The 13th Florida Horse Park Invitational : A Virtual Preview

The virtual meet is based on current 2026 performances and this years entered teams. It does not account for course difficulty, racing conditions, or race-day strategies. A lot can happen in a meet, making virtual meets and projections a "best guess."  It all comes down to the individual performances at that meet on that day! 

Armando Cruz was second in last year's race.

Photo Credit: M. Stonecipher

Boys Individual Preview: Cruz Tops Virtual Meet

Armando Cruz of Belen Jesuit enters the Florida Horse Park Invitational at the top of the virtual meet individual rankings.

Cruz's 15:06.00 gives him a 10-second advantage over Lake Minneola's Quentin Thompson, the projected second-place finisher at 15:16.00. They are the only two runners in the field under 15:40 and begin the meet as the clear individual favorites. If Belen's Marcelo Mantecon uses the meet as his opener, he becomes the favorite.

Behind them, Belen Jesuit's Jack Michalak and Chiles' Jonathan Kiros share the No. 3 position at 15:47.00. Belen adds another top-five runner in Liam Salom, whose 15:54.00 gives Belen three of the top five projected finishers.

The next group is packed tightly. Only 10 seconds separate sixth-ranked JP Strombeck of Fleming Island and No. 16 Drew Sasson of Lake Minneola. That group includes Douglas Seth, Kevin Aguilar, Liam Ilea, Landon Watkins, Brantley Rigdon, Luke Ross, Martin Fernandez, Skylar Manatt and Jacob Kelly.

Lake Minneola joins Belen as one of the most visible teams near the front. Thompson leads the way, while Kelly and Sasson are projected 15th and 16th. Belen has four runners in the top 20, with Nicholas Veloso projected to close the group at 16:22.00.

Virtual Boys Top 20

Boys Team Preview: Virtual Meet Favors Belen Jesuit

Belen Jesuit enters the Florida Horse Park Invitational as the decisive favorite in the boys' virtual meet even without Marcelo Mantecon.

Belen may place four runners in the top 20 and five among the first 21 scorers. Armando Cruz leads the field, Jack Michalak is tied for third, Liam Salom is fifth, Nicholas Veloso is 20th, and Dominic de Armas completes the scoring at No. 21. They are deep and tend to run as a pack through the first mile. If Mantecon chooses to open, the team is even stronger. That lineup, without Mantecon, gives Belen a projected score of 50.5 points, a 15:54.40 average and a 1:17 spread. Belen holds a 113.5-point virtual advantage over second-place Bolles.

Bolles projects 11-23-37-43.5-49.5 for 164 points. Bolles lacks the front-runners, but their 56-second spread is the best among the virtual top five. That balance gives Bolles a narrow five-point advantage over Lake Minneola.

Lake Minneola owns the fastest projected average outside Belen at 16:23.00. Quentin Thompson is projected second, while Jacob Kelly and Drew Sasson are 15th and 16th. Their challenge is the gap to their fifth scorer at No. 114. Any improvement in that position could dramatically change the team race.

Flagler Palm Coast is projected fourth with 202 points, followed by Doral Academy with 215. Douglas Seth provides Flagler with a top 10 finisher, while Martin Fernandez leads Doral as a projected No. 13.

Virtual Boys Top Five Teams

Natalia Gaona-Zelaya did not run in last year's race, but is favored this year. Shown above at last year's FHSAA 4A Region 3 Championship.

Photo Credit: M. Stonecipher

Girls Individual Preview: Gaona-Zelaya Leads Virtual Field

Natalia Gaona-Zelaya of Wiregrass Ranch sits atop the Florida Horse Park Invitational girls virtual meet with an 18:08.90. She holds a 16.5-second advantage over Ocala Vanguard's Lyla Hallick, who is the projected runner-up at 18:25.40. The two are separated from the rest of the field by more than 20 seconds, creating a clear duel up front.

Chiles' Emma-Claire Tanenbaum is projected third at 18:48.00. She leads a tightly grouped chase pack that includes Emma Poekert, Eva Delaney and teammate Kaia Ables. Only 11 seconds separate Tanenbaum in third and Ables in sixth.

Creekside has four runners among the projected top 16. Delaney and Emma Godfrey are projected fifth and seventh, while Ivey Edgell and Hadleigh Roberts are 11th and 16th. Their positions will have a significant effect on the team placement.

Doral Academy also places two runners among the first 12 with Nicole Lewis and Madison Chin. Ocala Vanguard counters with Hallick and Cierra Mills among the top 13, while Chiles has two runners in the first six.

All 20 runners in the leading virtual group have marks under 19:40, with Ponte Vedra freshman Piper Ross holding the final position at 19:39.70.

Virtual Girls Top 20

Girls Team Preview: Creekside-Chiles Battle Tops Virtual Meet

On paper, the Florida Horse Park Invitational girls team championship appears to be a close race between Creekside and Chiles.

Creekside leads the virtual meet with 111 points, but Chiles sits only 12 points behind at 123. Both teams place multiple runners near the front, and each will depend on its fifth scorer to step up.

Creekside's first four runners are projected fifth, seventh, 11th, and 16th. That gives them four scorers across the line before Chiles' third runner. Creekside's fifth projected scorer is 72nd, creating a 2:32 spread.

Chiles has the stronger opening pair with Emma-Claire Tanenbaum third and Kaia Ables sixth. Its final three scorers project 32nd, 34th and 48th, giving Chiles a tighter 1:52 spread. If Chiles can move its middle three closer to Creekside's front four, the 12-point deficit could disappear quickly.

Doral Academy is projected third with 164 points. Nicole Lewis and Madison Chin give Doral two runners among the first 12, while its first four scorers are projected inside the top 50.

Our Lady of Lourdes Academy follows with 173.5 points and owns the smallest split among the top five at 1:45. Ocala Vanguard rounds out the group with 190 points. Lyla Hallick gives Vanguard the top projected low finisher among the five teams, but its fifth projected scorer sits at 96th.

Only 79 points separate the five teams, and just 26 points separate Doral, Lourdes and Vanguard in the battle for the final three positions. Anything can happen in cross country on any given day. 

Virtual Girls Top Five Teams