New World Girls Preview: Tomasic Faces Loaded Field
Annabella Tomasic returns to the New World Fall Spectacular as the defending champion, but defending her title will require holding off one of the deepest girls' fields of the Florida season.
The championship field includes No. 1-13 in the Florida rankings, plus 25 of the state's top 27. IMG Academy's Emma Balaban leads the rankings at 17:14.10, while Tomasic, Madison Muller, Arabella Duffell, and Natalia Gaona-Zelaya all come in with sub-17:45 times.
It's difficult to get all of the top Florida girls together in one race regardless of division, and the concentration of talent sets up more than a showdown for the individual win. With the state's top girls, accomplished returners and emerging challengers throughout the field, and expected dry conditions on a fast course, the win and a top-10 finish will have to be earned.
Balaban brings the fastest time; Tomasic brings the title
Emma Balaban enters with a 9.90-second advantage. The IMG Academy junior ran 17:14.10 earlier in the season on her home course at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge, establishing the mark everyone else in Florida is chasing.
Photo Credit: Bennett Ferguson
That performance, a 17:42.90 15th-place finish at the Great American XC Festival, and a win at the Southern Showcase in 17:45.13 make her the pick to win, although the No. 1 ranking time evaporates for this race and offers no guarantee with the talent and the resumes of the other top seeds and when they meet on the same course.
Tomasic provides the most direct challenge. She is a two-time state champion and is not afraid to take a race out hard and set the pace. The Bishop Moore sophomore won last year's race in 17:25.00 and enters this year's race as Florida's No. 2-ranked girl, with a 17:24.00 from her win at Katie Caples. As the defending champion, she has shown she can beat a strong New World field, and only one second separates her current season best from last year's winning performance. She has the credentials to repeat. She was undefeated in 2025, and her only loss was in her opener at the Florida Horse Park Invitational.
Muller and Duffell keep the title race open
Photo Credit: David N
Sarasota Riverview junior Madison Muller is undefeated on her year with five wins. She is close enough to turn the race into much more than a two-runner contest. Her 17:33.10 at North Port Preserve Pursuit ranks third in Florida this year. Her PR is 16:50.40. She has learned to be patient but isn't afraid to run with the leaders.
Photo Credit: Cedric Gillette
Lake Nona junior Arabella Duffell follows Muller in the state rankings by just 0.43 seconds. Duffell's 17:33.53 at On Twilight at PR'ville places her firmly among the leading contenders for the win. With such a small gap between their best times, their order is one of the toughest calls in the race preview. She won at Cecil Field and will definitely be up front at the end of the race.
Gaona-Zelaya's returning résumé deserves attention
Photo Credit: Cedric Gillette
Wiregrass Ranch senior Natalia Gaona-Zelaya finished third at New World in 17:37.00 last year. She returns ranked sixth in Florida with a 17:44.56 from the Stampede Sprint Invitational.
Her 2025 New World performance is faster than her listed season best. She is projected fifth in this field, but she is undefeated this season, and another top-three finish is within the range suggested by her previous success here. She is running faster this season and has a PR of 17:16.80 from last year's 4A Region 3 race.
IMG Academy junior Sydney Johnson also brings a strong returning resume. Johnson placed eighth in 17:58.00 last year and enters at 18:01.00, ranked seventh in Florida. She is running well this season, and her closely matched performances make her a solid top-10 selection.
Spanish River senior Alba Antunez-Perez is ranked eighth in the state and is projected eighth. She has only raced twice this season, with an 18:03.19 season best in her opening win at the Spanish River Invitational, which is 12.81 seconds faster than the 18:16.00 she ran to finish 15th at New World in 2025. She's a talented runner and is more than capable of going sub-18:00, and she will need to be in the mid-17s to get into the top 10.
Photo Credit: M. Stonecipher
Ocala Vanguard sophomore Lyla Hallick, ninth in Florida at 18:10.80, Bartram Trail sophomore Avery Hartley, 10th at 18:13.00, and IMG freshman Rashida Reinhardt complete the projected Top 10, with a wave of challengers all contending for a top-10 spot. It may take a sub-18:00 run to do it. It should be a close and furious finish.
