Natalia Gaona-Zelaya remained undefeated through her first three races of the season, winning the Florida Horse Park girls' race in 18:03.77.
Photo Credit: M. Stonecipher
Week Three Fireworks: Florida's Early Weekend XC Highlights
From the Florida Horse Park Invitational to the IMGA XC Summit Challenge and St. Cloud XC Invitational, many of Florida's top runners continued to make major early-season statements.
Mantecon Opens With Florida Horse Park Victory
Marcelo Mantecon opened his senior season by leading a Belen Jesuit sweep of the top two spots at the Florida Horse Park Invitational. Mantecon crossed the line in 15:22.04, edging Belen Jesuit teammate Armando Cruz, who finished second in 15:24.35.
Quentin Thompson of Lake Minneola placed third in 15:46.78, while sophomore Douglas Seth of Flagler Palm Coast was with a fourth-place time of 15:52.65.
Seven boys broke 16 minutes in a deep early-season race.
Gaona-Zelaya Remains Perfect
Natalia Gaona-Zelaya remained undefeated through her first three races of the season, winning the Florida Horse Park girls' race in 18:03.77. The Wiregrass Ranch senior has steadily lowered her time in each appearance, improving from 18:40.30 at the Ragin' Storm XC Challenge to 18:08.90 at Whispering Pines before Saturday's win.
Lyla Hallick of Ocala Vanguard continued the impressive start to her sophomore season, placing second in 18:22.48.
Bishop Moore sophomore Annabella Tomasic, two-time state champion and one of Florida's leading returners, began her 2026 season with a third-place performance of 18:28.31.
Rodbro Delivers Florida's First Sub-15
The biggest performance of the weekend came at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge.
IMG Academy junior Fletcher Rodbro became Florida's first boy to break 15 minutes during the 2026 season, winning in 14:54.00. The run moved Rodbro into the No. 1 position in the Florida boys 5K rankings and immediately established him as one of the state's leading runners as we head into the heart of the season.
Balaban Continues to Lead the State
Junior Emma Balaban of IMG Academy continued her outstanding start to 2026 with a personal-best 17:14.10. Her second win of the season solidified her No. 1 Florida girls' 5K ranking.
IMG teammate Sydney Johnson finished second in 18:01, moving into the No. 4 position in the state rankings.
With Rodbro and Balaban both producing state-leading performances, IMG Academy emerged from the weekend with Florida's fastest boy and girl through the first three weeks.
Duffell Runs PR At St. Cloud
Arabella Duffell followed her season-opening victory at the Cecil Field Summer Classic with another win at the St. Cloud XC Invitational. The Lake Nona junior recorded a personal-best 17:38.49, strengthening her hold on the No. 3 position in Florida. Duffell has now won each of her first two races of the season and has already lowered her 5K best by more than 14 seconds.
Rivera And Harris Race To Top-10 Times
The St. Cloud boys race produced one of the weekend's closest finishes. St. Cloud senior Luis Rivera defended his home course with a winning time of 15:43.41. His performance moved him into the No. 9 position in Florida.
Gabriel Harris of Lake Wales finished just three-tenths of a second behind him in 15:43.72, moving him to No. 10 in the state rankings.
With additional results still arriving, Florida's third weekend has already reshaped the state leaderboard and produced several performances that could have implications well beyond the opening weeks of the season.