Alba Antunez-Perez of Spanish River went out fast at the start of the girls' ROC, set the pace, and dominated the race with an 18:03.19 win on a muddy course.
Host Spanish River Shines at 44th Spanish River Invitational
Spanish River made the most of its home-course advantage at the 44th Spanish River Invitational on a muddy course, sweeping the championship individual titles and winning the championship girls team race.
Senior Alba Antunez-Perez led the way for Spanish River with a dominant 18:03.19 win in the girls ROC. Fellow senior Casey Sangely matched her, fighting for a win in the boys ROC race, crossing the line in 15:46.41.
The meet also featured a new middle school girls meet record as Palmer Trinity eighth-grader Valentina Sarcos ran 10:56.61 in the Middle School girls 3K race.
Sangely Leads Seven Boys Under 16 Minutes
The ROC boys race was highly competitive, with one of the meet's deepest fields, and the first seven finishers broke 16 minutes, with just 12.09 seconds separating first from seventh.
Casey Sangely
Sangely won in 15:46.41, staying in contact and, as in most championship races, staying patient until the two-mile mark to move into the lead. Doral Academy senior Martin Fernandez finished just 1.38 seconds back in 15:47.79, while Mater Lakes Academy senior Kevin Aguilar was another 0.17 seconds behind in 15:47.96.
Nicholas Garcia of Christopher Columbus placed fourth in 15:53.37. Gulliver Prep teammates Adrian Iziliaev and Kayaan Ghaffar finished fifth and sixth in 15:54.78 and 15:55.68, respectively. G. Holmes Braddock sophomore Yanliet Gomezdelafe completed the sub-16 group with a 15:58.50.
G. Holmes Braddock used four scorers among the first 14 team finishers to win the championship team title with 78 points. They averaged 16:22 and posted a 52-second spread. Christopher Columbus finished second with 103 points, narrowly ahead of Doral Academy's 105.
Championship Boys Top Seven
Alba Antunez-Perez Powers Spanish River Girls
Alba Antunez-Perez set the tone for the host team with her dominant 18:03.19 ROC victory. It was her opener this season, and she took the lead in the first 100m, making a statement win and never looking back. Spanish River backed up its No. 1 runner, going 6, 11, 14, 15 to win with 47 points and a 19:28 team average.
Alba Antunez-Perez
Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart placed second with 61 points. Its five scorers were separated by only 43 seconds, the tightest spread among the leading teams. Doral Academy was third with 80 points, followed by Our Lady of Lourdes Academy with 84.
Geraghty, Ryan Win Classification Races
Holy Trinity Academy eighth-grader Taylor Geraghty won the 1A/2A girls race in 18:50.65 and helped Holy Trinity complete the individual-team sweep. Holy Trinity scored 60 points to edge Cardinal Gibbons, which finished eight points back with 68.
Taylor Gerghty
Kate Ryan
Winter Park took the top two places in the 3A/4A girls race. Sophomore Kate Ryan won in 19:38.21, just ahead of senior teammate Bella Sacks, who ran 19:40.72. Winter Park also captured the team championship with 124 points. Our Lady of Lourdes was second with 144, and Spanish River placed third with 158.
Michael Gomez
In the 1A/2A boys race, FAU High senior Michael Gomez ran 16:13.33 to hold off Marathon sophomore Lucian Burns, who finished in 16:18.72. Holy Trinity won the team title with 145 points, ahead of Southwest Florida Christian Academy's 176 and Gulliver Prep's 181.
Antario Berek
Vero Beach junior Antario Berek controlled the 3A/4A boys race, winning in 16:10.86. Cypress Bay sophomore Carlo Baylon was second in 16:50.61.
Christopher Columbus dominated the 3A/4A boys team race. Its five scorers went 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 for 38 points, a 17:24 average, and a spread of only 17 seconds. West Broward was second with 153 points.
Valentina Sarcos Sets Middle School Meet Record
Valentina Sarcos
Eighth-grader Valentina Sarcos of Palmer Trinity and Boca Warriors eighth-grader Camila Boucher both broke 11 minutes in the middle school girls 3K. Sarcos took the win establishin g a new meet record on the wet, sloppy course in 10:56.61, with Boucher close behind in 10:57.77.
