From left, Lady Pirate runners Lexi Hopson, Emma Arratia, Maddie Flick and Carsyn Massey. Photo by Dave Reinhart
The young Lady Pirates cross country team was firing on all cylinders in their season opener last Friday night with a resounding win in their division over 26 other teams from all parts of Florida at the Cecil Field Summer Classic in Jacksonville.
The team also had the individual gold medalist in sophomore Maya Kovalcik who covered the grassy 5K course (3.1 miles) in 20:12, followed by junior Jillian Loucks in 21:14 in 3rd place, over a field of 250 runners.
While not racing in the Elite division of this prestigious event given the loss of four seniors from last year, the young Pirates more than held their own with their victory.
Coach Dave Reinhart was pleasantly surprised and said “the entire team ran so tough in typical hot and humid August conditions in Florida. Their 6 a.m. workouts before school have made them resilient and gritty. So proud of all of them.”
Additionally, Reinhart said, “for a first-time cross country runner, Maya ran like a wily veteran. Her instructions were to settle in behind the leaders and, even if she felt good, to not make a move until after the halfway mark.
Reinhart said she did exactly that.
“Sitting back behind two other girls then taking off just after the 1.5 mile mark and putting a minute between her and 2nd place by the time she crossed the finish line. You just don’t see that in cross country. And for Jillian to come in 3rd out of 250 runners was also a great sign of things to come for her this season.”
Reinhart and Assistant Coach Melanie Wright were also impressed with newcomers, freshman Athenrye Marinel and sophomore Hope Carpenter.
The coaches said both girls performing well this season will be a key factor for this young team, with no seniors in their top 5 at the moment, to make it back to the State Champioships for a fifth year in a row.
As a team, the Lady Pirates recorded an average time of 22:25 on the course. The top team in the Girls Elite division, Niceville, recorded an average time of 19:47. The Gold Medalist in the elite category, Arabella Duffellof of Lake Nona, finished with a time of 17:53.
Pirates cross country
The FBHS boys cross country team also competed at the event, in the Boy Elite division. The Pirates finished 36th as a team.
The young Pirates top finishers — in the pool of more than 350 of the top boys runners in the region — were juniors John William Martin, who finished 64th, with a time of 16:52; and Malik Ravenell, who placed 115th with a time of 17:30.
FBHS cross country contributed to this report
Fernandina Beach High School cross country runner Maya Kovalcik snagged the gold medal at the Cecil Field Summer Classic in Jacksonville. Kavalcik finished the 3.1-mile course in 20.12. Photo by Cedric Gillette