcopal School of  Jacksonville


Individual Favorite:  Margaret Bartlow (North Bay Haven)

Sr. Margaret Bartlow of North Bay Haven is the #1 ranked 2A girl in Florida.  She has lost once this season in 7 races with that coming at the New World Fall Spectacular when she was 2nd to Mackenzie Roy of Spruce Creek, the #1 ranked girl in all Divisions is Florida.  In that race Roy ran her state leading 17:01.00 with Bartlow running 17:19.00.  Bartlow was 4th last year and the two girls who beat her at state last year will be a challenge.  


Individual Contenders:  Mackenzie De Lisle (Bishop Verot), Annabella Tomasic (Lake Highland Prep), Jazlyn Forbes (Oasis), Grace Aldrich (Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart)

Last years runner-up, Sr. Mackenzie De Lisle of Bishop Verot won both her District and Regional and has run 17:33.50.  She is the #2 ranked 1A girl.  


Last year state champion was 8th grader Annabella Tomasic.  She was the best girl in Florida last year.  Tomasic was plagued by an injury in track season and  has a 17:40.00 to her credit this XC season.  She has won 5 of her 7 races this season with a 2nd at the 25th FLRUNNERS.COM and a 3rd at the Cecil Field summer Classic.


Two other girl's in 1A have run sub-18:00 this season.  Oasis Jr. Jazlyn Forbes is the #3 ranked girl in 1A with a 17:40.  She was 6th last year at state and Jr. Grace Aldrich of the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart was 5th last year and has run 17:57.00 this year.