Florida Girls Top 10 Subjective Rankings - Beyond the Clock

Florida Girls Top 10 Subjective Rankings - Beyond the Clock

The first two weeks of the FHSAA regular cross country season are in the books. Here is a subjective and objective look at the Top 10 girls in the state at this time, based on the first two weeks (August 21-29).

The MileSplit subjective rankings only include athletes who have completed a 5K during the 2026 season. The order considers current performances, wins, head-to-head competitions, field strength, consistency, previous championship results, and course differences. Official times are not replaced by speculative converted marks. It's not only about "Who has run the fastest time?", but "Who is the best runner in Florida right now?"

MileSplit Florida Girls Top 10 Subjective Rankings

1. Madison Muller, Sarasota Riverview

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 1 - 17:33.10, 4A No. 1  4A No. 1

Muller has earned the first position. The defending Class 4A state champion (17:37.70) opened with a state-leading 17:33.10 at the North Port Preserve Pursuit and won by more than 1 minute, 40 seconds. Muller dominated the field and ran faster than every other Florida girl has run this season. She has a PR of 15:50.40 on the arguably fast North Port course at last year's regionals. The two courses are not the same, however. The Preserve race was run at Hebron Creek Middle School.

2. Arabella Duffell, Lake Nona

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 3 - 17:53.00, 4A No. 2

Duffell owns the most impressive head-to-head victory of the young season. Her 17:53.00 at the Cecil Field Summer Classic came against one of Florida's deepest early-season fields.

She defeated Avery Hartley, Katelin Wilcox and Lyla Hallick while becoming one of only three Florida girls to break 18 minutes. Muller has the faster time, but Duffell has the best victory.

3. Natalia Gaona-Zelaya, Wiregrass Ranch

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 4 - 18:08.90, 4A No. 3

No leading Florida runner has built a deeper 2026 résumé through the first two weeks. She has won twice, taking the Ragin' Storm XC Challenge (18:40.30) before running 18:08.90 at Whispering Pines. Her latest victory came over Hallick, Vincent, Summers and several other highly ranked runners.

Her combination of consistency, victories and head-to-head success earns a place in the top three.

She was 3rd in the 4A state finals in 2025 (18:06.90) and has a PR of 17:16.80 from the Region 3 finals last season.

4. Emma Balaban, IMG Academy

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 2 - 17:40.41

Balaban cannot be overlooked in a discussion of rankings. She has the second-fastest time in Florida.

The IMG Academy junior won the Pace Yourself Early Bird Challenge in 17:40.41. She has not yet faced the same depth of competition as Duffell or Gaona-Zelaya, but her performance deserves Top-5 recognition, especially in light of her North Carolina resume.  The recent IMG transfer was 2nd in the CHSAA State Championships in 2025 with a 17:28.69 and has a PR of 17:17.69, which came in a 4th-place finish at the New Balance RunningLane XC Championships last season.

IMG does not participate in the FHSAA State series, so she does not have a classification ranking.

5. Avery Hartley, Bartram Trail

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 5 - 18:13.00, 4A No. 4

Hartley finished second to Duffell at Cecil Field in 18:13.00. She also entered the season with one of Florida's strongest returning résumés after placing second in Class 4A last November (18:00.30). She has a PR of 17:52.64 run in her regionals last fall.

She was runner-up at Cecil Field to Arabella Duffell, and she remains one of the state leaders.

6. Lyla Hallick, Ocala Vanguard

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 6 - 18:25.40, 3A No. 1

Hallick has produced two strong performances against quality competition.

She placed fourth at Cecil Field in 18:37.00 and returned eight days later to run 18:25.40 at Whispering Pines, finishing second to Gaona-Zelaya while defeating Vincent and Summers.

She was 20th in last year's 4A state finals (19:14.40) - Ocala Forest, and her improvement and consistency make her one of the season's biggest early movers.

7. Katherine Eudaly, Plant

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 12 - 18:40.20, 4A No. 6

Eudaly's official season best ranks 12th in Florida, but her résumé is stronger than that number suggests.

She has won both of her races, taking the Jim Ryun FCA Invitational in 19:00.86 before winning the Western Hillsborough meet by more than 90 seconds (18:40.20). Two decisive victories on two different courses put her in the early top 10 rankings.  

She was 13th in the 4A State finals last season with a 18:57.40. She has proven she can consistently run sub-18:00.

8. Katelin Wilcox, East Lake

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 11 - 18:35.00, 3A No. 3

Wilcox placed third at Cecil Field in 18:35.00, defeating Hallick by two seconds in their only head-to-head meeting.

Hallick's subsequent 18:25.40 gives her the stronger overall start in the early season, but Wilcox's Cecil Field performance and her proven résumé put the East Lake senior firmly among Florida's leading runners.

She was 19th in the 3A state finals in 2025 and has a PR of 17:41.40 in a fifth-place finish in the Region 3 championships last season.

9. Lydia Vincent, Zephyrhills

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 10 - 18:34.10, 3A No. 2

Vincent ran 18:40.70 at Lecanto and 18:34.10 at Whispering Pines, giving her two of the most consistent performances in the state in the first two weeks of the season.

She finished behind Gaona-Zelaya and Hallick at Whispering Pines but placed ahead of Mary Summers, giving her the No. 9 nod over Summers at this time.

10. Mary Summers, Seven Rivers Christian

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 9 - 18:32.90, 1A No. 1

Summers remains Florida's top-ranked small-school runner.

The sophomore won the Lecanto Invitational in 18:32.90 and followed with an 18:39 4th-place performance at Whispering Pines. Although Vincent defeated her in their first head-to-head meeting, Summers has two strong races and another victory on her early-season résumé.

She was the 1A State champion in 2024 with a 17:58.40 and was 3rd last fall with an 18:27.90. He has a PR of 17:37.00, set in a 4th-place finish at the New World Fall Spectacular in 2025.

Just Outside The Top 10

Eva McMenemy-Hoang - MileSplit No. 7 (18:29.80) McMenemy-Hoang owns the seventh-fastest time in Florida after winning the Wickham Jamboree.

Selah Vignier - MileSplit No. 8 (18:32.00) The defending Class 2A state champion has the eighth-fastest time in the state. She is currently ranked 2A No. 1; however, she has not run as fast as her opener despite winning the Kowboy XC Invitational (19:06.10) and finishing 8th at Cecil Field (18:55.00).

Emma-Claire Tanenbaum - MileSplit No. 13 (18:48.00) Tanenbaum opened her season with a sixth-place finish against a deep field at the Cecil Field Summer Classic.

Elise Brown - MileSplit No. 14 (18:50.00) Brown finished immediately behind Tanenbaum at Cecil Field and remains within striking distance of the Top 10.

Emma Poekert - MileSplit No. 15 (18:52.10) Poekert recorded her season best at Whispering Pines, placing fifth against one of Florida's strongest early-season fields.

Allison Austin - MileSplit No. 16 (18:56.00) Austin placed ninth at Cecil Field and is one of several talented freshmen already ranked among Florida's fastest runners.

Eva Delaney - MileSplit No. 17 (18:57.00) Delaney finished 10th at Cecil Field and remains another strong candidate to climb the rankings.

Emma Wilkinson - MileSplit No. 18 (18:57.62) Wilkinson won the Lake Region-George Whitmire Invitational and has collected two victories during the opening weeks of the season, including the Ragin' Storm XC Challenge. (19:37.20).

Annabella Tomasic, Lainee Mercer, Kate Brice, Alba Antunez-Perez and several other proven runners do not currently have a 2026 MileSplit 5K ranking. They will become eligible for the subjective rankings after recording their first official 5K performances of the season.