The Florida middle school cross country season is off to a strong start, with many of the state's top runners delivering fast performances in their openers.
While there have been several races, the two largest by far were the Cecil Field Summer Classic and the Jim Ryun Invitational. At Cecil Field, the runners ran 2400m. At the Jim Ryun Invitational, run on the home course for the MS State meet, Holloway Park, the runners ran the standard middle school distance of 3000m. While there is no standard conversion from the 2400m distance to the 3000m distance, here are the Top 20 Girls and Boys rankings that use an equal pace for comparison. It would not account for an athlete slowing down the final 800m. It does, however, give us a glimpse of who the top middle school boys and girls are in the first week of the season.
Colette Heffernan, running for Landrum Middle School as a 6th grader, placed third in the Public School division of the 2025 FLYRA MS State Cross Country Championships.
Photo Credit: Dave Tibbetts
Combined Girls' Top 20 3000-Meter Rankings
For clarity, the table converts the 2400m times to 3000,, using a multiplier of 1.25. An equal-pace conversion is useful for comparison, but it does not account for the athlete slowing over the additional 800 meters. *athletes classes are incorrect on their profiles.
| Rank | Athlete | Team | Class | Distance | Actual Time | 3K Ranking Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colette Heffernan | No Excuses RC | 2032 | 2400m | 8:51.00 | 11:03.75 |
| 2 | Alice Ilea | Red Sea Running Club | 2031 | 3000m | 11:05.87 | 11:05.87 |
| 3 | Brianna Motycka | Liberty Pines Academy | 2031 | 3000m | 11:07.17 | 11:07.17 |
| 4 | Emily Del Mazo | WIND Runners | 2032 | 3000m | 11:27.25 | 11:27.25 |
| 5 | Amelia Flood | No Excuses RC | 2031 | 2400m | 9:23.00 | 11:43.75 |
| 6 | Bailey Eggleston | Hillsborough Harriers | 2020* | 3000m | 11:53.78 | 11:53.78 |
| 7 | Olivia Power | Christ Classical Academy | 2032 | 3000m | 12:02.40 | 12:02.40 |
| 8 | Arielle Gorlovetzky | Boca Warriors Track Club | 2020* | 3000m | 12:06.31 | 12:06.31 |
| 9 | Kayla Santos | Red Sea Running Club | 2031 | 3000m | 12:11.33 | 12:11.33 |
| 10 | Layne Schiebel | Httr Tornadoes | 2032 | 3000m | 12:15.66 | 12:15.66 |
| 11 | Lilliana Gutfreind | Red Sea Running Club | 2031 | 3000m | 12:18.42 | 12:18.42 |
| 12 | Madelen Finch | No Excuses RC | 2032 | 2400m | 10:00.00 | 12:30.00 |
| 13 | Natalie Trimble | Montford Middle School | 2031 | 3000m | 12:33.30 | 12:33.30 |
| 14 | Reagan Harder | Jacksonville Classical Academy | 2032 | 2400m | 10:16.00 | 12:50.00 |
| 15 | Amaya Mader | No Excuses RC | 2032 | 2400m | 10:23.00 | 12:58.75 |
| 16 | Piper Austin | No Excuses RC | 2032 | 2400m | 10:25.00 | 13:01.25 |
| 17 | Payton Carpenter | Oakleaf Junior High School | 2032 | 2400m | 10:43.00 | 13:23.75 |
| 18 | Peyton Akins | No Excuses RC | -* | 2400m | 10:47.00 | 13:28.75 |
| 19 | Jayne McCarthy | Cornerstone Classical Academy | 2032 | 2400m | 10:52.00 | 13:35.00 |
| 20 | Reese McGovern | Ocala Distance Project | 2032 | 2400m | 10:55.00 | 13:38.75 |
Girls Top 10 2400 Meter Run
| Rank | Time | Athlete/Team | Grade | Meet Date Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:51.00 | No Excuses RC | 2032 | |
| 2 | 9:23.00 | No Excuses RC | 2031 | |
| 3 | 10:00.00 | No Excuses RC | 2032 | |
| 4 | 10:16.00 | Jacksonville Classical Academy | 2032 | |
| 5 | 10:23.00 | No Excuses RC | 2032 | |
| 6 | 10:25.00 | No Excuses RC | 2032 | |
| 7 | 10:43.00 | Oakleaf Junior High School | 2032 | |
| 8 | 10:47.00 | No Excuses RC | 0* | |
| 9 | 10:52.00 | Cornerstone Classical Academy | 2032 | |
| 10 | 10:55.00 | Ocala Distance Project | 2032 | Cecil Field Summer Classic 10th F |
Girls Top 10 3000 Meter Run
| Rank | Time | Athlete/Team | Grade | Meet Date Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:05.87 | Red Sea Running Club | 2031 | |
| 2 | 11:07.17 | Liberty Pines Academy | 2031 | |
| 3 | 11:27.25 | WIND Runners | 2032 | |
| 4 | 11:53.78 | Hillsborough Harriers | 2020* | |
| 5 | 12:02.40 | Christ Classical Academy | 2032 | Dueling Summits 1st F |
| 6 | 12:06.31 | Boca Warriors Track Club | 2020* | |
| 7 | 12:11.33 | Red Sea Running Club | 2031 | |
| 8 | 12:15.66 | Httr Tornadoes | 2032 | |
| 9 | 12:18.42 | Red Sea Running Club | 2031 | |
| 10 | 12:33.30 | Montford Middle School | 2031 | Wolves Run 1st F |