Belen Jesuit’s Mantecon and Carrollton’s Hernandez are Dade Runners of the Year
It isn’t easy to etch your name into the “Mount Rushmore” of Belen Jesuit cross-country runners.
But junior Marcelo Mantecon is building quite an impressive resume worthy of being remembered as one of the school’s best ever.
Meanwhile at Carrollton, junior Daniela Hernandez upheld the standard for one of Miami-Dade County’s best girls’ programs.
Mantecon and Hernandez are the Miami Herald’s Dade Cross-country Runners of the Year.
Mantecon secured his second consecutive individual state championship after running a winning time of 15:03 at the Class 3A boys’ state meet in Tallahassee.
Mantecon became only the third runner in Belen history, joining Eric Alvarez (1983, 1984) and Javier Vento (2018, 2020) as the only ones to win multiple state individual titles.
His performance led Belen’s march to a state-record ninth consecutive state team title and a state-record 17th overall.
Mantecon followed that performance with an elite effort to finish fourth individually at the Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon as he ran a time of 15:05.06.
And he has one more season left.
“It’s gone really well in the big races like I wanted to and I’m looking forward to track season,” Mantecon said. “I felt like I could have done a little better at nationals, but I can’t complain. I love these experiences and competing with the best.”
Following in the footsteps of last year’s Girls’ Runner of the Year and Carrollton alum Grace Aldrich, Hernandez posted the best finish of any girls individual runner at the state meets.
Hernandez ran a time of 18:45.2 to place fourth individually at the state Class 2A meet. Hernandez’s effort helped the Cyclones finish fourth as a team, which was tied for the best finish by a Dade girls team at any of this year’s state meets.
Carrollton could be primed for another strong finish at state next season as it returns its top five runners from this season and six of its top seven, led by Hernandez and first team All-Dade selection Gabriella Socarras.
