Leon senior and Stanford commit Koon just misses own Apalachee course record with 14:50.4 effort, Belen Jesuit Prep has four athletes in top 10 to prevail with 38 points; Lake Highland Prep seventh-grader Tomasic triumphs in girls elite race in 17:35.5, with Bishop Kenny taking team title 

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

Nearly 4,000 cross country runners gathered in Florida’s state capital of Tallahassee and Apalachee Regional Park this weekend for the FSU Invitational/Pre-State. It provided a great showcase for the state’s fastest individuals and teams, highlighted Saturday by the elite boys and girls races.

RESULTS

Koon-Ruiz Showdown Delivers High-Octane Drama

In the Boys Elite 5-kilometer race, all eyes were on Leon High senior and Stanford-bound Patrick Koon and his matchup with Belen Jesuit Prep senior and University of Florida commit Joshua Ruiz.

Koon, who competed in smaller meets leading up to Saturday, came in as the two-time defending champion and held the course record of 14:50.0.

Ruiz was fresh off achieving the fastest 5-kilometer cross country performance in state history with his 14:38.79 effort Sept. 16 at the Southern Showcase at John Hunt Park in Alabama.

Koon made an impressive move in the final mile and never looked back, achieving a three-peat in 14:50.4.

At the mile mark, it was a large pack of athletes including Koon and Ruiz, with 4:45 on the clock and a group of 14 other competitors all within three seconds.

Koon, who trained for three weeks during the summer at elevation in Flagstaff, Ariz., took the lead at the 2-kilometer mark, but Ruiz stayed right there with him.

They were followed by Marcelo Mantecon, the talented freshman from Belen Jesuit, Matt Ryan of Nease, the defending 4A cross country champion, and David Serra, a Wake Forest commit from Ransom Everglades and last year’s 2A runner-up.

Two miles in, Ruiz came through at 9:32.8 and Koon 9:32.9. But at the 4-kilometer mark, Koon opened up and pulled away, finishing just shy of his course record.

Ruiz clocked 14:59.6, third all-time on the Apalachee Regional Park course list, with Ryan right behind him in 15:00.9 to improve to No. 4 all-time.

Belen Jesuit extended its Pre-State winning streak to six in a row, with the program’s seventh victory at Apalachee Regional Park, and ninth in meet history.

The Wolverines scored 38 points and boasted a team average of 15:26.34, placing four runners in the top 10.

Mantecon finished fourth in 15:10.2, Justin Ruiz took ninth in 15:33.6 and Joseph Ruiz placed 10th in 15:34.7. Evan Torres completed the scoring for Belen Jesuit, achieving 21st in 15:53.6.

Brother Martin from New Orleans and Nease finished second and third, respectively, with 124 and 148 points.

Young Phenom Tomasic Steals the Show

The Girls Elite 5-kilometer race boasted eight runners who had dipped under 18 minutes heading into the weekend.

Seventh-grade standout Annabella Tomasic of Lake Highland Prep pulled away from the field in the final kilometer to emerge victorious in 17 minutes, 35.5 seconds.

Tomasic guided the lead group of five runners through the mile mark in 5:25.0. She was followed by Ashley Fitzgerald of American Heritage, a University of Florida commit who came in as the top returner after finishing runner-up in 2022. Addison Dempsey from Cardinal Mooney, Caroline Couch of Maclay, Mackenzie De Lisle from Bishop Verot, and Creekside’s Alyson Johnson were all within two seconds of Tomasic.

Couch tried to hang on through two miles, but the group of six began to dwindle to five. Dempsey led entering the final mile at 11:14.5, with Tomasic clocking 11:14.7, in addition to Johnson (11:16.5), De Lisle (11:17.8) and Fitzgerald hanging on at 11:18.5, as they came over the Seminole trailhead logo and the spectator viewing area.

As they approached the famous hill known as “The Wall” it was Dempsey, the Cardinal Mooney senior and last year's 2A state runner-up who finished third at last week's adidas XC Challenge with a personal-best 17:20.2, maintaining the lead. Tomasic and Johnson weren’t far behind.

But when they emerged, it was Tomasic who took the lead, coming away with a massive win. Tomasic’s time ranks as the 15th-fastest ever by a prep athlete on the Apalachee Regional Park course.

Fitzgerald passed both Johnson and Dempsey in the final straightaway to equal her second-place performance of a year ago in 17:39.9. Dempsey (17:41.4), Johnson (17:49.3), and De Lisle (17:52.6) rounded out the top five.

In a tightly contested team race, the Bishop Kenny girls won with 100 points and a 19:18.34 team average. Senior Emily Wheldon (14th, 18:55.80) was the top finisher for the Crusaders, who placed their top six athletes among the first 40 finishers.

Ponte Vedra, which had three competitors place in the top 12, finished second with 149 points, with perennial power Bolles School edging Maclay 174-177 for third.