by Coach Grant Mollett, M. Ed.
East Ridge High School Varsity Girls Cross Country Team
Winter Park – October 13, 2021
The East Ridge High School girls’ cross country team competed in their last regular season meet at the Trinity Prep Wednesday Invitational on the campus of Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park on Wednesday evening. The course included two loops on Trinity Prep’s athletic fields and involved the runners circling a scenic duck pond, and ultimately finishing on the track at the stadium. The Knights, who do not typically run meets in the middle of the week or after a full school day, ran hard at Trinity Prep, and ultimately took first place as a team!
Girls from twelve different schools throughout Central Florida participated in the Trinity Prep Wednesday Invite. Junior Sophie Roemmen took the honors for the eighth meet in a row as the Knights’ first finisher! At the first mile, Sophie was about twenty seconds behind a pack of five girls, but over the duration of the race, she worked her way into that pack for better positioning. Sophie took third place out of a field of 53 runners! She finished in a time of 21:53. Freshman Hanna Warren secured the sixth overall place and finished in a time of 23:00. Junior Bre Peine placed eighth overall and finished in a time of 23:42.
Freshman Neely Lugo was the fourth scoring Knight on Wednesday evening. She finished in eleventh place and in a time of 25:00. The fifth finisher and final scorer for East Ridge was senior Keira Votava. On senior night Keira finished in fourteenth place and in a time of 25:38. The sixth finisher for the Knights was junior Alanis Melgar. Alanis placed fifteenth overall and finished in a time of 25:41. The seventh finisher was sophomore Sarah Tingler, who placed 23rd overall and finished in a time of 26:39. The eighth finisher for the Knights was freshman J’Mariana Douglass, who finished in 26th place in a time of 27:00. Sophomore Lina Maldonado was the team’s ninth finisher. Lina finished in 27th place in a time of 27:07.
East Ridge had eight runners who participated in the junior varsity race on Wednesday evening. Freshman Isabella Stuemke placed 25th overall and finished in a time of 27:56. Junior Brenna Oliveri placed 27th overall and finished in a time of 28:11. Sophomore Brittni Faber placed 30th overall and finished in a time of 28:51. Sophomore Kayden Page placed 31st overall and finished in a time of 28:54. Junior Alexandra Dimitros placed 43rd overall and finished in a time of 33:27. Sophomore Karlie Saint Lot placed 47th and finished in a time of 35:20. Junior Isabella Zamudio placed 51st overall and finished in 36:36. Sophomore Brianna Romero placed 52nd in a time of 40:36.
Being that Wednesday’s meet was the last of the regular season, the team, parents, and coaches recognized is seniors. This season the girls’ cross country team has only one senior – Keira Votava. Keira has been a member of the varsity team for two years, and has been a big reason for the team’s success! Congratulations to Keira on a terrific season!
East Ridge High School placed first among seven complete teams at Trinity Prep by placing five runners in the top thirteen positions! The overall individual winner for the girls’ varsity race was sophomore Ella Raesly from The Geneva School. Raesly finished Wednesday’s race in a time of 21:31.
For full results for the girls race at the Trinity Prep Wednesday Invite visit: http://results.tfmeetpro.com/Elite_Timing_and_Event_Management/TPS_Wednesday_Meet_2021/#event3.
This week the girls’ varsity team will make its final preparations for the district meet. This season, the Knights are competing in Class 4A District 2, which is one of the most competitive districts in the state of Florida. The nineteen team district also includes Olympia, Dr. Phillips, Spruce Creek, West Orange, Windermere, Oviedo, Evans, Lake Mary, Hagerty, Deland, Lake Brantley, University (Orange City), Lake Howell, Apopka, Seminole, Lyman, Wekiva, and Ocoee. The Knights will compete in the Class 4A District 2 Championships at Sterling Sports Complex in Deland on Friday, October 29th at 7:30 am. The top eight finishing teams at the district championship will advance to the regional championship. Additionally, the top three individuals who are not on qualifying teams will also advance to the regional championship.
If the Knights or any individuals do advance then they will compete at the Class 4A Region 2 Championships to be held at Santa Fe State College in Gainesville on Saturday, November 6th. Each year the goal for the Knights is to advance to the regional meet, and they are locked in and will strive to do so this season.
Last season, the Knights fell short of qualifying as a team by one team position. However, they did have two individuals qualify for the regional championship last season, and one ultimately advanced to the Class 4A State Championships.
This is East Ridge High School’s twentieth year and in the previous nineteen years, only six girls varsity cross country teams have advanced to the regional championships. The last time East Ridge’s girls’ varsity team advanced to the regional championships was in 2019.
Go Knights
