Week Three of the 2026 Florida cross country season delivered a new state-leading performance, three sub-18-minute efforts, with all of the Florida Top 10 girls finishing under 18:29.00.
IMG Academy's Emma Balaban led the way with a 17:14.10 at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge. Arabella Duffell of Lake Nona HS and Madison Muller of Sarasota Riverview also broke 18 minutes, while only 0.21 seconds separated the runners ranked eighth through 10th.
Here are Florida's top 10 girls' 5K performances from Week Three.
1. Emma Balaban, IMG Academy - 17:14.10
Junior Emma Balaban raced to the top of Florida's season rankings with a 17:14.10 performance at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge. Balaban's time was 24.39 seconds faster than the next-best performance of Week Three and lowered the previous state-leading mark of 17:33.10 established by Madison Muller during Week Two.
Arabella Duffell continued her impressive start to the season by running 17:38.49 at the St. Cloud XC Invite. The Lake Nona junior improved by more than 14 seconds from her Week One performance of 17:53.00 at the Cecil Field Summer Classic. Her St. Cloud effort was the second-fastest girls' time in Florida during Week Three.
3. Madison Muller, Sarasota Riverview - 17:52.59
Junior Madison Muller recorded her second consecutive sub-18-minute performance at the Inaugural Wellen Park XC Invite. The Sarasota Riverview junior stopped the clock at 17:52.59 after opening her season with a state-leading 17:33.10 during Week Two. She remains one of Florida's most consistent early-season performers.
Sydney Johnson came within one second of joining the week's sub-18-minute group. The IMG junior recorded an 18:01.00 at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge, giving IMG two of Florida's four fastest performances of Week Three.
Natalia Gaona-Zelaya continued her strong undefeated opening to the season with an 18:03.76 at the 13th Florida Horse Park Invitational. The Wiregrass Ranch senior improved upon the 18:08.90 she ran to win at Whispering Pines during Week Two. Her latest performance placed her fifth in the Week Three rankings.
Freshman Rashida Reinhardt became the third IMG Academy runner to earn a place inside the statewide top six. Reinhardt ran 18:16.10 at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge, joining Balaban and Johnson among Florida's leading Week Three performers.
7. Lyla Hallick, Ocala Vanguard - 18:22.48
Lyla Hallick delivered another top-10 statewide performance with an 18:22.48 at the Florida Horse Park Invitational. The Ocala Vanguard sophomore improved upon her Week Two time of 18:25.40 at Whispering Pines. She has now delivered three strong performances in the opening three weeks of the season.
8. Emma Wilkinson, Lakeland Christian - 18:28.28
Emma Wilkinson made a significant jump from Week Two, running 18:28.28 at the St. Cloud XC Invite. The Lakeland Christian junior improved by more than 29 seconds from the 18:57.62 she recorded at the Lake Region-George Whitmire Invitational.
Just three-hundredths of a second separated Annabella Tomasic from Wilkinson in the statewide rankings. The Bishop Moore sophomore opened her 2026 campaign, clocking 18:28.31 in a third-place finish at the Florida Horse Park Invitational, giving her the ninth-fastest girls' performance of Week Three.
10. Charlotte Roy, All Saints' Academy - 18:28.49
Eighth grader Charlotte Roy completed the statewide top 10 with an 18:28.49 at the St. Cloud XC Invite. Roy finished only 0.18 seconds behind Tomasic and 0.21 seconds behind Wilkinson in one of the tightest sections of the Week Three rankings.
5000 Meter Run
