St. Brendan notches school-best second in cross-country

By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic

• See also: Belen Jesuit takes 13th state cross-country title
• Look for separate stories to come on football championship runs for Chaminade-Madonna, St. Thomas Aquinas and Cardinal Gibbons.

TALLAHASSEE | Emma Hencock took fifth place in the girls Class 2A cross-country state finals Nov. 12, 2021, guiding the St. Brendan Sabres to a school-best second-place finish. The Sabres, who qualified only one runner last year, improved on their previous-best finish of sixth place at the 2017 Class 2A meet.

St. Thomas Aquinas and Lourdes finished third and fourth, respectively at the 3A girls cross-country meet, while Columbus’ boys took fourth in the 4A cross-country meet.

Archbishop McCarthy took two top-four golf finishes in the 2A golf championships. The Mavericks’ girls took third, while the boys took fourth.

 

CROSS COUNTRY

Hencock, who was the lone runner last year, continued her gradual improvement. After finishing 18th in 2019 and sixth last year, she climbed up to fifth in 18 minutes, 46.2 seconds.

Jillian Candelino won the individual race in 17:53.2, leading Bolles to their state-record 13th state title with 56 points. Bolles had five runners in the top 29, while no others had more than three. Cardinal Gibbons took 17th with 405 points.

St. Brendan coach Brandon Williams, who joined the team last year after graduating from Florida Southern College and qualifying for state twice as a runner at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Hollywood, said Hencock has had remarkable improvement, progressing from personal records (PR) of 19:10 to her personal record at state.

“It was weird due to COVID that I took over halfway through (last) season. Since then, she does everything right,” Williams said. “She comes to all the practices, and when she can’t make practice, she gets her runs in. She pushes hard in workouts.

“She’s open to race strategy. When I recommend something, she does it. That showed in last year’s track season, where she had large PRs in the 1,600, 3,200 and 800-meter races. Her original goal this year was to run 18:45-18:50. Then she ended up at regional running an 18:39. She works super hard, but she makes sure she gets her rest. She has one more year left. I’m hoping for big things.”

Williams said the key to the Sabres’ reaching the podium at state was setting the goal of a regional championship. He said the team realized they could reach that goal when they started beating Gulliver Prep regularly at pre-district meets.

He said the Sabres had never won region, putting in a string of district championships in 2016-19. “I went into the season telling the girls I want the goal to be winning the regional meet. Once it seemed that goal was attainable, then we started looking at, ‘Hey, we have a chance to get a podium finish (at state).’”

Williams said the entire top seven had massive improvements. Freshman Gabriela Page, who finished 20th overall in 19:31.5, set personal records at every race this year. Sophomore Kaycie Aquilino, who ended her freshman year running 21-minute 5Ks, took 30th in 19:42.6. Junior Daniela Alvarez, who finished 57th in 2019 but did not qualify last year, set back-to-back personal records. She ran 19:52 at regionals, then took 30th at state in 19:46.4.

Williams said the biggest improvement came in the fifth, sixth and seventh spots on the team – all seniors. Andrea Andino took 109th in 21:30.3, Leila Gonzalez took 113th in 21:35.7 and Rachel Fernandez took 132nd in 21:53.6.

“At the beginning, our biggest weakness was the 1-to-5 gap,” Williams said. “Runners 1-2-3-4 were solid, all 19 (minutes) or 20 (minutes) for 5K; at the beginning runners 5-6-7 were running 23-25 (minutes) for 5K. The three girls making my states team all banded together, pushing each other in workouts, getting runs in when they couldn’t make practices. By the time they ran regionals and state, they all ran 21:30-21:50, a super close pack. Them closing that gap was one of the big things that led to our runner-up performance.”

Cardinal Gibbons was led by junior Sydney Sinclair’s 35th-best 19:59.4. The Chiefs also credited junior Emily Baldwin’s 66th-best 20:39.2; senior Isabella Dugarte’s 21:42.6; freshman Sophia Santi’s 121st-best 21:44.5; and freshman Peyton Owens’ 127th-best 21:49.0. The Chiefs also got a 141st-best 22:00.7 from Nicole Mayo and a 153rd-best 22:30.6 from Cheyenne Burns.

