Complete Coverage & Results
Photo Album by Mark Winz - Over 250 Photos
Race Footage and Video Interviews by Todd Grasley
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Meet Summary
The girls kicked off the 1A Region 2 meet on a cool Saturday morning. Circle Christian junior Bryce Seymour logged seventy miles over the course of the week so you think she'd be a little fatigued come race day? Negative. Seymour was supposed to taper a little and pace herself, but the only pace she knows is all out. In the beginning it was a group of three with Seymour, Oak Hall's Brittney Olinger, and Tampa Prep sophomore Claire Snyder. Seymour gained a sizeable lead after the first mile and had Snyder waiting in her wings about 20 seconds back, and Olinger behind her. Seymour finished in an impressive 18:35.00 followed by Snyder in a personal best 18:58.70, and Olinger in third at 19:12.30.
Olinger's performance as well sixth place finish from seventh-grader Lauren Perry gave Oak Hall the regional championship. They placed all five runners in the top fifteen with a team average of 20:08.44. Trinity Prep, Circle Christian, and Seffner Christian round out the top four. The real battle was for the final two spots. Indian Rocks Christian and Tampa Prep tied with 153 points with the Geneva School coming in at 154 and just missing a trip to Dade City.
Host Trinity Prep had a little home field advantage in the boys race. Senior Ryan Gousse led the race from beginning to end with several others close by during the first of three loops around the lake and athletic complex. Teammate Daniel Salas and Jordan Foster of Circle Christian were hanging on early, but Foster dropped off and P.K. Yonge's Jordan Brown took his place the remainder of the time. Gousse told me afterwards the goal was to go under sixteen minutes and he barely reached that cruising to victory in 15:59.40. Salas was 28 seconds behind in 16:28.20. Brown finished third in 16:36.40
The team trophy seemed to be a battle between Trinity Prep and P.K. Yonge on paper, but when the dust settled it was all Saints. Led by the 1-2 finish of Gousse and Salas they also pick up four points from senior Sam Goldberg and then place runners in 11th, 13th, 14th, and 17th. Their team total 31 points is 47 points lower than runner-up P.K. Yonge. Tampa Prep, Circle Christian, Seffner Christian, and Mount Dora Bible all advance to state as well.