Although neither was the top-seed, Pine Crest freshman Julia Montgomery and American Heritage eighth-grader Daesha Rogers each came in with high hopes of winning a state title in cross country.

It was Montgomery that crossed the finish line first and did something no other Broward girls’ runner had done in over a decade.

Montgomery’s time of 18:20.93 was enough to secure the Class 2A cross-country individual championship Saturday morning at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.

Montgomery became Broward’s first girls’ individual champion since Cooper City’s Jessica Hellender in 2001.

She edged favorite Mackenzie Wilson of Jacksonville Bolles by nearly eight seconds.

Rogers, an outstanding athlete in both cross-country and track and field already at age 13, finished third with a time of 18:40.88.

Montgomery’s effort helped Pine Crest finish second as a team with 99 points. But Jacksonville Bolles took home the team title with 58 points.