The Ultimate GOAT Debate: Ranking Florida's 20 Greatest High School Cross Country Runners of All Time

How do you compare Ashley Brasovan to Patrick Koon? Jennifer Simpson to Marcelo Mantecon? Or pioneers like Betty Jo Springs and Brian Jaeger to today's record-breakers? It's a tough debate, especially in Florida cross country history, with so many talented runners over the years.

Last week, we ranked the Top 10 boys and Top 10 girls in state history based on their high school cross country résumés. But there is one question that naturally follows:

Who would rank as the greatest Florida cross country runner of all time, regardless of gender?

Cross country has always been about much more than time. Courses have changed. Distances have evolved from 1.5, 2, and 3 miles to today's standard 5K. Championship venues have shifted from Little Everglades Ranch to Apalachee Regional Park. Shoe technology has been helping to transform the sport. National championship opportunities have evolved from Kinney Nationals to Foot Locker, Nike Cross Nationals, Brooks XC, and Eastbay.

That's why this ranking isn't based on PR's or time. We left gender out of it. Rather than simply comparing personal records, we weighted accomplishments that have traditionally defined greatness in cross country.

Instead, evaluating each athlete using five criteria:

• State Championships - Winning mattered. The biggest emphasis was placed on winning state championships

• National Championship Performances - National success mattered.

• Peak Performances 

• Championship, State Meet Dominance

• Historical Impact on Florida Cross Country - Changing the sport's history mattered.

With that in mind, here's the combined list of the 20 greatest high school cross country runners Florida has ever produced, regardless of gender.

1. Ashley Brasovan (Wellington) 2009

The GOAT

There simply isn't another résumé quite like Ashley Brasovan's. A four-time 4A State Champion and the only Florida girl ever to win Foot Locker Nationals, Brasovan also returned the following season to finish runner-up against the nation's best. Her 16:41 personal best was decades ahead of its time. She delivered when championships mattered the most.

2. Patrick Koon (Leon)2024

Patrick Koon owns perhaps the most complete boys' résumé Florida has ever seen to date. Three consecutive state championships. Foot Locker South Regional Champion. 15th at Foot Locker Nationals. FHSAA State Meet Record Holder. He combined consistency with championship excellence better than anyone in modern boys' history.

3. Jennifer (Barringer) Simpson (Oviedo) 2005

Before becoming an Olympic medalist and World Champion on the track, Jennifer Simpson was already one of America's premier high school cross country runners. She won three straight state championships while finishing third and tenth at Foot Locker Nationals. Her national résumé in XC remains one of the strongest ever produced by a Florida athlete.

4. Marcelo Mantecon (Belen Jesuit) 2027

No Florida athlete has ever run faster. Mantecon's 14:33 Florida state record may stand for years, and his fourth-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals and runner-up finish at Brooks XC represent one of the greatest national seasons in Florida history. The only thing keeping him from the top spot, for now, is championships. With two state titles already and another season remaining, Mantecon has a realistic opportunity to become the undisputed Florida boys GOAT.

5. Rheinhardt Harrison (Nease) 2022

Three consecutive state championships. AAU National Champion. 14:45 personal best. For three seasons, Harrison controlled Florida and proved he could win on the national stage as well. It's hard not to consider his sub-4-mile on the track, but we are looking only at XC resumes.

6. Caroline Wells (Winter Springs) 2022

If this list were based strictly on talent or speed, Caroline Wells might rank even higher. She owns Florida's all-time girls 5K record at 16:40.20 and became an Eastbay Nationals All-American after a dominant senior season. Her two state titles don't fully capture just how dominant she was during her peak.

7. Matt Mizereck (Leon) 2010

Another Leon legend. Three consecutive state championships. Foot Locker Top 10. 14:51 personal best. Mizereck's consistency across four seasons cemented his place among Florida's all-time elite.

8. Betty Jo Springs (Bayshore) 1979

Every sport has pioneers. Florida cross country has Betty Jo Springs. Long before national championships and 5K courses existed, Springs won four consecutive state titles and helped establish girls' cross country in Florida. Her influence extends far beyond statistics.

9. Kayla Hale (Holy Trinity) 2009

Four consecutive state championships. Three Foot Locker National appearances. Few athletes displayed Hale's consistency over an entire high school career. While Brasovan dominated 4A, Hale quietly dominated the 1A small-school classification.

10. Brian Atkinson (Melbourne) 2010

Three state championships. NXN Southeast Regional Champion. Top-25 Foot Locker National finisher. Atkinson consistently delivered when championships were on the line.

11. Tsion Yared (Pine Crest) 2020

Yared's résumé is unique. She won her first state championship as a seventh-grader, then added three more in high school. Four championships and three NXN appearances make her one of the most accomplished runners Florida has ever produced.

12. William Convey (Ransom Everglades)

Comparing the three-mile era with today's 5K era isn't easy. But dominance always translates. Convey won three straight championships while ruling Florida during the early 1980s and remains one of the defining runners from cross country's formative years.

