Muller Holds No. 1 in Florida Girls' Week 3 Top 10
(Aug. 31-Sept.5)
The first three weeks of the Florida cross country season are behind us, and the next few weeks include in-state and out-of-state races that may further affect our Top 10 rankings. Week Three produced the fastest performance of the season, several significant head-to-head results, and a shakeup throughout the MileSplit Florida girls' subjective rankings.
Emma Balaban leads the objective state rankings with her 17:14.10, but Madison Muller holds the subjective No. 1 position based on her two dominant victories, her state championship résumé, and her previous head-to-head victory over Balaban.
Katherine Eudaly represents the biggest difference between the two lists. She ranks 19th by season-best time but moves to fifth in the subjective rankings after remaining undefeated in her first three races.
These rankings consider season-best times, complete-season résumés, recent performances, head-to-head results, course difficulty, and previous championship accomplishments.
MileSplit Florida Girls' Top 10 Subjective Rankings
| Rank | Athlete | School | MileSplit Rank by Time | Season Best | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison Muller | Sarasota Riverview | 2 | 17:33.10 | - |
| 2 | Emma Balaban | IMG Academy | 1 | 17:14.10 | ↑ 2 |
| 3 | Arabella Duffell | Lake Nona | 3 | 17:38.49 | ↓ 1 |
| 4 | Natalia Gaona-Zelaya | Wiregrass Ranch | 5 | 18:03.77 | ↓ 1 |
| 5 | Katherine Eudaly | Plant | 19 | 18:40.20 | ↑ 2 |
| 6 | Sydney Johnson | IMG Academy | 4 | 18:01.00 | NR |
| 7 | Avery Hartley | Bartram Trail | 6 | 18:13.00 | ↓ 2 |
| 8 | Katelin Wilcox | East Lake | T-16 | 18:35.00 | - |
| 9 | Lyla Hallick | Ocala Vanguard | 8 | 18:22.48 | ↓ 3 |
| 10 | Annabella Tomasic | Bishop Moore | 10 | 18:28.31 | NR |
NR - Not ranked in last week's Top 10.
1. Madison Muller, Sarasota Riverview
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 2 - 17:33.10, 4A No. 1
Muller has earned the first position. The defending Class 4A state champion opened her season with a 17:33.10 at the North Port Preserve Pursuit, winning by more than one minute and 40 seconds. She followed that performance by winning the inaugural Wellen Park Invitational in 17:52.60. She finished more than two minutes ahead of Sarasota's Annabella Cicilioni. She's impressively won both of her races.
Emma Balaban owns the faster 2026 time, but Muller has two dominant victories, the stronger FHSAA résumé, and a previous head-to-head victory over Balaban. She won the 2025 Class 4A state championship in 17:37.70 and owns a 16:50.40 personal best.
2. Emma Balaban, IMG Academy
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 1 - 17:14.10
Balaban produced the fastest performance of the Florida season at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge. The IMG Academy junior won in 17:14.10, finishing 47 seconds ahead of teammate Sydney Johnson. Nobody else in Florida has broken 17:30 this season, and Balaban is more than 19 seconds ahead of Muller in the objective rankings.
Balaban lowered her previous season best of 17:40.41 by more than 26 seconds. The recent IMG Academy transfer was second at the 2025 North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association state championship and fourth at the New Balance RunningLane XC Championships.
IMG Academy does not participate in the FHSAA state series, so Balaban has no classification ranking.
3. Arabella Duffell, Lake Nona
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 3 - 17:38.49, 4A No. 2
Duffell has two decisive victories and two performances under 17:55. The Lake Nona junior opened her season by winning the Cecil Field Summer Classic in 17:53.00, a field that included Hartley, Wilcox and Hallick. She improved to 17:38.49 at the St. Cloud XC Invitational, winning by approximately 50 seconds over Lakeland Christian's Emma Wilkinson. She has the fastest season best of any FHSAA runner other than Muller and has won both of her races by comfortable margins.
Duffell was ninth in the 2025 Class 4A state final and entered the season with a 17:52.70 personal best.
4. Natalia Gaona-Zelaya, Wiregrass Ranch
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 5 - 18:03.77, 4A No. 3
No leading Florida girl has built an undefeated, deeper 2026 résumé through the opening three weeks. Gaona-Zelaya has won three races, taking the Ragin' Storm XC Challenge in 18:40.30, Whispering Pines in 18:08.90, and the Florida Horse Park Invitational in 18:03.77. Her Horse Park victory came against one of the deepest fields of the season, where she defeated Hallick by nearly 19 seconds, defending Class 3A champion Tomasic by approximately 25 seconds, and Mercer by more than 36 seconds.
She placed third in the 2025 Class 4A state final in 18:06.90 and owns a 17:16.80 personal best from last season's regional championship.
5. Katherine Eudaly, Plant
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 19 - 18:40.20, 4A No. 6
Eudaly's official season best ranks 19th in Florida, but her résumé is much stronger than that number suggests. The Plant junior is undefeated through three races. She won the Jim Ryun FCA Invitational in 19:00.86, the Western Hillsborough meet in 18:40.20, and the Parker Valby Invitational in 18:48.70. Eudaly defeated Wilcox by approximately 49 seconds at Parker Valby. Three victories on three different courses give her one of the most complete résumés in Florida and move her up two positions.
She was 13th in the 2025 Class 4A state final in 18:57.40 and has proven she can run well under 18 minutes.
