Bishop Moore ninth grader Annabella Tomasic secured her second state title at the FHSAA cross country state championships on November 4, 2023, held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. Tomasic completed the 5,000-meter race in an impressive time of 17 minutes, 35.5 seconds, finishing 31 seconds ahead of Celina Coryell, a senior from Satellite who clocked in at 18:06.3. This performance marked the fastest girls’ time of the day across all classifications and solidified Tomasic’s dominance this season, as she has now won all seven races she participated in.
Tomasic previously won the 2A championship as a seventh grader and placed third in her eighth-grade season, which was impacted by injuries. After transferring from Lake Highland Prep to Bishop Moore this year, she led her new team to a third-place finish in the overall standings, trailing only behind Chiles of Tallahassee and Ponte Vedra.
In the boys’ competition, Will Moss, a junior from Montverde Academy, captured the 2A title with a remarkable time of 15:35.3. This victory is a significant improvement from his previous year, where he finished in 29th place with a time of 16:53.5.
The boys’ 4A race saw Oviedo’s team initially favored to win after defeating the reigning champions, Buchholz of Gainesville, in the regional race. However, Buchholz turned the tables, scoring a decisive victory with 58 points, compared to Oviedo’s 103 points. After leading through the two-mile mark, Buchholz demonstrated a strong finish to claim the top spot.
East Ridge junior Axel Sallault finished as the 4A individual runner-up with a time of 15:27.5. He was followed closely by Jacob Finch from Horizon, who placed sixth with a time of 15:48.0, and Colin Aysun, a senior from Oviedo, who secured seventh with 15:54.8. Notably, Lake Nona senior Matthew Rutan finished in tenth place with a time of 15:59.9, just ahead of Oviedo junior Levi Mollica, who recorded the same time.
In the girls’ 4A race, East Ridge’s team finished fourth, while Lake Minneola took tenth place. Among the individual competitors, Lake Nona sophomore Arabella Duffell secured ninth with a time of 18:36.6. In the 2A category, Mount Dora sophomore Cecelia Lear finished seventh with a time of 18:55.6, while Montverde’s team placed seventh overall.
During the 1A competitions, Master’s Academy finished eighth in the girls’ race, and Circle Christian’s boys also took eighth place. The FHSAA cross country state championships showcased remarkable talent and competitive spirit among Florida’s best young athletes.