| Predicted Finish | Athlete | Grade | School | Florida Rank by Time | Season Best | 2025 New World Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emma Balaban | JR | IMG Academy | 1 | 17:14.10 | - |
| 2 | Annabella Tomasic | SO | Bishop Moore | 2 | 17:24.00 | 1 |
| 3 | Madison Muller | JR | Sarasota Riverview | 3 | 17:33.10 | - |
| 4 | Arabella Duffell | JR | Lake Nona | 4 | 17:33.53 | - |
| 5 | Natalia Gaona-Zelaya | SR | Wiregrass Ranch | 6 | 17:44.56 | 3 |
| 6 | Sydney Johnson | JR | IMG Academy | 7 | 18:01.00 | 8 |
| 7 | Alba Antunez-Perez | SR | Spanish River | 8 | 18:03.19 | 15 |
| 8 | Lyla Hallick | SO | Ocala Vanguard | 9 | 18:10.80 | - |
| 9 | Avery Hartley | SO | Bartram Trail | 10 | 18:13.00 | - |
| 10 | Rashida Reinhardt | FR | IMG Academy | 11 | 18:16.10 | - |
Predictions reflect current state rankings, championship-scheduled entries, and 2025 results. Season bests come from different courses and conditions. A dash indicates the athlete was not listed in the supplied 2025 Elite results.
Just Outside the Top 10
| Athlete | Grade | School | Florida Rank by Time | Season Best | 2025 New World Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashida Reinhardt | FR | IMG Academy | 11 | 18:16.10 | - |
| Eva Delaney | SO | Creekside | 12 | 18:19.00 | - |
| Sofie Stam | SO | Bolles | 13 | 18:20.10 | 20 |
| Lydia Vincent | SR | Zephyrhills | 16 | 18:24.77 | - |
| Emma Wilkinson | JR | Lakeland Christian | 17 | 18:28.28 | 32 |
| Mary Summers | SO | Seven Rivers Christian | 21 | 18:32.90 | 4 |
Eva Delaney and Sofie Stam are also within striking distance. Stam's 18:28.00, 20th-place finish last year gives her a previous New World performance to build upon.
Lydia Vincent and Emma Wilkinson add depth to that chase. Wilkinson's current best is 14.72 seconds faster than her 18:43.00 from last year's race.
The most intriguing athlete outside the projected top 10 is Mary Summers. The Seven Rivers Christian sophomore finished fourth in 17:37.00 in 2025, sharing the same listed time as third-place Gaona-Zelaya. Her current 18:32.90 ranks 21st in Florida, but a return to last year's New World form would put her much closer to the front.
Balaban has the fastest seed, Tomasic has the defending champion's credentials, and the contenders behind them have little separating their best performances. New World offers a chance to settle those comparisons in the same race-with a championship at stake.
New World Girls Team Preview: IMG Eyes Another Team Title
IMG Academy returns to the New World Fall Spectacular with a different lineup but the same objective: a team championship.
A year after defeating Bishop Kenny for the elite girls team title, IMG leads a talented championship field featuring 16 of Florida's top 18 ranked teams, including the entire top five. Only No. 6 Episcopal and No. 12 Boone are absent, setting up a significant mid-to-late-season test across all four FHSAA classifications, with IMG excluded.
Florida No. 2 Bishop Kenny and No. 3 Niceville lead the pursuit of the top-ranked IMG Academy squad. A virtual meet of the top 16 teams projects IMG first with 31.5 points, followed by Bishop Kenny with 104.5 and Niceville with 128.
Last Year: IMG's Front Pack Set the Standard
IMG won the 2025 championship with 53 points, with all five scorers within 34 seconds and an average of 18:10. Bishop Kenny finished second with 125 points, an 18:39 average, and an even tighter 22-second spread.
Danielle Graham led IMG in seventh overall at 17:52.00, followed by Sydney Johnson in eighth at 17:58.00. Alyson Johnson, Huntley Buckingham and Aurora Bertelsen Del Solar completed the scoring five, finishing 16th, 18th and 19th overall.
Photo Credit: Bennett Ferguson
Four of those five scorers graduated, leaving Sydney Johnson as the lone returning member of last year's scorers. Brooke Pelkey, IMG's seventh runner last year, also returns after placing 44th in 18:53.00.
Bishop Kenny returns three of its five scorers: Camila Giles, Taylor Lawhon and Jillian Jakab. Giles led the Crusaders in 21st overall at 18:29.00, Lawhon finished 24th in 18:33.00, and Jakab placed 42nd in 18:51.00.
With Alexis Wilson and Olivia Lumpkin graduating, returning runners Rebecca McEnany, Alexandra Lumpkin and Ava McEnany take on important roles in this year's projected scoring lineup.
