By Coach Grant Mollett, East Ridge High School

Jacksonville, Florida – For the East Ridge girls cross country team, yesterday’s meet was supposed to be a local meet at their cross-town rival’s school, Lake Minneola High School. The Hawk’s Last Chance Invitational was supposed to follow two consecutive large and distant invitationals that pinned the Knights against several Class 4A district rivals, including the FL. Runners Invitational in Lakeland and the Pre-State Invitational in Tallahassee. Although the FL. Runners Invitational was able to happen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, unfortunately, the Pre-State Invitational had to be canceled in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Seeking an opportunity to race against Class 4A state rivals this late in the season, the Fall Spectacular, held at New World Sports Complex in Jacksonville, presented itself as that opportunity for the Knights. East Ridge is no stranger to New World, as they competed there earlier in the season at the Cecil Field Summer Classic and last season at the Class 4A Region 1 Championships. However, this was the first time in Knights’ history that they competed in the New World Fall Spectacular, and a flat and fast course, crisp fall temperatures, along with state-level competition made for a special morning for East Ridge. At New World, results for the Knights produced six career personal best performances and four season best performances!

309 girls from 36 schools competed Saturday morning in the New World Fall Spectacular.  The elite girls’ race went off at 7:30 AM.  The large field of teams and individuals doubled up inside of the starting boxes, and darted across a long straightaway before the course bent like a horseshoe. The runners then made a near-second full loop on the former golf course, now turned, disc golf course at New World, before rushing a 250-meter, slightly descending straightaway to the finish line. Conditions were a runner’s delight, as the temperature sat at approximately 63 degrees at race time.

The first Knight to come across the finish line was junior Rhyen Foley.  Foley quickly put herself amidst the other state-level elite runners at New World, including rivals Mary Summers (who ran unattached) and Addison Elwell of Viera – two familiar rivals from previous regular season meets.  Elwell and Foley have battled it out three times already this season. Elwell had gotten the better of Foley in those three races, but this fourth battle would belong to Foley! Rounding the first loop of the course, Foley was spotted a few seconds ahead of Elwell, and on pace for a personal best time. Moments later, Foley made the final turn and hit the finish chute, where Elwell was not in sight. Foley flew through the finish chute with everything she had left to ensure that Elwell or any other trailing elite runner with strong finishing capabilities would not catch her.

Foley finished in an impressive tenth place out of a field of more than 300 varsity girls! Moreover, she finished in 18:00 – a new career personal best and a new East Ridge High School girls 5K record! The previous record of 18:33 was set by Foley last year at New World during the regional championships.

The second Knight through the chute was senior Hanna Warren. Warren, one of the Knights’ most decorated runners in East Ridge’s history and the team’s captain, put out a spectacular performance, as well. Seeking a sub-19 minute 5K, Warren did not hesitate to put herself in the company of others who were also striving for that highly coveted time.  She placed 29th overall and finished in a swift time of 18:48 – a season-best performance and her second-fastest time in her high school career!

The third Knight to finish was junior Veronica Peterson. Peterson, also one of East Ridge’s most decorated runners in the school’s history, pushed to a season-best performance, as well. She placed 44th overall and finished in a time of 19:07 – which tied her second-fastest performance in her high school career!

Rounding out the scoring positions for the Knights were junior Adriana Mustin and sophomore Taylor Walker, who both dug deep to achieve their swift results. Mustin, the fourth finisher for the Knights, placed 130th and finished in a time of 20:24. Her performance was a season-best effort and tied her career personal best, which she set last season at New World at the regional championships!

Walker, close to Mustin, raced her way to a new career personal best performance! She placed 141st overall and finished in a time of 20:34! Walker’s performance moved her into the Knights’ top ten all-time fastest girls in the cross country program’s history! This means that five of the top ten are held by girls who are on the current team!

The sixth Knight to finish was freshman Kori Lindley. Lindley, who has put together several impressive races early into her high school career, put down another impressive performance at New World.  She placed 185th and finished in a time of 21:19 – a new career personal best by more than a minute! Lindley’s performance moved her into East Ridge’s all-time top thirty runners, as she now sits as the 21st fastest girl in the school’s history.

The next finisher for the Knights was senior Neelyanis Lugo. Lugo placed 194th and finished at 21:25 – her fastest time of the season!

Sophomore Jessie Volz was the next finisher for the Knights. Volz placed 195th overall and finished at 21:26 – a new career personal best performance by a minute and a half! Volz’s performance enabled her to crack East Ridge’s all-time top thirty runners, as she now is the 22nd fastest runner in the cross country program’s history.

Junior Avery Post was the ninth finisher for the Knights. Post placed 206th overall and finished in a time of 21:38 – a new career personal best! Post’s performance placed her in the top thirty list, as she now is the school’s 25th fastest runner in its history.

The final finisher for the Knights was sophomore Lexi Whitehead. Whitehead placed 227th overall and finished at of 22:05 – a new career personal best performance! Her performance also placed her in the all-time top thirty list, as she now is the school’s 29th fastest runner in its history.

The Knights took fifth place in the elite division and defeated several other Class 4A teams in the process! Some of the 4A teams that East Ridge was able to defeat included Flagler Palm Coast (Palm Coast), Spruce Creek (Port Orange), and Nease (Ponte Vedra). Only Creekside and Buchholz were the 4A teams who finished ahead of East Ridge. Creekside High School was the team champion in the elite division, as they placed their five scorers in the first 41 positions. Senior Mackenzie Roy from Spruce Creek was the individual champion. Roy finished in a swift time of 17:14.

For full results from the New World Fall Spectacular visit: https://my.raceresult.com/313778/. 

