The 2011 Manasota Track Club Invitational hosted by Sarasota Riverview HS saw Rachel Petrik and Canaan Meester-Kitterman take home varsity individual gold with the Seminole boys and home team Sarasota Riverview girls winning the varsity team trophies. Petrik is now a freshman at UCF but Canaan is back to defend his crown. Can he hold off the hard charging pack from Fort Myers, Naples and Sarasota? Who will challenge state leading Emily Edwards in the girls tilt? Robert Brown breaks down all the action.
Girls Varsity Individuals
Emily Edwards, FM has been tearing it up so far this season and comes into this meet leading the state based on time. The Lakewood Ranch Girls Kristin Zarrella, Natalie Novak and Katie Wray as well as Abigayle Weinfeld, Lemon Bay, Chelsea Manning & Breeana Salcedo, Cypress Lake will look to push her all the way to the finish. A girl that is looking to break out and be a force in the future and my dark horse is diminutive Sophomore Jillian Richter, FM.
Virtual Meet
1. 17:43.8 Emily Edwards, Fort Myers HS
2. 19:16.6 Kristin Zarrella, Lakewood Ranch HS
3. 19:37.2 Angelina Grebe, Sarasota HS
4. 19:37.3 Jillian Richter, Fort Myers HS
5. 19:43.3 Abigayle Weinfeld, Lemon Bay HS
6. 19:44.0 Natalie Novak, Lakewood Ranch HS
7. 19:44.0 Chelsea Manning, Cypress Lake HS
8. 19:45.4 Breeana Salcedo, Cypress Lake HS
9. 19:47.7 Danielle Avery, Naples HS
10. 19:58.9 Katie Wray, Lakewood Ranch HS
Team Championship
On paper the Lakewood Ranch girls look to be the top team here but Fort Myers is gaining momentum as the season rolls on and could give them a real run for their money. Cypress Lake and Naples are forces to be reckoned with as well with Lemon Bay and Charlotte not far behind. My predictions are:
1. Lakewood Ranch HS
2. Fort Myers HS
3. Cypress Lake HS
4. Naples HS
5. Lemon Bay HS
Boys Varsity Individuals
Tyler Bennett & Ace Brown, FM continue to be top forces in the state with Bennett coming off an outstanding 2nd place performance at Apalachee Park last Saturday. Buddy Gates & Lee Shearer, Naples SAT out FSU but will be back pushing the pace along with Bobby Ormsby, Cypress Lake and Courtland Bernard, Sarasota and last years champion Canaan Meester-Kitterman, Bayshore. Freshman phenom Brandon Marquez is schedule to race with his Timber Creek team but he is nursing a bad ankle, which forced him to withdraw from the Pre-State meet. My dark horse in this race is Sarasota’s Sophomore Zachery Summerall coming off a outstanding 2nd place finish at Land O Lakes Invite last weekend.
Virtual Meet
1. 15:27.8 Tyler Bennett, Fort Myers HS
2. 15:34.7 Aesop Brown, Fort Myers HS
3. 15:46.0 Buddy Herbert Gates, Naples HS
4. 15:47.9 Brandon Marquez, Timber Creek HS
5. 15:57.5 Lee Shearer, Naples HS
6. 15:57.9 Dean McGregor, Fort Myers HS
7. 15:58.4 Courtland Bernard, Sarasota HS
8. 16:01.5 Bobby Ormsby, Cypress Lake HS
9. 16:06.5 Canaan Meester-Kitterman, Bayshore HS
10. 16:25.2 Garrison Kalvin, Naples HS
Team Championship
This is great mid season match up of some top 3A Region 3 teams. Fort Myers, Naples and Sarasota are all ranked in the top ten in the FACA 3A rankings and looked to be getting better every week. The Naples Eagles squad were missing their top two in Tallahassee last week so we don’t know about their progression but Sarasota went to Land O Lakes and crushed the 24 team competition and are looking good to go. Timber Creek and North Port will be in the mix and will round out the top five teams. My predictions are:
1. Fort Myers HS
2. Sarasota HS
3. Naples HS
4. North Port HS
5. Timber Creek HS
The Course
The Macintosh Middle School course features some awesome back trail running for half of its double loop distance. Starting on the grass athletic fields just north of the gymnasium the path angles southeast before turning unto the narrow root covered path into the woods south of the school. After several twists, turns and mud and sand it emerges west of campus and follows the road east back towards school before heading north around the perimeter of the track and tennis facilities and getting back to the start line for the second trek. A very challenging course with various natural surfaces that I hear could be even more so this year with maybe some standing water on some of the trail sections.
Course Records
Boys CC 5k Chase Sutton, Seminole HS 15:52.75 4A District 4 2010
Girls CC 5k Julia Rodriguez HB Plant HS 19:07.30 4A Region 2 2011
More Coverage
- 2012 Manasota Track Club Invite Meet Page (Robert Brown and Olivia Ortiz will have on-site coverage)