In the Class 1A girls race, Chaminade-Madonna freshman Kashia Hoo was 91st in 22:20.0.

In the Class 4A boys, 2020 champion Columbus was fourth with 184 points. Viera, the 2020 runner-up, won with 104 points, beating St. Johns Creekside on a tiebreaker. St. Johns Bartram Trail was third with 143 points.

Columbus was led by sophomore Alejandor Romagosa’s 25th-best 16:22.3. Junior teammate Giovanni Armas took 37th in 16:32.7, while the Explorers also scored freshman Anthony Scarcello’s 45th-best 16:39.0; junior Marc Dabby’s 46th-best 16:39.5 and senior Marcus Mata’s 65th-best 16:58.0. Columbus also received senior Nicholas Ivonnet’s 66th-best 17:00.5 and sophomore Danny Garcia’s 72nd-best 17:04.1.

In the Class 3A girls, St. Thomas Aquinas finished third with 191 points, while Our Lady of Lourdes took fourth with 212 points. Ponte Vedra won the championship with 114 points, followed by Seminole Osceola’s 130.

Lourdes junior Olivia Fraga had the best archdiocesan finish, taking sixth in 18:39.7 for the Bobcats. State record-holder Caroline Wells of Winter Springs, a Stanford commitment, won in 16:56.6. Freshman Grace Finneran led St. Thomas Aquinas with a 12th-best 18:59.6.

The Raiders also scored sophomore Lindsey Duffner’s 23rd-best 19:43.0; freshman Zoei Giacobbe’s 31st best 19:57.6; freshman Amanda Edwards Vazquez’s 74th-best 20:39.1; and senior Faith Wallace’s 80th-best 20:42.3. St. Thomas Aquinas also received sophomore Emily DuQuesnay’s 157th-best 22:10.5 and senior Isabella Serrano’s 160th-best 22:14.9.

The Bobcats also scored freshman Olivia Rodriguez’s 18th-best 19:29.7;esenior Johanna Diez’s 19th-bestw 19:30.1; sophomore Andrea Comas’ 87th-best 20:48.7; and junior Paola Garcia’s 113th-best 21:12.9. Lourdes also received senior Sofi Martinez’s 118th-best 21:19.7 and senior Anita Romeu’s 142nd-best 21:54.0.

Archbishop McCarthy sophomore Helen Ribas took 166th in 22:25.9 running solo.

 

GOLF

Archdiocesan schools took fourth and seventh at the Class 2A boys state golf championships in at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills just northwest of Orlando. Archbishop McCarthy’s boys finished fourth with a two-day 644, 27 shots behind champion Plantation American Heritage. Belen Jesuit finished with a two-day 670 to finish seventh.

Archbishop McCarthy and Belen were tied for fifth after the first day at 330. But the Mavericks shot a 314, the second-best team score of the day, to leap to fourth. The Wolverines shot a 340 to finish seventh.

Archbishop McCarthy’s Ryan Lopez led archdiocesan golfers, tying for 14th. He shot 79 and 80 to finish with 159. Brett Moore tied for 21st one shot back at 160. Archbishop McCarthy’s Brett White and Belen Jesuit’s Sebastian Barcia were another shot back, tied for 23rd at 161.

For Archbishop McCarthy, Terry Moore tied for 32nd at 164, and Frederick Lewis tied for 72nd at 179.

For Belen, John Bohatch tied for 35th at 165, Adrian Rodriguez tied for 44th at 168, Joseph Muniz tied for 66th at 176 and Carlos Perez-Abreu tied for 72nd at 179.

Archdiocesan schools took third and fifth at the 2A girls state finals. Archbishop McCarthy’s girls finished third with a two-day 676, while Cardinal Gibbons finished with a fifth-best 700. Plantation American Heritage won with a two-day 635.

Eva Almager led Archbishop McCarthy, shooting 79 and 75 for a two-day 154. Cardinal Gibbons’ Kaylee Ehret was ninth with a 78-77—155.