13. Caroline Annis (Plant) 1998

Four consecutive championships. Two Foot Locker appearances. Annis quietly assembled one of the most complete careers in Florida history during the 1990s.

14. Christa Benton (Keswick Christian) 2001

Three championships. One runner-up finish. Foot Locker All-American. Benton narrowly missed becoming a four-time champion while proving she belonged among the nation's elite.

15. Brian Jaeger (Winter Park) 1983

Few athletes were further ahead of their era. Jaeger owned one of Florida's fastest three-mile performances ever and finished sixth nationally at Kinney Championships. His raw ability would translate in any generation.

16. Bridget Blake (Dr. Phillips) 2013

Three straight state championships. Foot Locker All-American. Blake consistently saved her best racing for the championships in November.

17. Bailey Hertenstein (Newsome) 2018

Three consecutive championships. Long winning streaks. She understood how to race and how to win. 

18. Sukhi Khosla (Leon) 2015

Leon has produced no shortage of distance legends. Khosla added another chapter with two championships, excellent speed, and an NXN Southeast runner-up finish.

19. Charles Hicks (Bolles) 2019

Perhaps no athlete on this list is as low and has a stronger national résumé. Two state championships. NXN Southeast Champion. Two Top-15 finishes at Nike Cross Nationals. Hick's is well deserving to be on the list.

20. Rolf Steier (Berkeley Prep) 2002

Steier dominated during one of Florida cross country's biggest transitions as courses evolved from three miles to 5K. Three championships across eras marked by change secured his place among Florida's greatest.

The Debate Isn't Over

Ask ten longtime Florida distance coaches to rank these athletes, and you'll probably receive ten different lists. Some will argue that national success should outweigh state championships. Others will insist four state titles should always trump faster times. And there may never be a consensus on how to compare today's era with the pioneers of the 1970s and 1980s. One thing, however, is undeniable. Florida has produced some of the greatest high school cross country runners in US history.

Whether your GOAT is Ashley Brasovan, Patrick Koon, Jennifer Simpson, or perhaps a future version of Marcelo Mantecon, this collection of legends represents nearly five decades of excellence and tells the story of a state that has become and continues to be one of the nation's true distance-running powerhouses.

Here is what a combined ranking may look like.

The gun goes off, with everyone wanting to get out fast, and nobody wanting to give up position.

Brian Jaeger, William Convey, Betty Jo Springs, and Ashley Brasovan waste no time asserting themselves. Everyone in the field is fearless, and the pioneers understand championship racing. They are in it. 

A lead pack develops with Patrick Koon settling comfortably in and never more than a stride behind the leaders.

Marcelo Mantecon does exactly what everyone expected-he refuses to panic and settles in just off of Koon's shoulder. They are both content to let others dictate the opening pace.

Caroline Wells, Jennifer Simpson, and Rheinhardt Harrison are tucked in the lead group as well.

They go through the first 1K with everyone comfortable and settling in. The pace at this point isn't fast enough to break anyone.

The First Mile

By the mile mark, the field has already been reduced from twenty to twelve, with the leaders beginning to exert their control as they see who is up front.

Brian Atkinson and Charles Hicks are just behind the leaders, a few meters, but still in contact. They are comfortable and waiting to avoid any surges. Kayla Hale and Tsion Yared quietly maintain contact, refusing to lose contact with the leaders.

Behind them, Bridget Blake, Christa Benton, Caroline Annis, Sukhi Khosla, Matt Mizereck, Bailey Hertenstein, and Rolf Steier form a second chase pack just seconds back.

The Two Mile

It's still anyone's race, but the pace, while not crazy fast, is starting to be felt. It's a mentally rough group of champions as they all press up the "Wall" for the first time, head to the long straightaway and slight downhill.  They can see the finish off to their left. Patrick Koon and Marcelo Mantecon use the downhill to gather themselves and start to press the pace as they move slightly uphill to the 2-mile mark. They open up about a 10m lead. Now the race begins.

Patrick Koon moves first. Not a sprint. Just an unmistakable increase in rhythm. Matecon and Braovan, Simpson, Well and Harrison all respond immediately. Matt Mizereck recognizes the surge and fights desperately to bridge the gap, and Charles Hicks and Brian Atkinson refuse to fade. The second pack begins to fade and lose contact with the leaders.

The Last Mile

With just over 800m to go, Marcelo Mantecon, who has been patient, moves from just behind Patrcik Koon, accelerating and surging to the lead. It's a definitive move, and Koon, Brasovan, and Simpson, expecting the move, all answer. The race is on with the four legends all remaining together. They all desperately fight up the Wall for the second time.  As they turn to the downhill straightaway toward the finish, Brasovan swings wide and takes the lead, but Koon Simpon and Mantecon dont relent. Simpson unleashes her trademark finishing strength, but Mantecon changes gear and starts to open a several-meter lead. No one wants to give up or surrender, but Mantecon's turnover is unmatched as he starts to pull away. The race is now for second.

Fantasy Finish