Our boys and girls Middle School cross country teams accomplished their biggest race of the season as they both placed first in the Florida Youth Championships at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala on Saturday, November 18.

The girls ran a perfect race, with every athlete placing in the top 10.  Lily Henne placed first in the meet with a time of 10:48.91, followed by Ryleigh Sperry (11:34.58), Jayci Brauman (11:55.02), Layla Aziz (12:47.69) and Natalie Nesmith (12:47.78).

"The kids were confident they could win this championship, and as I've seen over and over again this season, their determination and competitiveness paid off," said coach Lori Treweek.

On the boys side, all the athletes worked together as a team to earn enough points for their championship trophy. The team was led by Nico Nesmith in a second place overall finish with a time of 10:46.47, followed by Colton Cardwell (10:58.92), Alex Georgiev (11:44.19), Nick Jakabowski (12:06.02), and Cooper Shaban (12:40.63).

"It is exciting to see these kids grow and improve, and certainly gives us hope for a bright future in the distance program at Montverde Academy," said Treweek. "It is easy to measure their hard work athletically, but it is also great to see how their outstanding character is reflected in what they do every day."

Congratulations, Eagles!