East Ridge had six runners participate in the varsity race at the Hawks Last Chance Invitational at Lake Minneola High School. Freshman Sara Garzon placed 79th overall (out of 162 runners) and finished in a time of 23:18 – a new career personal best performance by nearly a minute and a half! Senior J’Mariana Douglas was the second Knight to finish at Lake Minneola. Douglas placed 108th overall and finished in a time of 24:42 – a new season-best performance! Junior Thirsa Cnossen was the third finisher for the Knights. Cnossen placed 126th overall and finished in a time of 26:12. The fourth finisher for the Knights was senior Allie McCleary. McCleary placed 131st and finished in a time of 27:01 – a new career personal best performance! The fifth finisher for the Knights was freshman Daniela Garzon. Garzon placed 132nd overall and finished in a time of 27:05. The sixth Knight to finish was sophomore Yeidy Diaz. Diaz placed 144th overall and finished in a time of 28:37 – a new career personal best performance by over a minute!

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For full results from the Hawks Last Chance Invitational visit: https://milesplit.live/meets/608460. 

East Ridge will host the Lake County Championships on Saturday, October 26. This will be the final meet of the regular season, and it will showcase the talented athletes throughout Lake County. The first race is the girls’ race at 8:00 am. For tickets visit https://gofan.co/event/1474798?schoolId=FL673. Admission is $7.00 per person.

The post Foley Spectacular! Breaks Her Own School Record At The New World Fall Spectacular! appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

By Grant Mollett, East Ridge High School. 
    Photos by Jeff Warren, South Lake Photography

The East Ridge High School girls cross country team competed in the Second Annual SSG Hammond Invitational on Saturday morning. Saturday’s meet was in honor of the late Abraham Hammond, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. SSG Hammond served his nation with valor whose awards and decorations included Meritorious Service Medal (Posthumous); Army Commendation Medal (4); Army Achievement Medal (1); Army Good Conduct Medal (3); National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; NCO Professional Development Ribbon (2); Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal; Certificate of Achievement; and Recruiting Badge. SSG Hammond passed away in February of 2022 at the age of 27. Members of SSG Hammond’s family were in attendance at Saturday’s meet. Coaches, athletes, and spectators participated in a memorial walk around East Ridge’s track to commemorate Hammond’s life.

The start of the race took the girls across the football field and out of the stadium and onto the grassy and hilly campus of East Ridge High School. The course ran the perimeter of a lot of the campus, and ascended a large hill affectionately known as the “Green Monster.” Then the course normalized with some flat straightaways, making one big loop around a portion of the campus. The field of runners merged back into the “Green Monster,” but this time to descend it, and re-ran the perimeter, and back into the football stadium, and then ended with an approximately 300M track finish.

Girls from seventeen different schools participated in the SSG Hammond Invitational on Saturday.  The varsity girls’ race started at 8:00 AM. Junior Rhyen Foley led the Knights’ charge, as she battled it out against one of her county rivals, Cheyenne Thomas from Tavares High School. Thomas pushed the tempo, and scaled the Green Monster, as Foley stuck close to her through the first mile. Eventually, Foley surged past Thomas in the second mile, as she was spotted approximately four seconds ahead of Thomas as the pair neared the two-mile marker. During the third mile, Thomas would, once again, amp up the tempo, to surge past Foley. As she made her way onto the track, Foley pushed hard for the final 300M and finished as the runner-up. She clocked a swift finish time of 19:06 – a near thirty-second improvement from last season’s county championships that were held at the same course as yesterday’s race!

Foley and Thomas have had some spectacular head-to-head battles throughout their high school careers, and Saturday’s race was a showcase of that rivalry. In fact, Saturday was the sixth time that Foley and Thomas went head to head. Foley has gotten the better of Thomas in four of those six races, including this season’s FCA Preseason Invitational and Whispering Pines Invitational.

Senior Hanna Warren was the second Knight to cross the finish line on Saturday morning, as she finished in a time of 20:08 – an improvement of a minute-and-a-half from her performance last year’s Hammond Invitational! Warren found herself running in no man’s land for a large part of the race, but still pushed herself to secure third place overall and a new course-best performance!

Sophomore Taylor Walker was the third Knight to cross the finish line at SSG Hammond. Walker placed twelfth overall and finished in a time of 21:52 – a more than thirty-second improvement from her time at Hammond last season!

The fourth finisher for the Knights was senior Neelyanis Lugo. Lugo placed sixteenth overall and finished in a time of 22:11 – a more than forty-second improvement from her time at Hammond last season! Junior Adriana Mustin was the fifth finisher and final scorer for the Knights. Mustin followed in her teammate and placed seventeenth overall. She finished in a time of 22:17 – an improvement of more than thirty seconds from her result at Hammond last season!

Rounding out the varsity for the Knights were junior Avery Post and Freshman Kori Lindley. Post placed 23rd overall and finished in a time of 23:06 in her first race on East Ridge’s course. Lindley placed 31st overall and finished in a time of 24:01 in what was also her first race on East Ridge’s course. 

The Knights successfully defended their home course, as they earned the team championship title at Hammond!  The Knights were able to do so, as they placed their five scorers in the top seventeen positions! With their win, East Ridge was able to defeat four 4A District 3 teams, including Windermere, Horizon, Celebration, and Freedom. Windermere High School was the team runner-up, as they placed their five scorers in the top 28 positions.

The Knights also had eight runners participate in the girls’ junior varsity race this morning at the Hammond. Sophomore Jessie Volz took the top individual honors as she defeated 36 other runners in the junior varsity race! She finished in a time of 23:58 – an improvement of more than four minutes from her performance at Hammond last season! Freshman Sara Garzon took third place overall and finished in a time of 24:42 – a new career personal best performance! Sophomore Lexi Whitehead took fourth place and finished in a time of 25:44. Freshman Daniela Garzon finished in fifth place overall and in a time of 26:10 – a new career personal best performance!

