by Grant Mollett, East Ridge High School
Photos by Dave Worthington.
The East Ridge High School girls’ cross country team did not have to travel far for this week’s race. This week’s race was the Hawks on the Hill Invitational, hosted by Lake Minneola High School. This morning’s weather, with its cool breeze and overcast skies, made for a delightful morning for a cross country meet, and the girls were eager to set some season records – and a few sprinkled in some career personal best performances! It had been three years since the Knights had participated in the Hawks on the Hill Invitational. Only three current runners were on that 2019 team, so for most of the Knights, this was their first race at Lake Minneola High School!
Girls from more than 18 different schools throughout Central Florida participated in this morning’s meet. The starter’s pistol went off at 7:30 am, and the large field of girls ran across the athletic fields of Lake Minneola’s campus. Senior Bre Peine was East Ridge’s first runner to come across the finish line. Three years ago at this race, Bre was a freshman who was three weeks into recovering from an injury. Back then she cheered her older sister and her other teammates on while she was confined to an orthopedic boot. However, today
it was Bre who was hearing the cheers from everyone else! She finished in a swift time of 20:50 – a career personal best performance! Bre placed eighth out of a field of 105 varsity female runners! Bre’s performance today was the second-best performance by an East Ridge runner at the Hawks on the Hill Invitational! The current fastest performance is held by Anita Green who ran this course in a swift time of 20:42 in 2014. Freshman Veronica Peterson came through the finish chute second for the Knights! Veronica charged in one second behind her teammate, securing a new season/career personal best performance of 20:51! She placed ninth overall and was able to join her teammate in the medal line during the awards ceremony! Veronica now holds the third fastest time for an East Ridge runner at the Hawks on the Hill Invitational!
The third Knight to finish was sophomore Hanna Warren. Hanna finished in 23rd place with a finish time of 21:58 – a new season-best performance by more than twenty seconds! Freshman Rhyen Foley was the fourth scorer for the varsity team this morning. She placed 25th and came across the line in a time of 22:07. Rhyen’s performance this morning was a new season/career personal best result! The fifth runner and final scorer for the Knights was sophomore Madi McCormack. Madi placed 33rd overall and posted a time of 22:53, which was a season/career personal best by one second!
Freshman Adriana Mustin, in her debut on the varsity team, was the sixth finisher for East Ridge this morning. Adriana followed in her teammate, placing 34th overall and finishing with a new career/season-best performance in a time of 22:57! Sophomore Neely Lugo was the seventh finisher for the Knights. She placed 36th overall and finished in a time of 23:14 – a new season-high performance by more than one minute! Senior Alanis Melgar was the eighth finisher on the varsity this morning. Alanis finished in 49th place and in a time of 24:18 – beating her time as a freshman on this course from 2019, and setting a season-best performance! The ninth finisher for East Ridge was junior Lina Maldonado. Lina placed 51st overall and finished in a time of 24:28, which tied her career personal best time that she set last year at the district meet, but set a new season best performance! The tenth finisher for the Knights was sophomore J’Mariana Douglas. J’Mariana finished in 76th place with a time of 27:11.
In a morning characterized by four career personal best performances and five season’s best performances, the varsity team placed fourth out of thirteen complete teams at the Hawks on the Hill Invitational. East Ridge was edged out by its crosstown rival, Lake Minneola, but was able to fend off district rivals Windermere High School and Ocoee High School, who placed sixth and tenth overall, respectively. Cambridge Christian, out of Tampa, took first overall in the team scores by placing four girls in the top ten. Cambridge was the FHSAA 1A state champion last season. The overall winner for the girls’ varsity race was freshman Eliana Black from Cambridge Christian. Eliana finished the race in a swift time of 17:20.
The East Ridge Knights also had nine participants in the girls’ junior varsity race this morning. Junior Maja Stjernstrom was the individual champion in the girls’ junior varsity race! Maja defeated 49 other girls as she finished in a swift time of 24:11 in her second race of the season! She also set a new career/season personal best by over a minute from two weeks ago! Junior Sarah Tingler, the second finisher for the Knights, placed sixth overall, and finished in a time of 26:41. The third runner in was junior Brittni Faber who placed tenth overall, and finished in a time of 27:38. Senior Brenna Oliveri was the fourth finisher for the Knights. Brenna placed eleventh overall and finished in a time of 27:45. Freshman Shane George was the fifth and final scorer for the junior varsity team this morning. She placed fourteenth overall and finished in a time of 28:55 – a new career/season personal best performance by over a minute-and-a-half!
Junior Karlie Saintlot was the sixth finisher for the Knights. Karlie placed twentieth overall and finished in a time of 30:07 – a new career personal best performance by over a minute-and-a-half! Sophomore Isabella Stuemke was the seventh finisher for East Ridge. Isabella placed 22nd overall and finished in a time of 30:31. Senior Alexandra Dimitros placed 39th overall and finished in a time of 35:13 – a new season best performance! Junior Bri Romero placed 44th overall and finished in a time of 38:53 – a new career personal best performance by more than a minute-and-a-half!
East Ridge’s junior varsity team claimed its third team championship of the season with its victory at Minneola today! They were able to take top honors by placing three runners in the top ten! East Ridge defeated five other complete teams to secure their victory!
The girls cross country team will participate in the CHS Bears Invitational on Saturday, September 17 at Central Brooksville High School in Brooksville, Florida.
For full varsity results from the Hawks on the Hill Invitational visit: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/474356-12th-annual-hawks-on-the-hill-invitational-2022/results/831566#.Yxz_nnbMI2w.
For full junior varsity results from the Hawks on the Hill Invitational visit: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/474356-12th-annual-hawks-on-the-hill-invitational-2022/results/831569?type=formatted#.Yxz_w3bMI2w.
