It was another exciting week at the races (or should I say race) this weekend. All the Big Bend area teams as well as numerous squads from across Florida rolled into Eden Field early Saturday morning, ready to run the world famous (or at least locally renowned) FSU Invitational. 
After the college races concluded, the high school boys took off. The field in the boys’ race was definitely one of the most competitive I have ever seen. Forty-one boys broke seventeen minutes! Leading the pack was Derek Wehunt, from Sickles, with a time of 15:40. Close behind was Connor Revord, of Tampa Jesuit, with a time of 15:51. Out of the Big Bend participants, Matt Mizereck of Leon led the way with a 16:31. Close behind was teammate, Will Stanford with a time of 16:32. Also with a time of 16:32, Patrick Swain, of Maclay, barely edged out Whitney Strickland, of North Florida Christian, for the title of third Big Bend finisher. Overall, Tampa Jesuit took home first place, with Sickles and Holy Trinity taking second and third respectively. Leon led the local charge with a fourth place finish, Maclay took twelfth, and Chiles took sixteenth. 

On the girls’ side, an equally exhilarating battle was fought. Taking first place was Maclay’s Jana Stolting, with a time of 18:12 (I enjoy referring to myself in the third person). In second was Kayla Hale of Holy Trinity with a time of 18:33. The two freshmen phenoms of Chiles, Carly Thomas and Lilly Williams, took third and fourth respectively. Thomas ran an 18:49 and Lilly was close behind in 18:52. Chiles easily took the overall title (four of their top five placed in the top ten!), and they were followed by Holy Trinity and Wharton. Maclay squeezed in ahead of Leon this week to take ninth. Leon took thirteenth.

What a great weekend of running! Congratulations to all the participants in the races and thank you to all the terrific volunteers, who made this crowded meet run like clockwork. Hopefully not all the meets will run this perfectly, or I won’t have any crazy stories to report on!