East Ridge High School Girls Cross Country Season Preview

Article by By Grant Mollett, M.Ed., East Ridge High School
Photos contributed by David Worthington.

August 20 – The East Ridge High School girls’ cross country team’s official practices began on Monday, August 2, 2021.  The runners have several weeks of practice to get themselves ready for their first cross country meet of the 2021 season.  Many of the runners have worked hard over the summer in order to prepare for the challenges of daily afternoon practices and competitive meets, and the runners and coaches are excited for the start of the season!

Last season the Knights missed advancing to the regional meet at the Class 4A District 6 Championships by one team position.  However, the team did have two runners – Mackenzie Hill and Bre Peine – qualify as individuals for last season’s regional championships. In fact, Hill, now graduated, went on to qualify for last season’s state championships, and was the first individual female to do so in fifteen years at East Ridge.

Bre Peine, a junior, who is the team’s fastest returning runner, has worked hard this summer and looks to lead the team to the regional meet this season.  Bre will be joined by a host of girls who have been training hard and are locked in on the same goal of getting the team back into the regional championships. Returning runners include senior Keira Votava, juniors Alanis Meglar, Alexandra Dimitros, and Brenna Oliveri, and sophomore Addison Dodd.  The Knights will also have a promising class of freshmen on the team this season, which includes Hanna Warren, J’Mariana Douglas, Neely Lugo-Ramos, and Isabella Stuemke. This season the Knights will also be joined by junior Sophie Roemmen and sophomores Kayden Page and Sarah Tingler.

This season the East Ridge Knights will compete in Class 4A Region 1 District 2.  The FHSAA modified district-to-regional and regional-to-state qualification requirements.  This season, the top eight of nineteen total teams will advance from the district meet to the regional meet, whereas last season districts were much smaller, so as to keep district meets small in order to properly social distance during Covid19.  Additionally, only the top three individual runners who are unattached from qualifying teams will advance to the regional meet, as opposed to last season, when the top four individuals unattached to a qualifying team advanced to the regional meet. District 2 has nineteen teams this season.  The other teams in the district will include Apopka, Deland, Dr. Phillips, Evans, Hagerty, Lake Brantley, Lake Howell, Lake Mary, Lyman, Ocoee, Olympia, Oviedo, Seminole (Sanford), Spruce Creek, University (Orange City), Wekiva, West Orange, and Windermere. 

The East Ridge High School boys and girls cross country teams are also involved in a fundraiser this season.  Please check out our fundraiser webpage by clicking here to see our fundraising goal and progress. Our fundraiser is managed by Vertical Raise, and if you’d like to make a donation, you can do so at our fundraiser webpage.  Your donations will go to the team’s travel expenses, meet registration fees, team apparel, and other costs for the team this season.

The Knights will compete in their first meet of the season on Saturday, August 28 at 8:00 am at the Whispering Pines Invitational held at Whispering Pines Park in Inverness, Florida. See below for the most current cross-country season schedule.