The 2011 Ft. Myers Optimist Invitational saw Olivia Ortiz and Carlos Miranda put on a preview of how the season would play out. Ortiz went on to claim the state championship in 3A and Miranda placed 3rd in state behind UF recruit Elliot Clemente and FSU bound Max del Monte. Carlos SAT out of the season opening Barron Collier Invite and Olivia is out for the season still recovering. Who on the Girls side who will step up from the deep field to take the crown? Will Miranda return to reclaim the top spot after missing most of track season with a foot injury? Robert Brown breaks down all the action.
Girls Varsity Individuals:
Emily Edwards, FM, Kacy Smith, Estero & Sarah Candiano, ECS battled it out last week at the Barron Collier Invite with Emily coming out on top by 15 seconds over Kacy and 34 ahead of Sarah. She looks to be back to her old hard charging self, which spells trouble for her 3A competition. Add in some other top state runners like Katy Solis & Bethany Jenkins and the whole Estero team, Sarah McBeath, ECS, Abigail Hagen, Riverview, Araceli Leon, South FM, Chelsea Manning, Cypress Lake, Coutney Hogrefe, Naples and my dark horse freshman Lindsay Tomaini, Community School and you have got a great early season race!
Virtual Rankings (Based on 2011 PR's)
1. 17:47.20 Smith, Kacy Estero HS
2. 17:51.50 Candiano, Sarah Evangelical Christian School
3. 18:19.50 Jenkins, Bethany Estero HS
4. 18:26.10 Solis, Katy G Estero HS
5. 19:00.20 Leon, Araceli South Fort Myers HS
6. 19:29.00 Hagan, Abigail Sarasota Riverview HS
7. 19:29.20 Slater, Katie Estero HS
8. 19:33.10 Manning, Chelsea Cypress Lake HS
9. 19:40.40 McBeath, Sarah Evangelical Christian School
10. 19:42.10 Tomaini, Lindsay Community School of Naples
11. 19:42.60 Edwards, Emily Fort Myers HS
12. 19:49.90 Polendo, Jessica Ida S. Baker HS
13. 19:54.30 Munoz, Anita Immokalee HS
14. 19:55.40 Ramirez, Marlene Immokalee HS
15. 19:55.70 Klopf, Hannah Naples HS
Team Championship
With the Lakewood Ranch Girls opting to go to Gainesville this weekend, nationally ranked Estero girls will have everybody else racing for second place. They dominated the competition last week at the Barron Collier Invite, scoring just 26 points by putting 6 runners in the top ten. Naples came out ahead of this week's home team Fort Myers at the same meet followed by Cypress Lake and Ida Baker. I don’t think that the Green Wave will let that happen again as they try to defend the home turf with some team racing. The strong Sarasota Riverview girl’s team will also have something to say about this as they make their first trip down to the tough Veteran’s Park. Look for Estero to take this one by a wide margin over Sarasota Riverview with Fort Myers coming on strong for 3rd.
1. Estero HS
2. Sarasota Riverview HS
3. Fort Myers HS
4. Naples HS
5. Cypress Lake HS
Boys Varsity Individuals:
Carlos Miranda, Palmetto Ridge, Tyler Bennett & Ace Brown, FM, Buddy Gates, Naples, Bobby Ormsby, Cypress Lake and Jose Cartegena, Estero will battle it out for the top spot. Miranda and most of the Naples varsity were at SAT testing opening weekend and did not compete leaving the door open for Bennett to dominate the Barron Collier Invite. Brown didn’t bring his “A” game last week but Ormsby did, dipping under 17 min. on a tough day. Others to watch are Miguel Casiano, Lehigh, Lee Shearer, Naples, Jack Dunn, Riverview, Adam Sommer, Estero and Leonel Delacruz, Immokalee. Dark Horses are hard to spot this early in the year but sophomore Dean McGregor, FM stands out as the most likely to surprise. He placed 6th in his season opener and looks to be in mid season form.
Virtual Rankings (Based on 2011 PR's)
1. 15:17.70 Miranda, Carlos Palmetto Ridge HS
2. 15:40.20 Gates, Buddy Naples HS
3. 15:42.00 Brown, Aesop Fort Myers HS
4. 16:04.80 Shearer, Lee Naples HS
5. 16:10.30 Casiano, Miguel Lehigh HS
6. 16:17.60 Ormsby, Bobby Cypress Lake HS
7. 16:18.10 Adam Sommer Estero HS
8. 16:19.60 Cartegna, Jose G Estero HS
9. 16:21.60 Bennett, Tyler Fort Myers HS
10. 16:27.90 Dunn, Jack Sarasota Riverview HS
11. 16:30.80 McGonagle, Brendan Fort Myers HS
12. 16:31.50 Cardenas, Dominic Charlotte HS
13. 16:31.90 Delacruz, Leonel Immokalee HS
14. 16:32.50 Cuyeu, Julien Barron Collier HS
15. 16:34.00 Briner, Steven Estero HS
Team Championship
This is going to be a barn burner! The virtual meet is practically a dead heat between home team Fort Myers, cross-town rivals Estero and Collier County’s best Naples HS. All three are ranked in the top ten in the pre-season FACA 3A boys poll and they will face each other multiple times this season before they get to Tallahassee to settle the argument. Last week the Green Wave beat Estero and a SAT depleted Naples team on a new course but Veteran’s Park is a course they are all familiar with and the Eagles are at full strength. 2A Immokalee and Palmetto Ridge will make some noise but in the end Fort Myers will squeak by Estero and hard charging Naples.
1. Fort Myers HS
2. Estero HS
3. Naples HS
4. Immokalee HS
5. Palmetto Ridge HS
The Course
Veteran’s Park in Lehigh Acres is the home of the Optimist Invite for the 5th consecutive year after moving from Buckingham Park in 2008. The park offers some nice topographical features and variations to work with as well as great spectator vantage points. The course is a double loop that incorporates grass, sandy paths and a 9 meter tall hill with twists, turns and unlevel ground throughout. Truly a tough cross-country course that only offers fast times to those who are trained up and ready for the challenge.
Course Records
Boys CC 5k Aaron Rojas Estero HS 15:57.94 LCAC 2010
Girls CC 5k Kathryn Fluehr Community School of Naples 17:29.00 Optimist 2009
More Coverage
- 34th Annual Fort Myers Optimist Invitaitonal Meet Page
