Article by Grant Mollett, East Ridge High School
pictures taken by Dave Worthington.
October 2, 2021 – Mount Dora, Florida
The East Ridge High School girls’ cross country team competed in the Mount Dora Christian Academy Run for the Hills Invitational on Saturday morning. It had been since August of 2019 that the team had competed at MDCA and tested the hills of Mount Dora. Affectionately named “Heartbreak” and “Agony,” the hills of MDCA’s cross country course make for one of the most challenging courses in all of central Florida. Runners have to look beyond the realization that they’re probably not going to set season-best times at MDCA. Rather, they have to embrace the tests of strength and endurance that is the MDCA course. With less than a month out from the district meet, the East Ridge girls looked strong as they placed third at MDCA!
Girls from fourteen different schools and running clubs throughout Central Florida participated in the MDCA Run for the Hills Invitational on Saturday. The varsity girls race started at 8:00 AM. The start of the race took the girls across MDCA’s football field, which is nestled within the valley of the surrounding hills. Then, the course took the runners for two loops around the MDCA’s campus, which included a small wooded area and two of the most difficult hills that runners face in a given cross country season. Since the course is a two-loop course, the girls hit “Heartbreak” and “Agony” twice!
For the sixth race in a row, junior Sophie Roemmen has been the first Knight to cross the finish line! Sophie did not let the hills get the best of her, as she swiftly moved through the course. Beyond the hills, Sophie and the Knights had steep competition from the opposing teams. However, Sophie was able to secure sixth place out of a field of 76 varsity female runners! Sophie finished in a time of 22:18 – the third-fastest time by an East Ridge Knight over the past six years!
Junior Bre Peine, who worked tirelessly this past week at practices, was the second finisher for the Knights. In 2019, when the Knights last competed at MDCA, Bre had been sidelined due to an injury. But in her first time running at MDCA, Bre placed ninth overall and finished in a time of 22:48 – the fifth-fastest time at MDCA set by a Knight since 2016!
Freshman Hanna Warren followed in her teammate to secure the tenth overall place! Hanna finished in a swift time of 22:50!
Freshman Neely Lugo was the fourth scoring Knight this morning. She finished in 27th place and in a time of 24:40.
The fifth finisher and final scorer for East Ridge was senior Keira Votava. Keira finished in 34th place and at a time of 26:04.
The sixth finisher for the Knights was freshman J’Mariana Douglas, who placed 39th overall and finished in a time of 26:24.
The seventh finisher for the Knights was junior Brenna Oliveri. Brenna finished in 43rd place in a time of 28:24 in her first varsity race!
East Ridge High School placed third among nine complete teams at MDCA. Tavares High School won the MDCA Run for the Hills Invitational by placing four runners in the top sixteen. District rival, Evans High School, was the runner-up, as they won the tiebreaker against the Knights. Both East Ridge and Evans teams’ scores totaled 65 points. In cross country, team scores equal the sum of a team’s first five runners’ finishing positions after unattached individual scoring adjustments are made by the timers and scoring managers. In the event of a tie between two teams, as in the case with Saturday’s meet, the tiebreaker is determined by the finishing positions of both teams’ sixth finishing runners. Evans’ sixth team finisher placed 28th overall, while East Ridge’s sixth-team finisher placed 39th overall. However, the Knights were able to outdo district rival Lake Brantley High School at MDCA. The overall individual winner for the girls’ varsity race was sophomore Ava Wyant from The Master’s Academy. Wyant finished today’s race in a swift time of 19:58.
The Knights also had six runners participate in the girls’ junior varsity race this morning at MDCA. Freshman Isabella Stuemke placed third out of a field of 22 junior varsity girls. She finished in a time of 27:37. Sophomore Sarah Tingler finished in fourth place at a time of 27:58. Sophomore Brittni Faber finished in fifth place overall and in a time of 28:37. Junior Alexandra Dimitros came in seventeenth place and finished in a time of 34:39. Junior Isabella Zamudio finished in 21st place in a time of 41:21 and sophomore Brianna Romero finished in 22nd place in a time of 43:27 – a new season-best performance!
Online results were not available at the time of this recap’s publication.
The girls’ cross country team will compete in the Montverde Academy Invitational on Saturday, October 9th at the Montverde Academy’s campus. The race is set to start at 8:00 AM.
