Caroline Wells Breaks 17 Minutes, Rheinhardt Harrison Wins Historic Third Title

By Todd Grasley of DyeStat

A week before Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee plays host to the NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships it welcomed Florida’s fastest team and individuals for the annual state meet. The event was headlined by Stanford signee Caroline Wells and Oregon signee Rheinhardt Harrison, who one day hope to make a lasting legacy at the next level.

Wells, ranked US#4, lived up to the hype on Friday morning. Following a sub-17 minute performance to win the regional title, the future Cardinal and Winter Park senior was off to the races with a 3A title on the line and quickly distanced herself from the competition. Her time of 16:56.6 broke her previous course record and was over a minute faster than runner-up Ashley Fitzgerald’s 18:13.2. It was her second straight title after finishing second as a sophomore.

“My goal was to break 17 and it was super exciting to be able to do that,” she said. “It meant a lot to be able to represent my high school’s cross country team one last time. My coach and I really wanted to go out with a bang so it was super rewarding to break the course record once again.”

Wells, who has plans of competing in the Eastbay Championships, wasn’t taking the day off on Saturday. 

Instead, she was out on a six-mile run. 

Rheinhardt’s Harrison’s Historic Run

Wells' coach believes she can run in the low 16’s and hasn’t tapped into her full potential, and the same can be said for Harrison, a Nease senior. Harrison was pushed in the 4A final by FSU signee Michael Toppi but still managed to record his third cross country championship in his career, in an incredible time of 15:03.6, which nearly missed the course record of 14:59.

“Going into the race I just wanted to win,” he said. “I knew the field was strong and had some really good guys in it. I was happy with the performance and was able to execute what I had set out to do."

His third cross country state title joins a historic list that includes Billy Convey, Rolf Steier, Brian Atkinson, and Matt Mizereck. It’s an accomplishment that means a lot to Harrison, who admits that he still has more work to be done before he graduates.

“Going into high school I had always dreamt of winning a state title so to win my third in cross country is just crazy to me,” Harrison added. "It’s truly an honor to be in that group of great cross country runners and I’m excited to see what the track season holds.”

Koon Shines, Belen Jesuit Scores 5th 3A Straight Title

 A day after we interviewed Leon sophomore Patrick Koon, he added his name to the list of fellow alumni to win state titles. Names like Herb Wills,Mizereck, and Sukhi Khosla have etched their name in the Florida record books.  After finishing fifth as a freshman, Koon crossed the line at 15:23.8 and told us the race went according to plan.

“I just felt it out and went when I felt it was time to go,” he said. “It was an awesome feeling to be able to win a state championship on my home course in front of my friends and family. I am excited for the postseason and hopeful for the future.”

While Koon brought home individual honors, the Belen Jesuit boys continued their dominance on the team side scoring 42 points and placing seven runners in the top 30. For the Wolverines, it was their fifth consecutive championship, marking only the second time in boys cross country history that a team has done that, joining Maclay who accomplished that feat in 1A from 1998-2002.

It was the 12th title for coach Frankie Ruiz in his 20 years of coaching and 13th in program history. Ruiz, who picked up the win a day after his birthday, noted it wasn’t easy with UF signee Adam Magoulas returning from injury. Magoulas is the first Belen runner to run and score in five state championship races.

“Adam Magoulas deserves a great deal of credit for inspiring and showing the way for the young guys led by sophomore Josh Ruiz on this year’s state squad,” he added. “The fact that Adam didn’t run for nearly six weeks and ran the state as only his second day back to running showed his relentless commitment to the team over self.”

Best of the Rest

The Bolles girls and boys swept the 2A team titles. Jillian Candelino continued her excellent junior season with her fourth sub-18-minute run, and sixth win of the season, in a time of 17:53.2. Candelino was second in 2020. On the boys' side Aidan Ryan, son of girl’s coach Tony Ryan, ran a massive PR to place second as Bolles edged out Satellite, and Berkeley Prep, 67-75-76.  The titles gave Bolles girls a state record 13, and number six for the Bolles boys. Nick Carpenter of Trinity Prep won the 2A individual title in 15:24.2.

In the 1A girls team race, it was an impressive showing from Cambridge Christian who scored an impressive 26 points with Notre Dame signee Caroline Lehman, Arkansas signee Mary Ellen Eudaly, and eighth grader Eli Black going 1-2-3. Lehman also broke 18 minutes with a time of 17:53.3, while Eudaly crossed the line at 18:09.9. 

“From the beginning of the season, the teams’ goal was to win the state championships,” coach Ray Friedman said. “These girls worked so hard over the summer with their hill work, their mileage, and their cross-training. They not only ran for each other, but they ran for their coach, and most importantly their Lord to who we always give glory.”

Much like their senior counterparts, Wells and Harrison, there is more to come from both Lehman and Eudaly.

“As for Caroline and Mary Ellen, the work is not done,” he added. "They have huge goals that we believe they can achieve before we send them off to college and we are very excited to see what their future holds.”

The 1A boys race saw first-time titles on both the individual and team side as Matthew Stratton of St. John’s Country Day won in 15:40.20 and Indian Rocks Christian fended off a tough battle between Circle Christian (118 points) and Oak Hall (126 points) to win with 106 points.

While Rheinhardt Harrison stole the headlines in 4A, Viera edged out Creekside in a 104-104 tiebreaker for the team title. 

Penelope Sosa of Miami Coral Park won her first title over Amber Schulz of Timber Creek in 18:12.40. For Schulz, who was open about several obstacles she had to overcome her four-year career, it was an excellent ending despite missing out on the win   

Team Champions 

Class 4A - Viera boys 104 points, Buchholz girls 114 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Belen Jesuit Prep boys 42 points, Ponte Vedra girls 114 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Bolles boys 67 points, Bolles girls 56 points - RESULTS

Class 1A - Indian Rocks Christian boys 106 points, Cambridge Christian girls 26 points - RESULTS