Junior Thirsa Cnossen placed tenth overall and finished in a time of 27:33, which enabled her to join her teammates in the junior varsity medal line! Senior Allie McCleary took fifteenth place and finished in a time of 29:45. Sophomore Yeidy Diaz finished in eighteenth place in a time of 30:55 – a near thirty-second improvement from her performance at Hammond last year! Senior J’Mariana Douglass placed nineteenth overall and finished in 31:12.

Scoring and Timing was managed by Khalil Tucker and Godspeed Timing who did a wonderful job in managing the Hammond Invitational.

For full results for the Second SSG Hammond Invitational visit: https://milesplit.live/meets/608461/events. 

The girls cross country team will have their bye week but will be back in action for the FL. Runners Invitational on Saturday, October 5th, which will be held at Holloway Park in Lakeland. The meet managers for the FL. Runners Invitational will be announcing the team placements over the next couple of weeks.

Hosting a cross-country meet is quite an undertaking that involves the efforts of dozens of people to make it successful. Coach Ferrell and Coach Mollett would like to thank the people for their help in making the Second Annual SSG Hammond Invitational a success this weekend!

Thank you to the following parent volunteers: Marcus Mustin, Giovanna Mustin, Angela Foley, Ryan Foley, Stacy Laack, Nanette Whitehead, Brian Whitehead, Jill McCleary, Terrence McCleary, Joel Ertel, Cristy Ertel, Mayleen Lugo, Zaida Vargas, JurJuan Walker, Christine Warren, Jeff Warren, Mike Volz, Sean Parks, Ivy Parks, Amelia Lindley, and John Hall. 

Thank you to the following alumni, alumni parents, community, and student volunteers: Nyomi Mustin, Hansel Lugo, Ethan Laack, Jamie Volz, Tim Hancock, Jeremy Arguelles, SSG Luis Carrasco, SFC Aquawn Alexander, 1LT Joshua Forbes, Willow Parks and the UCF Knight Runners: Darin Hinshaw, Taylor Moler, Carson Scohera, Baily McClain, Simon Gutierrez, Adam Berriz, Nathan Hicks, Nick Porcelli, Ty Burrows, Grace Hernandez, Malik Ghareeb, Taylor Velazquez, McKenna Mock, Teaghan Connolly, and Lauren Vasello.

Thank you to the following staff members: Seth Delaney, Rick Everett, Ty Ensor, Monica Braswell, Brandon Braswell, Lee Fouraker and his Television Production students, John Watson, Olivia Tolson, Jasmin Cruz, Jeseira Cartagena, Sarah Klosterman and her Spirit Club members, Eileen Antmann, Monica Arizpe, Virginia Walker, David Bentz, Julie Robinson-Lueallen, Keith Hunt, and Eric Calabrese.

Thank you to our sponsor – The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Sunshine Chapter out of Orlando, Florida.

The post Foley Leads The Knights To Victory At Home! Recap Of The Second Annual SSG Hammond Invitational appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

The East Ridge High School girls cross country team’s official practices began on Monday, July 29, 2024.  The runners have until mid-August to get themselves ready for their first cross-country meet of the 2024 season.  Many of the runners have committed themselves to East Ridge’s summer conditioning program and those efforts were made to prepare for the challenges of daily afternoon practices and competitive meets.

Last season, the Knights reached unprecedented heights in their individual and team goals.  That historic season resulted in the girls team earning its second district title by winning the Class 4A District 2 Championships last October.  Additionally, last season the girls team advanced to the regional championships – the eighth team in the school’s history to do so. Their third place team finish at the Class 4A Region 1 Championships last season qualified the team for the Class 4A State Championships – making them the third team in the school’s history to do so.  The Knights finished fifth out of thirty-one state-qualified teams last November.  With six of last season’s team’s fastest seven runners returning, this season’s team aims to settle some unfinished business at the state championships this November! The Knights look to charge forward by three-peating as district champions and pursuing a regional and state title.

Leading the Knights’ charge into the upcoming season is a core group of returning athletes. Seniors Hanna Warren and Neelyanis Lugo, juniors Rhyen Foley, Veronica Peterson, and Adriana Mustin, and sophomore Taylor Walker have put forth a champion’s level of effort into their summer conditioning in order to help raise the bar for this season’s team.

Warren, last season’s co-recipient of the team’s breakthrough performance award, recorded the third fastest 5K time in the school’s history with her performance at the regional championships last year!

Peterson, last season’s other co-recipient of the team’s breakthrough performance award, recorded the second fastest 5K time in the school’s history with her performance at the regional championships last year!

Lugo, last season’s recipient of the team’s most improved award, is primed for an even better upcoming senior season!

Walker, whose performances from last season clocked the second fastest time of any East Ridge freshman in the last twelve years, is also primed for a breakthrough year!

Mustin, whose efforts last season landed her as the ninth fastest runner in the school’s history, has also taken on the team’s challenge of pursuing district, regional, and state titles!

Foley, last season’s team MVP, who is coming off stellar indoor and outdoor track seasons, is the reigning fastest girl in the school’s twenty-two year history, and has worked at unprecedented levels to lead her team to its highest goals!

This core group will be joined by a cast of athletes who have also been training hard this summer. Senior J’Mariana Douglas has worked hard throughout the summer, and will help push the team to new levels.

Other returners include juniors Alyssa Schact and Shane George and sophomores Lexi Whitehead and Jessie Volz, who have all put in work this summer to push this team forward. Other returners include sophomores Yeidy Diaz and Nicolly Silva.

