Lakewood Ranch girls conclude unlikely run to cross country state final
The first Lakewood Ranch runner to cross the finish line at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee on Saturday reminded the Mustangs why it was so important to make it to the Class 4A championship.
Ande McDonald, a fixture at the front of the pack for Lakewood Ranch during her four years with the Mustangs, finished 67th with a time of 20:30.01. Lakewood Ranch’s lone senior finished her high school career with a run in the state championship.
“She’s been our No. 1 runner all season,” Mustang girls head coach Kristina Bratton said. “I was glad that we got her a chance with her being a senior. That was a great way to go out.”
McDonald led Lakewood Ranch to a 14th-place finish (355 points) in the 24-team field. Lutz Steinbrenner won the 4A title with 81 points, but the Mustangs were still pleased to exceed expectations. Lakewood Ranch was projected to finish 15th, based on seed times, and bested those expectations.
Riverview’s Bailey Hertenstein won the individual 4A title, finishing in 17 minutes, 40.36 seconds to beat her nearest competition by nearly 20 seconds and edge McDonald by almost three minutes.
They were also happy just to reach the state final. A handful of injuries early during the season pressed three freshmen into unexpectedly prominent roles. The Mustangs needed Ava Klein, typically their No. 6 finisher, to lead their pack in the Class 4A-Region 2 championship just to reach the state finals.
Klein slipped back to third in Lakewood Ranch’s pecking order Saturday as three freshmen finished in the Mustangs’ top five. Mason Ingallinera finished 70th in 20:36.52, Klein 87th in 20:59.00 and Anna Stock 97th in 21:12.36.
“The freshmen that we have actually did great and kind of pulled the weight, and helped get us to state,” Bratton said. “We were ranked pretty low coming in, so I just told them, ‘Do what you’ve been doing all year.’”
Saint Stephen’s girls also ran in Class 1A meet at Apalachee Park. Alysia Serterides finished 59th in 21:22.11 to pace the Falcons to a 19th-place finish with 434 points. Gainesville Oak Hall posted 61 points to beat its nearest opponent by more than 50 points and was led by Grace Blair, who won the individual title in 18:22.85.
David Wilson: 941-745-7057, @DBWilson2
State cross country championships
at Apalachee Regional Park, Tallahassee
Saturday
Class 4A
Team: 1. Steinbrenner 81; 2. Winter Park 105; 3. Plant High 144; 4. Our Lady of Lourdes 176; 5. Lake Brantley 206; 6. Lake Minneola 238; 7. John A. Ferguson 247; 8. Paul J. Hagerty 286; 9. Winter Springs 286; 10. Sarasota 296; 14. Lakewood Ranch 355.
Individuals: 1. Baile Hertenstein (Riverview) 17:40.36; 2. Kayley Delay (Fletcher) 18:20.33; 3. Alyssa Hendrix (Riverview) 18:33.70; 4. Rafaella Gibbons (Winter Park) 18:33.72; 5. Laura Jones (Plant) 18:44.02; 6. Elayna Bahr (Winter Springs) 18:44.94; 7. Lydia Friedman (Steinbrenner) 18:45.68; 8. Nicolette Worrell (Paul J. Hage) 18:48.83; 9. Samhouri, Rania Wharton 18:49.74; 10. Daniela Urzua (Lake Mary) 18:52.41
Lakewood Ranch: 67. Andrea McDonald, 20:30.01; 70. Mason Ingallinera, 20:36.52; 87. Ava Klein, 20:59.00; 91. Sarah Fazio, 21:01.77; 97. Anna Stock, 21:12.36; 111. Katrina Trompke, 21:36.39; 131. Shaleiya Lee, 22:06.45
Class 1A
Team: 1. Oak Hall 61; 2. Circle Christian School 113; 3. Maclay School 116; 4. First Academy 138; 5. Holy Trinity 198; 6. Saint Johns Country Day 217; 7. Providence School 222; 8. Westminster Christian 239; 9. Saint Joseph Academy 312; 10. P. K. Yonge 318; 19. Saint Stephen's Episcopal 434
Individuals: 1. Grace Blair (Oak Hall) 18:22.85; 2. Samantha Folio (Holy Trinity) 18:34.23; 3. Sinkenesh Parker (Circle Christian) 19:18.93; 4. Olivia Rovin (Shorecrest Prep) 19:27.83; 5. Caroline Willis (Maclay) 19:28.26; 6. Mackenzie Glenn (Saint Johns) 19:29.64; 7. Brooke McEwen (Circle Christian) 19:33.52; 8. Maya Baker (Espinosa) 19:36.75; 9. Nydia Perez (Oak Hall) 19:40.16; 10. Sydnee Calder (Boca Raton) 19:40.89
Saint Stephen’s: 59. Alysia Serterides, 21:22.11; 100. Madelyn Popp, 22:27.06; 110. Daria Fomina, 22:46.57; 123. Leah Schlossberg, 22:58.90; 137. Baylee Barker, 23:19.63; 167. Gabrielle Pung, 25:05.36
This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch girls conclude unlikely run to cross country state final."