Emilie Amaro of Cypress Bay and St. Thomas Aquinas boys and girls teams will have plenty to talk about today on the ride back from the Great American Cross Country Festival at Spain Park in Hoover, Ala.
It was more of a matter of survival Saturday afternoon than running a fast time according to St. Thomas coach Trish Butler. The Raiders swept team titles on one of the most-challenging 3.1-mile trail courses that featured a steep 25-meter hill in the middle of the woods on a slow course and hot day.
Amaro finished third in the Nike Girls Race of Champions in 18 minutes and 24 seconds in her race debut. Kathy Kroeger of Independence (Tenn.) High won in 17:29. Ashley Brasovan of Wellington was second in 17:49.
"It was a pretty steep hill," Amaro said. "The toughest part was where it was on the course. It was after the 2-mile mark when you're getting tired and you see it. It was mentally gruesome. I am really happy how I ran today. It wasn't a race to go by time. It was really a test for everybody between the heat and the hills."
Jessica Butler, Nicole Suarez and Lauren Ross finished in the Top 10 to win the Girls Red Race Invitational. Kyle Bartfay, Michael Padro and Gabe Lieth also finished in the Top 10 to win the Boys White Race Invitational. Teams from 25 states were divided into separate divisions based on times. The elite races were the Nike Race of Champions.
"We did really well today," Butler said. "To everyone's defense this was a very difficult course. That hill was so steep of an incline that you had to crawl up it. You look at it ahead of you on the course and it just went straight up. The intensity of this course was incredible."
The Raiders still managed to close the gap on top 3A teams Chiles (boys) and Satellite Beach (girls) that they expect to face at the FHSAA State 3A Finals in November.
"We are doing better but we can't look at the times," Butler said. "We are walking away with two more wins under our belt and they are feeling good."
Sharon Robb can be reached at srobb@sun-sentinel.com.