Archbishop McCarthy also got a 31st-best 168 from Rileigh Baker, 49th-best 175 from Cindi Cooper, 52nd’best 179 from Audrey Bacic and a 60th-best 188 from Autumn Bryant.

Cardinal Gibbons also got a 48th-best 175 from Elizabeth Smith, a 55th-best 181 from Sofia Ehret, a 62nd-best 189 from Jayden Boros and an 86th-best 216 from Jenna Jacobson.

Lourdes’ Carmela Pulido shot a 70th-best 203.

 

VOLLEYBALL

The Archdiocese of Miami went without a state volleyball finalist for the first time since 2017.

In Class 6A, both St. Thomas Aquinas and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy made the playoffs but fell to state semifinalist Mater Academy. St. Thomas Aquinas lost in the Region 4 final to Mater 25-22, 25-16, 25-23. The Raiders won District 14 and beat Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 25-16, 25-20, 25-22 in the first round, then beat Stuart South Fork 25-14, 25-18, 25-15.

Lourdes won District 16, beat Pembroke Pines 25-12, 25-16, 26-24, then fell to Mater Academy in the region semifinals 25-19, 25-16, 25-18.

In Class 5A, Archbishop McCarthy reached the Region 4 semifinals before falling 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18 to Jensen Beach. The Mavericks won District 15 and beat Plantation American Heritage 25-14, 25-19, 25-17 in the first round.

In Class 4A, Cardinal Gibbons lost to Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian 25-21, 25-22, 25-27, 26-24 in the Region 4 final. The Chiefs finished runner-up in District 14 then beat District 16 champion St. Brendan 26-24, 16-25, 25-22, 27-25 in the first round, and beat Coral Springs Charter 28-26, 26-24, 25-20.

In Class 3A, Chaminade-Madonna finished runner-up in District 13. The Lions then lost to state semifinalist Miami Westminster Christian 25-8, 25-8, 25-10 in the first round.

 

SWIMMING

St. Thomas Aquinas’ boys and girls and Cardinal Gibbons’ girls each had top-10 finishes in their team standings at the FHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Sailfish Swim Park in Stuart.

St. Thomas Aquinas’ girls took sixth in the Class 3A girls race with 106 points. Ponte Vedra won with 245 points.

Junior Kaitlyn Ross led the Raiders by finishing second in the 1-meter diving with 432.35 points. St. Petersburg senior Katie McKylton won with 478.65 points. St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Julianne McCranie took seventh in the 100-yard butterfly in 57.05 seconds. St. Thomas Aquinas took third in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:37.46 and sixth in the 200 medley relay in 1:50.77.

Archbishop McCarthy senior Syven Walker took 16th in the Class 3A girls 50 freestyle in 25.02.

In the Class 3A boys, St. Thomas Aquinas took eighth in the team race with 89 points, while Belen Jesuit tied for 21st with 32 points. Tallahassee Chiles won with 259 points.

Freshman Alex Mansur and senior Jack Faulkner each led the Raiders with fourth-place finishes. Mansur took fourth in the 100 freestyle in 46.87 and sixth in the 200 freestyle in 1:42.31. Faulkner took fourth in the 100 backstroke in 52.04.

Belen Jesuit qualified three relays for the B finals. The Wolverines took 10th in both the 400 freestyle relay (3:18.58) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.36) and 15th in the 200 medley relay in 1:43.75.

In the 2A girls division, Cardinal Gibbons took ninth with 96 points. The Chiefs took fifth in both the 200-medley relay (1:52.59) and 200 freestyle relay (1:41.86). Sophomore Jaclyn Nelson had the Chiefs’ best individual finish, taking seventh in 1:00.53.

In the 2A boys, Cardinal Gibbons tied for 24th with 29 points. Sophomore Marcus Szabo led the Chiefs with a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly in 51.20 and a sixth-place 54.25 in the 100 backstroke. St. Brendan finished 43rd with 5 points – all by Richard Navarro’s 12th-best 55.42 in the 100 backstroke.