6. Sydney Johnson, IMG Academy
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 4 - 18:01.00
Johnson enters the subjective Top 10 after placing second at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge. The IMG Academy junior ran 18:01.00, a performance surpassed by only Balaban, Muller and Duffell this season. She finished behind Balaban but placed more than 15 seconds ahead of teammate Rashida Reinhardt. Johnson has not yet faced the same depth of competition as Gaona-Zelaya or Eudaly this season, but the fourth-fastest time in Florida earns her the No. 6 position.
IMG Academy does not participate in the FHSAA state series, so Johnson has no classification ranking.
7. Avery Hartley, Bartram Trail
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 6 - 18:13.00, 4A No. 4
Hartley finished second to Duffell at Cecil Field in 18:13.00. The Bartram Trail sophomore entered the season with one of Florida's strongest returning résumés after placing second in the 2025 Class 4A state final in 18:00.30. She owns a 17:52.64 personal best from last fall's regional championship.
Hartley has not raced since Cecil Field. Her season opener and championship résumé keep her seventh.
8. Katelin Wilcox, East Lake
Current MileSplit rank by time: Tied for No. 16 - 18:35.00, 3A No. 4
Wilcox placed third at Cecil Field in 18:35.00, defeating Hallick by two seconds in their only head-to-head meeting. The East Lake senior returned at the Parker Valby Invitational and placed second to Eudaly in 19:37.70. That performance was not as strong as her season opener, but her victory over Hallick remains an important part of her ranking.
Wilcox was 19th in the 2025 Class 4A state final and owns a 17:41.40 personal best from last season's regional championship. East Lake's move into Class 3A makes her one of the classification's leading contenders.
9. Lyla Hallick, Ocala Vanguard
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 8 - 18:22.48, 3A No. 1
Hallick has produced three strong performances and improved in every race. The Ocala Vanguard sophomore opened with an 18:37.00 at Cecil Field and improved to 18:25.40 while placing second to Gaona-Zelaya at Whispering Pines. Hallick lowered her season best again at the Florida Horse Park, running 18:22.48 and finishing second again to Gaona-Zelaya. She defeated defending 3A champion Tomasic, Mercer, and the rest of the 411-runner field.
Wilcox remains one position ahead because she defeated Hallick in their only head-to-head meeting. Hallick, however, has the stronger three-race body of work and is currently the fastest Class 3A runner by time.
10. Annabella Tomasic, Bishop Moore
Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 10 - 18:28.31, 3A No. 2
Tomasic earns the final position after placing third against a deep field at the Florida Horse Park Invitational. The defending Class 3A state champion ran 18:28.31 to open her 2026 campaign and led through the 1 1/2 mile mark, finishing behind Gaona-Zelaya and Hallick. She defeated Mercer and the remainder of the field while helping Bishop Moore win the team championship.
Tomasic has not yet approached the 17:35.50 she ran to win the 2025 Class 3A state championship or the 17:33.30 she recorded at last year's Florida Horse Park Invitational, but has her opener under her belt now. Her championship résumé and Top-3 finish against two other ranked runners give her the edge for the final position.
Just Outside The Top 10
Rashida Reinhardt - MileSplit No. 7 - (18:16.10)
Reinhardt is the first runner outside the Top 10 following an impressive high school debut. The IMG Academy freshman placed third at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge in 18:16.10, finishing 15 seconds behind Johnson and nearly 19 seconds ahead of teammate Brooklyn Brown.
She owns the seventh-fastest time in Florida, but Tomasic's championship résumé and performance against the deeper Florida Horse Park field give her the advantage for the final position. Reinhardt could quickly enter the Top 10 with another strong performance and more head-to-head competition.
IMG Academy does not participate in the FHSAA state series, so Reinhardt does not have a classification ranking.
Lydia Vincent - MileSplit No. 15 (18:34.10): Vincent ran 18:40.70 at Lecanto and 18:34.10 at Whispering Pines before winning the Grayling Memorial by more than 90 seconds in 18:40.00. She drops from No. 9 but remains close to the Top 10.
Lainee Mercer - MileSplit No. 20 (18:40.51): Mercer placed fourth at the Florida Horse Park Invitational, finishing behind Gaona-Zelaya, Hallick, and Tomasic. Her returning résumé and Horse Park performance keep her within range of the Top 10.
Charlotte Roy - MileSplit No. 11 (18:28.49): The All Saints' Academy eighth grader placed third at St. Cloud, finishing only 0.21 seconds behind Wilkinson. Roy is one of the youngest runners among Florida's statewide leaders.
Eva McMenemy-Hoang - MileSplit No. 12 (18:29.80): McMenemy-Hoang owns the 12th-fastest time in Florida after winning the Wickham Jamboree. She has not added a more recent result.
Muller Holds No. 1 in Florida Girls' Week 3 Top 10
(Aug. 31-Sept.5)
The first three weeks of the Florida cross country season are behind us, and the next few weeks include in-state and out-of-state races that may further affect our Top 10 rankings. Week Three produced the fastest performance of the season, several significant head-to-head results, and a shakeup throughout the MileSplit Florida girls' subjective rankings.
Emma Balaban leads the objective state rankings with her 17:14.10, but Madison Muller holds the subjective No. 1 position based on her two dominant victories, her state championship résumé, and her previous head-to-head victory over Balaban.