By Charlie Hilley
The Ponte Vedra High School JV Cross Country Team (PVHS XC) travelled to Bishop Kenny on Nov. 2. The Sharks competed in North Florida JV Champs in both the Boys and Girls Opens and Championships. A 5K race along a well kept and well prepared facility that provided a safe and exciting race for the athletes. Hundreds of athletes from over 53 high schools across Florida came to compete.
The Boys JV Open was headed by junior, Ayden Sanghvi who earned 10th with a time of 19:12, followed by sophomore, Mohamad Issa in 16th place with a time of 20:59. PVHS’s athletes who competed in the Boys JV Championship also earned their spots in the leaderboard with sophomore, Gavin Samples and sophomore, Henry Ronsman placing in the 14th and 17th place spots, with times of 18:17 and 18:39 respectively.
“At least we got to States, and that’s all that matters.”
Nate Marciani (11)
The Girls JV Open saw a massive PVHS accomplishment as rookie junior, Layann Issa fought her way for the second place spot in the lineup with an impressive time of 21:48. When asked about her experience with the team and their preparations for this meet, Issa said, “Even though I’m new to the team this year, I’ve gotten really close with the other girls, and I honestly feel like all of those 4:00 AM wake-ups paid off.” The JV Girls Championship also saw a huge show of accomplishment from junior, Ann Graves who fought for 5th place with an impressive time of 21:26.
Hundreds of athletes competed for the top position, but the PVHS XC team gave their all to earn their spot on the leaderboard. While this may mark the end of the JV season, the XC Varsity team still has a long trek to go in marking PVHS’s place among the rankings.
The PVHS Varsity XC Team travelled to Cecil Field on Nov. 16 to participate in the North Florida Regional 5k to qualify for the upcoming State competition. The 3A high school competition saw 16 teams come to compete for both the Boys and Girls teams.
The PVHS XC Boys team saw two athletes junior, Luke Ross and senior, Miles Wicks earning themselves 9th and 11th place with times of 16:24 and 16:33 respectively. Junior runner, Nate Marciani said “At least we got to States, and that’s all that matters.”
The PVHS Varsity Girls team was led by junior, Samantha Gore who earned 4th place with an incredible time of 18:52, staking a spot into a state qualifying position. With so many remarkable performances by junior athletes this season, the XC team can look forward to yet another strong season next year as well. On Nov. 22, the XC Team will be travelling to Tallahassee Apalachee Park to compete with the best schools in the state, for one last 5k race to the finish to end off this year’s incredible season.
Pictured: Girls Varsity Cross Country Team after Regionals