No. 1 IMG Academy: A New Look With Familiar Strength
IMG Academy has replaced its graduation losses with a lineup that again projects to control the front of the team race.
Emma Balaban leads the way with a 17:14.10 season best, the fastest time in the Florida rankings. Ranked No. 2 in the girls' subjective rankings, Balaban should contend for the individual win and the first scoring position in the virtual meet.
Sydney Johnson follows at 18:01.00, bringing experience from last year's title team. Rashida Reinhardt's 18:16.10 gives IMG a third runner projected among the first five scoring places.
Brooklyn Brown at 18:35.00 and Pelkey at 18:46.80 complete the top five, averaging 18:10.60. Jacquelyn Perrin valuable at 18:57.30, and Avila Jennings at 19:35.20 are the important No. 6 & & runners.
IMG's projected 1:32.70 spread is much wider than last year's championship pack, but its strength remains clear: all five scorers are projected to be in the top 13 scoring positions. Its fifth runner also projects ahead of Bishop Kenny's third and Niceville's first.
No. 2 Bishop Kenny: Returning Experience Leads the Chase
Bishop Kenny, Florida's top-ranked 3A team, brings a familiar core back to New World.
Photo Credit: Dave Tibbetts
Camila Giles leads the Kenny girls at 18:35.00, with Jillian Jakab just three seconds behind at 18:38.00. Rebecca McEnany follows at 18:52.00, giving the Crusaders three runners under 19 minutes.
That trio will be central to Bishop Kenny's effort to secure another high finish. In the virtual meet, Giles and Jakab project near IMG's fourth and fifth scorers, while McEnany holds the 16th scoring position.
Alexandra Lumpkin at 19:17.50 and Ava McEnany at 19:25.30 round out Kenny's projected scoring five. Taylor Lawhon, a scorer on last year's runner-up team, comes in at 19:42.00, with Emily McEnany at 19:58.90.
Bishop Kenny's 18:57.56 average and 50.30-second spread put it firmly in second in a virtual meet. Moving its fourth and fifth runners forward would strengthen their position and cut into IMG's advantage.
No. 3 Niceville: A Compact Pack With Podium Potential
Niceville, a 4A leader, brings the tightest projected scoring spread of any team in the virtual meet. Only 22.58 seconds separate its first and fifth runners.
Lola Jackson leads at 18:56.86, closely followed by Harmony Holland at 18:58.20. Riley Marise at 19:17.00, Anais Almonte at 19:18.00 and Sophie Clapp at 19:19.44 form a tightly grouped final three scorers.
Carolina Ramos follows at 19:36.71, with Avery Selvage at 20:20.95.
Niceville's 19:09.90 average trails Bishop Kenny by just 12.34 seconds per scorer. While the Crusaders project ahead through the first three runners, Niceville's fifth scorer projects seven scoring places ahead of Bishop Kenny's fifth. It's an intriguing matchup. Bishop Kenny will look to establish an early advantage, while Niceville can respond by bringing its entire pack across before Kenny's four and five scorers.
Virtual Meet: The Leading Three
These projected scores use the top 16-team field, rather than a separately rescored three-team race. They compare entered performance by time this season.
| Projected Place | Team | Points | Scoring Places | Top-Five Average | 1-5 Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IMG Academy | 31.5 | 1, 3, 5, 9.5, 13 | 18:10.60 | 1:32.70 |
| 2 | Bishop Kenny | 104.5 | 9.5, 11, 16, 29, 39 | 18:57.56 | 50.30 |
| 3 | Niceville | 128 | 18, 21, 27, 30, 32 | 19:09.90 | 22.58 |
A Field With State Championship Implications
Fourth-ranked Creekside and fifth-ranked Bishop Moore add depth to the championship race picture. Creekside projects fourth with 168 points, led by Eva Delaney's 18:19.00. Bishop Moore follows with 190 points, led by Annabella Tomasic's 17:24.00.
Carrollton, Florida's No. 1 Class 2A team, projects to be sixth with 214 points and a 30.48-second spread. Class 1A leader Holy Trinity also joins the field, giving New World the top-ranked team from every FHSAA classification.
Spanish River, Bolles, Chiles, and Ponte Vedra add depth to an incredible field.
IMG enters with the strongest lineup on paper, but Bishop Kenny's returning experience and Niceville's compact pack offer different challenges. For the defending champions, another title will depend on turning their projected front-end advantage into five strong finishes in one of the deepest invitational team races in Florida history.