The Knights will benefit from some newcomers this season, to include senior Allie McCleary, junior Avery Post, and freshmen Kori Lindley and Jessielys Rosario-Cruz. Post and Lindley, who have impressed their coaches and teammates with their efforts this summer, have proven themselves to be valuable additions to the Knights!

This season the East Ridge Knights will compete in Class 4A Region 2 District 3.  The top eight of twenty-one total teams will advance from the district meet to the regional meet.  Additionally, the top three individual runners who are unattached from qualifying teams will advance to the regional meet. The FHSAA did a lot of reorganization of Class 4A’s regions and districts, and District 3 is a result of that reorganization.  The other teams in the district will include Boone, Celebration, Cypress Creek, Dr. Phillips, Freedom, Harmony, Horizon, Lake Minneola, Lake Nona, Melbourne, Oak Ridge, Olympia, Osceola (Kissimmee), Poinciana, South Lake, St. Cloud, Tohopekaliga, Viera, 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 donate, you can do so at our fundraiser webpage.  Your donations will go to the team’s travel expenses, registration fees, team apparel, and other costs for the team this season.

The Knights will compete in a preseason meet on Saturday, August 17 at 7:30 AM (varsity boys race is first) at the National Training Center in Clermont. See below for the most current cross-country season schedule.

The post East Ridge High School Girls Cross Country 2024 Season Preview appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

October 22, 2022 – Winter Garden, Florida

The East Ridge High School girls’ varsity cross country team participated in the Class 4A District 2 Championships on Saturday morning at West Orange High School. Last season’s district meet was held at the Sterling Sports Complex in Deland. Almost exactly one year ago to the date was last season’s district meet, in which the Knights finished in the unfortunate ninth-team position.  Last season, like this season, the top eight teams at the district meet moved on to the regional championships, and the Knights missed out by one team position. So, last season East Ridge was the first team out, but this season, in a drastic turn of events, East Ridge was the first team in!  The Knights won the district title, making it the first district title in the school’s twenty-one-year history! Additionally, this season’s team became the seventh team in the school’s history to advance to a regional championship meet!

Girls from nineteen different schools competed Saturday morning in the Class 4A District 2 Championships.  The girls’ race went off at 7:30 AM.  For the fifth time this season, freshman Veronica Peterson was the first finisher for the Knights!

Veronica set a new career personal best on Saturday morning with a swift time of 19:52! She placed seventh in a field of 139 varsity female runners!  Veronica’s performance at the district meet broke a nine-year school record! The fastest district performance by a Knight was 20:02, which was set by Anita Green in 2013. Veronica’s performance was also just eight seconds shy of East Ridge High School’s individual 5k record of 19:44, which was set by Kelsey Arellano in 2006. Veronica will have another chance at that record this coming Saturday at the Class 4A Region 1 Championships!

The second Knight to finish was sophomore Hanna Warren. Hanna ran the district course in a career personal best time of 19:58! Her performance has landed her the now new second-best district performance in East Ridge’s twenty-one year history! Hanna placed ninth overall, and joined her teammate in the medal line after such a tremendous performance! Her performance today at the district meet was more than a minute better than her performance at last season’s district meet!  The third Knight to finish was sophomore Madi McCormack. Madi placed nineteenth overall with a new career personal best time of 20:39!  Madi’s district performance was more than a minute improvement from her performance on the same course at the West Orange Invitational nearly one month ago!

The fourth Knight across the finish line was senior Bre Peine. Bre placed 24th overall in a time of 20:50 – which tied her second-best performance of the season! Bre’s district performance this season was nearly two minutes faster than her performance at last season’s district race! The fifth finisher and final scorer for the Knights was freshman Adriana Mustin. Adriana placed 29th overall and finished in a new career personal best time of 21:05! Adriana’s performance at the district meet was more than thirty seconds faster than her performance on the same course at the West Orange Invitational in late September!

Freshman Rhyen Foley was the sixth finisher for East Ridge and she placed 32nd overall and finished in a new career personal best time of 21:15! Rhyen’s district performance was ten-second improvement from her performance on the same course at the West Orange Invitational last month!  The seventh finisher for the Knights was sophomore Neely Lugo who placed 49th overall and finished in a new season personal best time of 22:06! Neely’s district performance was fifteen seconds faster than her performance on this same course last month at the West Orange Invitational!

Junior Lina Maldonado was the eighth finisher for the Knights. She finished in 73rd place and ran a new career personal best with a time of 23:19! Lina’s district performance was nearly a ten second improvement from her performance at the West Orange Invitational earlier this season! Also, Lina also made more than a minute improvement at this season’s district meet from last season’s district meet!  Senior Alanis Melgar was the ninth finisher for the Knights and she placed 86th overall and finished with a new season personal best with a time of 24:04!

Senior Brenna Oliveri was the tenth finisher for the Knights. She placed 103rd overall and ran a new career personal best with a time of 24:32! Brenna’s district performance was nearly 45 seconds faster than her performance at the West Orange Invitational last month! Additionally, Brenna’s district performance this season was more than a minute improvement from her district performance last season!

East Ridge High School took the honors out of sixteen schools that fielded complete teams. The Knights won the district title by placing their five scorers in the top thirty overall positions!  Olympia High School was the runner-up.  Although Olympia placed three of their scorers in the top ten of the race, it was not enough to overcome the Knights. The overall individual winner for the girls’ varsity race was sophomore Emily Knopfle from Olympia High School. Knopfle finished today’s race in a swift time of 19:01. Emily is now the two-time reigning district champion in Class 4A District 2.

