Javier Vento and the Belen cross-country team are hoping to put the competition on ice

It’s like a NASCAR pit crew — except there’s no car.

Instead, it’s Belen Jesuit cross-country star Javier Vento who is, in essence, the vehicle that flies around the track, and it’s his parents, Javier and Leonor, who help keep his tires, er, legs in shape.

Here’s how it works: Three times a week, Vento stops by a gas station near his house and buys 40 pounds of ice. When he arrives, his parents help him carry the ice bags to their backyard, where he has set up a tub.

“My parents come running out when I get home, and then they turn the hose on to fill the tub,” Vento said.

“The ice baths help me re-set my body.”

Hey, whatever works.

And, it is working. Vento, a senior, has won four of Belen’s five meets this year. He also finished second in the only race he didn’t win.

But, prior to this season, he had only won one cross-country race, although that was a huge victory — the 2018 state championship.

Last year, Vento took a step back, missing nine weeks because of a small fracture in his left ankle.

“It’s annoying,” Vento said. “I’m so consistent in workouts, and then something happens to get me off track.”

This is the first year Vento has consistently used ice baths. He also runs on grass instead of pavement whenever possible, reducing the pounding on his legs.

Vento is part of a dominant team coached by Frankie Ruiz, who has led Belen to 10 state titles, including the past three years in a row.

This season, Belen is ranked eighth in the nation and first in Florida’s Class 3A, according to Milesplit.

On Saturday in Tallahassee, Belen — which is undefeated this year in team results — ran its best 5K race yet, placing four runners under 16 minutes for the first time since 2011.

Vento won in 15:21, and teammate Adam Magoulas finished second in 15:26. Magoulas, a junior, has finished one spot behind Vento in all five races this year.

Also for Belen on Saturday, senior Aiden Villasuso finished fifth (15:40); senior Diego Gomez ran 11th (15:55); and senior Austin San Juan was 16th (16:03).

That’s a lot of firepower for a Belen squad that didn’t win an individual state title last year as Ethan Geiger of Tampa Robinson finished first and Lake Wales’ Anderson Denton came in second. They were followed by Gomez (third), Magoulas (fourth) and Vento (fifth).

However, Geiger is now running for the University of Florida, and Denton is doing the same at Florida State. Those two graduations could open the door for the Belen Wolverines, who are coming off a highly unusual summer.

For the past 29 years, the Wolverines have taken a summer out-of-state trip, training among the mountains ranges in cities such as Denver and Portland.

But, because of COVID-19, Belen canceled its 2020 trip to North Carolina. In addition, all local cross-country meets were canceled this year, including the Youth Fair and Junior Orange Bowl, both at Larry and Penny Thompson Park; the King of the Hill at Tropical Park; and the Spanish River Invitational in Boca Raton.

Instead, Belen hit the road throughout Florida, requiring hotel rooms for each of its meets this year, traveling to cities such as Lakeland, Ocala, Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Two more trips await – to Fort Myers and Stuart – before the district playoffs begin on Halloween at Archbishop McCarthy.

The location for regionals has yet to be determined, but the state meet is set for Tallahassee on Nov. 14.

Vento, who has scholarship offers from colleges such as Virginia, Georgetown, Northeastern, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Florida State and Florida, has a 4.5 grade-point average and plans on studying biomedical engineering. Medical school is possibly in his future.

In the meantime, he will keep taking his ice baths, hoping to freeze out Belen’s competition.

“Before this last meet, I didn’t think our team was in great shape,” Vento said. “Our senior leaders were worried.

“But we feel a lot better now.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Belen, which has won more state titles (11) than any other boys’ cross-country team in Florida, might have done some damage at national meets this year. But both the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland and the Foot Locker meet in San Diego have been canceled due to the pandemic.

▪ Carrollton’s girls’ team is pinning its cross-country hopes on senior Francesca Suarez (20th at state last year); junior Victoria Trap and freshman Andrea Montaner.

▪ Senior Ryan Mendelson and junior Rachel Hodes lead Miami Country Day’s boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams.

▪ North Broward Prep junior Jacob Brezin set personal highs in track (800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters) and will try to keep his momentum in cross-country this season.

Golf results

▪ Boys’ results at Miami Shores Country Club (par 35) — Miami Country Day 159, Ransom Everglades 161: Jackson Langer (RE) 36; Matthew Yamin (MCD) 37; Torrence Mack (MCD) 39; Nick Viana (RE) 38.

▪ Girls’ results at Biltmore Golf Course (par 35) — Carrollton 167, Ransom Everglades 230: Carolina Swain (C) 38; Alexandra Ragan (RP) 39; Cecilia Izquierdo (C) 41; Andrea Montaner (C) 43.

Coaches, please email your high school results to hssports@miamiherald.com. We will take results sent in paragraph style. No photos of the results please.