We conclude our 2011 cross country coverage by honoring the top female harriers of the season. Congratulations to our 2011 All Flrunners Girls Cross Country Team.
1st Team
Girls Runner Of the Year: Olivia Ortiz - Lakewood Ranch - Jr. Ortiz had a stellar junior season. After losing by three-tenths of a second to Kacy Smith at the Deja Vu Invitational the Lakewood Ranch star went undefeated the rest of the season including wins at the Flrunners Race Of Champions, Pre-State, and a 3A State Championship. She also finished fifth at Foot Locker South advancing to San Diego where she cracked the top 20 in 19th place. Hert ime of 17:13.00 at Foot Locker South was a new personal best and the fastest time of any Floridian in 2011. Congratulations to Olivia on being our 2011 All Flrunners Girls Runner of the Year.
Bridget Blake - Dr. Phillips - Jr. - Blake continued her dominance in class 4A. The Panthers star sat out the beginning of the 2011 season, but quickly showed she was on her "A" game. She finished second at the Flrunners Invitational and didn't lose a race after that including impressive showings at both districts and regionals. Blake ran a time of 18:05 to win the state meet for the second year in a row. Her time was nearly twenty seconds faster than the second place finisher. She followed that up with a seventh place finish at Foot Locker South and a ticket to San Diego. At Foot Locker Nationals Blake crossed the line in 38th against the nations best.
Shelby Davidson - Cocoa Beach - Sr. - Shelby Davidson wanted more than anything to end her season with a state title and that is exactly what the Cocoa Beach senior did. After finishing second in 2010 she dismantled the 2A field winning by 13 seconds to capture the top spot on the podium Davidson missed out on a return trip to Foot Locker Nationals when she was beaten by the tightest of margins at Foot Locker South. Her 11th place finish put her one spot out of the running, but nonetheless, it was an incredible career for the Cocoa Beach standout who began running as a sophomore. She will run collegiately for the University of Florida.
Julie Wollrath - Holy Trinity - Fr. - Wollrath is the youngest runner to earn 1st Team honors. It seems like we've been talking about this youngster for the past three years and we have. As a seventh grader Wollrath picked up her first state title as a member of the Tigers. As an eighth grader she added her second team trophy and as a freshman picked up her third state title, this time as an individual. Despite two false starts in the race, she remained confident pacing off the leaders for the first 3k and then turned it up a notch winning by 13 seconds! She also had impressive performances against tough competition at Great American where she finished fifth in the seeded race and Foot Locker South where she ended her season with a time of 18:02.00 and 32nd place.
Lily Williams - Chiles - Sr. - Williams was the number one runner on a Chiles squad that had won the past three team state championships. This year Williams ended the season as 3A runner-up as did her team. The Chiles senior won the prestigious Jesse Owens Classic in Alabama in a personal best 17:29.05 and finished second at Pre-State. Over the course of the 2011 season she broke 18 minutes an astounding six times. She also wins the award for most epic finishes of the year. Williams and Ortiz came down to the wire at Pre-State and then at Foot Locker South Williams edged out Shelby Davidson for the tenth and final spot to head to San Diego and Foot Locker Nationals where she capped off a stellar career with a 35th place showing.
Carly Thomas - Chiles - Sr. - Thomas and Williams teamed up for the most potent 1-2 punch regardless of class. The Chiles senior finished third at the 3A State Championships in a season and career best time of 17:53.77. That time was not just the third fastest in 3A, but the third fastest over all four classifications. She was the seventh Florida finisher at Foot Locker South where she placed 30th. In her four seasons on one of the states most dominant teams she never finished with less than a 5th place showing at the 3A State Championships. Thomas ends her career with three team titles and an individual championship which she claimed as a sophomore in 2009.
Nikita Shah - Wiregrass Ranch - Jr. - Shah burst onto the scene when it mattered the most during the postseason. The Wiregrass Ranch junior started the 2011 season running in the high 18 to 19 minute range. After a sub 18 minute performance at Pre-State Shah continued that trend at districts, regionals, and state. Her fourth place finish in one of the toughest classes, 3A, showed she belonged with the best in the state. Shah's time of 17:53.96 was just shy of a personal best 17:53.96.
2nd Team
Vanessa Valentine - Melbourne - Sr.
Kacy Smith - Estero - Jr.
Anne-Marie Blaney - Belleview - Sr.
Stefanie Kurgatt - Maclay - Jr.
Bryce Seymour - Circle Christian - Jr.
Emily Headley - Olympia- Fr.
Daesha Rogers - Plantation American Heritage - 7th Grade
3rd Team
Katelyn Greenleaf - Northside Christian - Sr.
Kari Grippo - Gulf - So.
Ashley Heitling - Mount Dora - Jr.
Ivy Chastain - Fort Walton Beach - So.
Sarah Candiano - Evangelical Christian - Fr.
Rachel Givens - Chiles - Jr.
Britney Olinger- Oak Hall - So.