The Knights will compete in the Class 4A Region 1 Championships on Saturday, October 29 at Santa Fe State College in Gainesville.  The gun time will be 7:45 am.  This will be the girls team’s first trip back to the regional meet in Gainesville since 2019.

For full results for the Class 4A District 2 girls race visit:https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/505098-fhsaa-4a-district-2-2022/results/858256#.Y1RDVnbMI2w.

The post The East Ridge Girls Cross Country Team Are District Champions For The First Time In School History appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

October 15, 2022, Clermont, Florida

The East Ridge High School Girls cross country team competed in the Lake and Sumter Counties Championships on Saturday morning. No long bus rides for the girls this week, since the county championships were hosted at East Ridge High School. It had been five years since East Ridge High School was the host site for a cross-country meet. So if you know anything about East Ridge’s campus, it has hills, hills, and more hills! Also, the last time there was a high school level Lake and Sumter Counties Championships for cross country was in 2014, which was hosted on the Polo Grounds in the Villages. East Ridge and the other Lake County schools are hopeful to make the county championships an annual event going forward.

Girls from seven different Lake County schools participated in the Lake and Sumter Counties Championships on Saturday.  The varsity girls race started at 8:00 am. The start of the race took the girls across the football field and out of the stadium and onto the grassy and hilly campus of East Ridge. The course ran the perimeter of a lot of the campus, and ascended a large hill affectionately known as the “Green Monster.” Then the course normalized with some flat straightaways, making one big loop around a portion of the campus. The field of runners merged back into the “Green Monster”, but this time to descend it, and re-ran the perimeter, and back into the football stadium, and then finished with an approximately 300M track finish.

For the fourth time this season, freshman Veronica Peterson was the first Knight to cross the finish line!  Veronica finished Saturday’s race in a swift time of 21:18! She placed sixth overall out of a field of 48 varsity female runners! 

Senior Bre Peine was the second Knight to cross the finish line at the county championships! Bre finished in a time of 21:36 and placed eighth overall! Sophomore Hanna Warren followed in her teammate, finishing in ninth place overall. Hanna finished in a swift time of 21:46!

The Knights also secured fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth places, as they worked tirelessly to slay the “Green Monster!” Sophomore Madi McCormack was the fourth scoring Knight at the county championships.  She finished in fifteenth place with a time of 23:02.  The fifth finisher and final scorer for East Ridge was freshman Adriana Mustin. Adriana finished in sixteenth place with a time of 23:06.  The sixth finisher for the Knights was freshman Rhyen Foley.  Rhyen placed seventeenth overall and finished in a time of 23:08. The seventh finisher for the Knights was sophomore Neely Lugo, who placed 23rd overall and finished in a time of 24:33.

Junior Lina Maldonado followed in her teammate, taking 24th place, and finishing in a time of 24:39. Senior Alanis Melgar finished in 29th place in a time of 25:37. Senior Brenna Oliveri finished in 37th place in a time of 26:47. Senior Alexandra Dimitros finished in 47th place in a time of 33:49 – a new season personal best record!

Lake County hosts some of the best performing teams in Central Florida. That made for some stiff competition in the varsity girls race at the county championships!  Mount Dora High School, who was fourth in the FHSAA 2A State Championships last season, won the county championships by placing their five scoring runners in the top fourteen positions. Lake Minneola High School was the team runner up. The Hawks placed their five scoring runners in the top eighteen positions.  The Knights placed third out of four complete scoring teams by placing their five scoring runners in the top sixteen positions.  Tavares High School, who was a 2A state qualifying team last season, took fourth place by placing their five scoring runners in the top 25 positions. The overall individual winner for the girls varsity race was sophomore Hannah Douglas from Mount Dora High School. Douglas, who placed twelfth at the FHSAA 2A State Championships last season, finished today’s race in a time of 19:58!

The Knights also had eight runners participate in the girls junior varsity race this morning at the county championships. Sophomore J’Mariana Douglas placed third out of a field of eighteen junior varsity girls! She finished in a time of 28:04.  Junior Sarah Tingler finished in fourth place overall and in a time of 29:10. Freshman Shane George finished in eighth place in a time of 29:42. Junior Karlie Saintlot finished in ninth place overall and in a time of 30:07. Junior Kayden Page placed tenth overall and finished in a time of 30:39. Sophomore Isabella Stuemke came in thirteenth place and finished in a time of 32:40. Senior Isabella Zamudio finished in fifteenth place in a time of 37:49. Junior Bri Romero finished in eighteenth place in a time of 46:48. 

Scoring and Timing was managed by Kalil Tucker and Godspeed Timing who did a wonderful job in managing the county championships.

For full results for the girls varsity race at the Lake and Sumter Counties Championships visit: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/493630-lake-and-sumter-county-xc-championship-2022/results/853364?type=formatted#.Y0vwfXbMI2w. 

For full results for the girls junior varsity race at the Lake and Sumter Counties Championships visit: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/493630-lake-and-sumter-county-xc-championship-2022/results/853367?type=formatted#.Y0vwsHbMI2w. 

The girls cross country team will travel to Winter Garden on Saturday, October 22nd to compete in the FHSAA 4A District 2 Championships at West Orange High School. The varsity girls race is set to start at 7:30 am.

Hosting a cross country meet is quite an undertaking that involves the efforts of dozens of people to make it successful. Coach Ferrell and Coach Mollett would like to thank the following people for their help in making the county championships a success this weekend!

Thank you to the following parent volunteers: Christine Carroll, Cheryl Degges, Cece Click, Qiana Peterson, Stan Carroll, Jurjuan Walker, Christine Warren, Vernecia Tingler, Kyle Rattray, Stephanie Rattray, Patricia Gonzalez, Stacy Laack, Mr. Laack, Michelle Peine, Tim Peine, Emilee Oliveri, Thomas Oliveri, Mrs. Zamudio, Christine Dimitros, Giovanna Mustin, CPT. Marcus T. Mustin, and Jessi Bori. 

Thank you to the following alumni, alumni parents, and community volunteers: Cassidy Carroll, Alexis Hill, Sean Parks, Jeanette Votava, Jenny Hill, Shane Hill, Tim Hancock, SSG Louis Carrasco, and SSG Alexander Candelaria.

Thank you to the following staff members: Seth Delaney, Al Peterson, Dave Worthington, Rick Everett, Ty Ensor, Monica Donald, Mike Clutter, William Fouraker and his student volunteers, Scott McKenzie, Adam Rubman, Olivia Tolson, Sarah Klosterman and her student volunteers, Eileen Antmann, Monica Arizpe, Keith Hunt, and Raymond Munoz.

The post East Ridge High School Girls Cross Country Team Update appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

October 9, 2021 – Montverde, Florida 

The East Ridge High School girls’ cross country team competed in the Montverde Eagles Invitational at the campus of Montverde Academy on Saturday morning. This was Montverde’s inaugural invitational and the course was a single loop around the beautiful campus.  Comparable to last week’s race at Mount Dora Christian Academy, Montverde’s campus is characterized by hills. Additionally, the course had a grass terrain the entire way.  The start and finish were on one of Montverde Academy’s soccer fields, which was ultimately the only part of the course that was level and stable. In spite of the difficult terrain, the East Ridge girls team ultimately placed third overall at the Montverde Eagles Invitational this morning!

Girls from seven different schools throughout Central Florida participated in the Montverde Eagles Invitational on Saturday.  Arguably the most difficult portion of the course was the first half mile, as the runners ascend a sixty-meter hill once leaving the starting area. However, that did not deter junior Sophie Roemmen, who positioned herself atop the field of runners and raced past the first mile in a time of 6:40.  Sophie held her position throughout the second and third miles, and for the seventh race in a row, she led her team as the first finisher for the Knights.  Sophie took ninth place out of a field of 61 runners! Sophie finished in a time of 22:19. Junior Bre Peine placed fourteenth overall and finished in a time of 22:55. Freshman Hanna Warren secured the seventeenth overall place and finished in a time of 23:20.

Freshman Neely Lugo was the fourth scoring Knight this morning.  She finished in nineteenth place and in a time of 23:34 – about a minute faster than her time last week at Mount Dora Christian Academy’s comparable course.  The fifth finisher and final scorer for East Ridge was senior Keira Votava. Keira finished in 24th place and in a time of 25:34 – about a thirty-second improvement from her performance last week at MDCA. The sixth finisher for the Knights was sophomore Sarah Tingler, who placed 29th overall and finished in a time of 26:22 in her debut as a varsity runner – just ten seconds off her season-best. The seventh finisher for the Knights was sophomore Lina Maldonado. Lina finished in 36th place in a time of 27:41 in her return race after a midseason injury.

 East Ridge had eight remaining runners who participated in the varsity race this morning. Freshman J’Mariana Douglas placed 39th overall and finished in a time of 28:29.  Sophomore Brittni Faber placed 42nd overall and finished in a time of 29:17.  Freshman Isabella Stuemke placed 45th overall and finished in a time of 29:23. Isabella’s teammate, junior Brenna Oliveri, followed her in and finished in 46th place in a time of 29:24. Sophomore Kayden Page placed 48th overall and finished in a time of 30:09. Junior Alexandra Dimitros placed 55th overall and finished in a time of 34:03. Sophomore Karlie Saint Lot placed 59th and finished in a time of 34:47 and Sophomore Brianna Romero placed 61st in a time of 45:14.

East Ridge High School placed third among six complete teams at Montverde. Circle Christian School won the Montverde Eagles Invitational by placing five runners in the top ten.  The host school, Montverde Academy, was the runner-up, as they placed five runners in the top twenty.  The Knights were able to outdo district rival Oviedo High School at Montverde. The overall individual winner for the girls’ varsity race was sophomore Michelle Smith from Montverde Academy. Smith finished today’s race in a time of 20:48.

 For full results for the girls race at the Montverde Eagles Invitational visit: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/437725-montverde-eagles-xc-invitational-2021/results/771809#.YWHaXrhKg2x.

The girls’ cross country team will compete in the Trinity Prep Wednesday Invite on Wednesday, October 13th at the Trinity Prep’s campus in Winter Park. The girls’ varsity race is set to start at 5:00 pm.

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Saint Cloud – September 11, 2021

The East Ridge High School girls’ cross country team competed in the St. Cloud Invitational Meet at St. Cloud High School on Saturday morning. It was a sunny morning and the temperature held steady at about 75 degrees. The course, which was mostly on the athletic fields at St. Cloud High School, was muddy from a late-night hail storm that happened on Friday night.  The course was mostly flat and it took the runners for two campus laps that included them circling a pond and running through a small wooded area at the back of the campus.  The Knights had competed at St. Cloud last season in a much smaller meet, as the number of teams were limited due to Covid19 restrictions. Last season East Ridge placed fifth out of seven teams.  This year, the meet was much larger and the East Ridge girls’ varsity team placed tenth out of twenty complete teams at St. Cloud today.

Girls from 32 different schools throughout Central Florida participated in this morning’s meet.  The varsity girls’ race started after the varsity boys’ race ended for a change.  So at 8:00 am, the girls were off across the large starting area of St. Cloud High School’s muddy practice football field.  The first Knight to cross the finish line, which was on the school’s game field, was junior Sophie Roemmen. 

Sophie, who has led the Knights in the first three meets of the season, finished in a time of 21:13! Sophie placed 25th overall out of a field of 160 varsity female runners!  Today’s performance was a season-best by six seconds for Sophie!

Freshman Hanna Warren and junior Bre Peine made their way around the track and onto the football field pushing hard to approach the finish line. Hanna finished just one second in front of her teammate and claimed the 46th position in a time of 22:28.  

Bre finished in 47th place in a time of 22:29 – a season-best by fifteen seconds and a near two-minute improvement from her performance at St. Cloud last season!

Freshman Neely Lugo was the fourth Knight to cross the finish line this morning.  She finished in 64th place and at a time of 23:04.  The fifth finisher and final scorer for East Ridge was senior Keira Votava.

Keira finished in 102nd place and in a time of 25:24 – an improvement of more than a minute and a half from last season’s performance at St. Cloud. 

The sixth finisher for the Knights was sophomore Lina Maldonado.  Lina, in her varsity debut, placed 110th overall and posted a time of 26:04. Her performance this week was nearly a minute improvement from her performance last week! 

The seventh finisher for the Knights was freshman J’Mariana Douglas who finished in 123rd place and in a time of 27:19.

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Winter Garden – For the second year in a row, East Ridge girls cross country team is heading to the regional meet for the second year in a row!

The East Ridge High School girls varsity cross country team participated in the Class 4A District 2 Championships on Saturday morning at West Orange High School. West Orange High School has played host to the district meet for the past three years.  Exactly one year ago to the day was last season’s district meet, in which the Knights were the district runner up.  This year the girls’ team participated in a more competitive district with more teams.  The Knights secured seventh place in the team scoring, and became the sixth team in the school’s eighteen-year history to advance to a regional meet!

Girls from 17 different schools throughout Central Florida competed in the Class 4A District 2 Championships on Saturday morning.  Senior Reagan Parks led the Knights as she competed with the other elite runners in Central Florida. In the first mile, Reagan was spotted in seventh place, as she passed the first-mile marker.  Round the second mile marker, Reagan’s position fell to ninth.  As she passed the third-mile marker, Reagan had fallen to tenth place but had opponents from Spruce Creek and Flagler Palm Coast within striking distance.  Reagan made her move on the second to last turn, and out-sprinted her opponents to secure eighth place in a field of 108 runners!  She finished in a time of 20:40, which was a ten-second improvement from her performance at the district race last season.

The second Knight through the chute was freshman Bre Peine.  Bre finished in 38^th place and set a new season personal best almost an entire minute. Bre’s performance at the district meet after coming back from a foot injury was key in the team’s success in qualifying for the regional meet.

Junior Mackenzie Hill was the third Knight to cross the finish line Saturday morning.  Mackenzie placed 42^nd overall in a finish time of 22:58.  The fourth Knight to finish was junior Olivia Peine.  Olivia followed her teammate in, placed 43^rd overall, and finished in a time of 22:59 – a season personal best time!  The fifth runner for the Knights was junior Mia Vogel-Lag.  Mia placed 59^th and finished in a time of 23:32.  Freshman Alanis Melgar was the sixth runner for East Ridge on Saturday morning.  Alanis placed 62^nd and finished in a time of 23:47 – a new personal best time by one second!  Junior Heidy Castillo was the seventh runner in for East Ridge, and she finished in a time of 24:41 and secured the 69^th position overall.  The eighth runner to finish for the Knights was sophomore Peppa Marin.  Peppa set a new career personal best with a finish time of 25:50!  Also, sophomore Mansi Patel, who was the ninth runner for East Ridge, set a new career personal best time of 26:31! Mansi finished in 93^rd place.

East Ridge placed seventh as a team at the district meet.  Oviedo High School took first place in the district by placing four girls in the top twelve. The overall winner for the girls’ varsity race was senior Ariana Jiminez from Apopka High School. Ariana finished the race in a time of 18:58.

The girls will compete in the Class 4A Region 1 meet on Saturday, November 2 at Santa Fe State College in Gainesville.  The gun time will be 8:00 am.  This will be the second time in the school’s history where the girls’ team qualified for regionals in back-to-back years.

The last time a girls team qualified two consecutive years was in 2007 and 2008.

For full results from the Class 4A District 2 Championships visit http://elitetiming.net/live-results/2019/20191026-4ad2/.

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The West Orange Invitational has become one of the largest and most competitive cross country events in Central Florida.  For ten of the teams that participated in it today, the Invitational served as a preview to next month’s Class 4A District 2 Championships.

In just five weeks, the district championship will be held at the campus of West Orange High School, and only ten of the seventeen teams in that district will qualify for the Class 4A Region 2 Championships.  The East Ridge High School girls cross country team has a lot of experience with West Orange’s course, as they have participated in two district and two invitational meets on that campus over the last four years.  As expected, the Knights used this morning’s meet as a means to prepare for the district meet at the end of October.   The morning was cool and breezy, as the temperature was gauged at 69 degrees at the start of the varsity girls race – a reprieve from typically warmer temperatures in September.

Girls from more than thirty different schools predominantly from central Florida competed in the West Orange Invitational this morning.  The meet official fired the starter pistol promptly at 7:30 am, and the girls were off and running.  Senior Reagan Parks was the first Knight to cross the finish line.  Reagan placed eleventh in a field of 215 varsity female runners.

Additionally, Reagan set a personal course best by more than twenty seconds with a finish time of 20:10.  At merely one second off from her career personal best, only one other female runner in District 2 ran a faster time this morning.  The second Knight to finish was junior Mackenzie Hill. Mackenzie ran her best performance of the season thus far in order to help her team fend off the district competition. She finished in 30^th place in a time of 21:20. Last year Mackenzie finished the district meet on West Orange’s course in 22:21.

The third Knight to finish was junior Olivia Peine.  Olivia placed 80^th overall and finished the morning’s race in a time of 23:04 – another season personal best for the third consecutive week.  The fourth runner for the Knights was freshman Alanis Melgar.  Alanis placed 104^th overall and posted a career personal best time of 23:48.  She has improved her time each week this season, and looks to continue her progress in remaining weeks of the season!  The fifth runner for the girls’ varsity team was junior Heidy Castillo.  Heidy placed 135^th in a finish time of 25:24 to round out the Knights’ scoring positions. Heidy’s time from this morning was just one second shy of her career personal best performance.  Junior Caitlyn Cavender finished sixth for the Knights. She placed 169^th in a time of 27:07.

The East Ridge girls team also had four runners participate in the junior varsity this morning.  Junior Mia Vogel-Lag placed nineteenth in a field of 159 junior varsity runners and finished in a time of 24:48.  Freshman Bre Peine debuted for the Knights and finished in 45^th place, and in a time of 26:46. Sophomore “Peppa” Marin finished in 94^th place, and in a time of 29:06.  Lastly, sophomore Mansi Patel finished in 117^thplace, and in a time of 30:49.

As a team, the East Ridge girls varsity placed tenth out of thirty scoring teams. The Knights were able to edge out seven district rivals and fell short to just two district rivals.  Timber Creek High School took first place by placing their first four finishers in the top twenty.  The individual champion at the West Orange Invitational this morning was sophomore Amber Schulz of Timber Creek High School.  Amber finished in a swift time of 18:29.   East Ridge’s girls cross country team will compete in the Weeki Wachee Invitational at the Weeki Wachee Preserve in Hernando Beach on Saturday, September 28^th.

For full results from the West Orange Invitational visit http://elitetiming.net/live-results/2019/20190921-wo/?fbclid=IwAR3rF7ms9SUEIlrH3t5p8Nl5ErcQNHKur-Y1v2PxGgbokc4xc4rj8ce9BgU.

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 On Saturday morning the East Ridge High School girls cross country team traveled to the Space Coast to compete in the 47^th annual Astronaut Invitational at the Chain of Lakes Park in Titusville, Florida. The wetlands of Chain of Lakes did not produce any issues with bees or yellow jackets, but if one looked out at the pond one would have seen some alligators with their heads slightly emerged from the pond.  Upon arrival in Titusville, the temperature sat at a cool 70 degrees, but by the time of the awards assembly a few hours later, the temperature had climbed to 85 degrees.  The morning teased the runners with a hint of fall temperatures but quickly transitioned to late summer temperatures.

Girls from 38 different schools throughout Eastern and Central Florida participated in this morning’s meet.  For a change, the boys’ varsity race was first, so the girls’ varsity race did not start until 8:00 am.  East Ridge’s first runner across the finish line was senior Reagan Parks.  Reagan has run this course three out of her four years in high school.  Her first run at Chain of Lakes was when she was a freshman, and she placed 243^rd out of 286 female runners in a time of 29:08.  Last year, Reagan finished in 21:40 and placed 33^rd out of a field of 254 female runners.  Reagan’s performance this morning blew away even last year’s performance, as she finished in a career personal best time of 20:09 and placed 8^thout of a field of 293 female runners! Reagan’s new career personal best time leaves only two girls in East Ridge’s eighteen-year history to have faster 5K times.

Junior Mackenzie Hill came through the finish chute second for the Knights.  Mackenzie improved by four seconds from her 2018 Astronaut Invitational finish time, as she finished in a time of 22:37.  Mackenzie finished in 66^th place this morning.

The third Knight to finish was junior Olivia Peine.  Olivia finished in 97^th place in a season personal best time of 23:29.  Olivia’s performance was more than a minute faster than her performance at the Astronaut Invitational last season.  Junior Mia Vogel-Lag was the fourth scorer for the varsity team this morning.  The Norwegian exchange student placed 125^th and came across the line in a time of 24:16 in her first race as an East Ridge Knight.  The fifth runner for the Knights was freshman Alanis Melgar.  Alanis placed 150^thand posted yet another career personal best time of 25:00.  Junior Caitlyn Cavender was the sixth runner for East Ridge this morning.  Caitlyn placed 199^th and finished in a season personal best time of 26:19.  Junior Heidy Castillo was the seventh Knight to finish the race, and she placed 233^rd overall in a time of 27:32.

The East Ridge Knights also had one participant in the girls’ junior varsity race this morning.  Sophomore Mansi Patel finished in 93^rd place in a field 189 junior varsity female runners.  Mansi finished in a career personal best time of 30:21.

As a team, the East Ridge girls placed twelfth out of 38 schools that fielded complete teams. East Ridge was able to edge out district rivals Hagerty, Lake Howell, West Orange, and University (Orange City) high schools this morning.  Additionally, the Knights were able to out-perform their cross-town rival Lake Minneola High School, who finished fifteenth overall.  East Ridge was not quite able to keep the pace with Oviedo and Lake Mary, two other district rivals who placed fourth and fifth overall, respectively.  Father Lopez took first overall in the team scores by placing three girls in the top ten.  This year’s Astronaut Invitational overall winner for the girls’ varsity race was sophomore Amber Schulz from Timber Creek High School. Amber successfully defended her title, as she won the Invitational last year.  This morning she finished the race in a speedy time of 18:59.

The girls cross country team will participate in the Early Hawk Invitational on Saturday, September 14 at Lake Minneola High School.

For full results from the 47^th Annual Astronaut Invitational visit http://elitetiming.net/live-results/2019/20190907-ast/#event1.

Pictures courtesy of Grant Mollett & Team

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