Belen Jesuit boys, Lourdes, Gulliver girls all big winners at Youth Fair cross-country
Lourdes senior Olivia Fraga didn’t have any trouble defending her title while Belen Jesuit junior Joshua Ruiz continued to rack up trophies as each won the individual titles of the Youth Fair cross-country Invitational at Larry and Penny Thompson Park on Friday afternoon.
The prestigious event is one of the top meets in the state annually which brings together the top teams in Miami-Dade overall.
Fraga, who finished sixth at the state Class 4A meet last season, coasted nearly two minutes ahead of the girls’ field to finish with a time of 19:37.15. Homestead’s Elicia Bryant was a distant second with a time of 21:32.14.
Ruiz, the Class 3A state runner-up last season, paced a top three finish for Belen runners with a time of 16:18.41. He was followed to the finish line by Lucas Garcia (16:31.17) and Joseph Ruiz (16:34.24). The trio led Belen to a comfortable team championship win with 18 points. Rival Columbus finished second with 54 points.
It was Belen’s 11th consecutive Youth Fair championship and 22nd all-time. The Wolverines travel to Huntsville, Alabama for the Southern Showcase next week.
Gulliver Prep took home the girls’ team championship with 60 points despite not having a single runner finish in the top 10. Sophomore Alessandra Di Mise was the Raiders’ highest finisher in 11th place (22:43.79). Doral Academy finished second with 102 points.
Lourdes finished sixth as a team with 112 points.
RESULTS
Girls’ team scores: 1. Gulliver Prep 60; 2. Doral Academy 102; 3. Coral Reef and Coral Gables 106; 5. Carrollton 108; Girls’ individuals: 1. Olivia Fraga (Lou) 19:37.15; 2. Elicia Bryant (Hom) 21:32.14; 3. Arianna Garcia (Carr) 21:33.73; 4. Samantha Ruiz (CR) 21:35.79; 5. Isabella Morales (CG) 21:56.01; 6. Michaela Thompson (Pal) 22:02.87; 7. Isabella Fernandez (ML) 22:07.76; 8. Veronica Larrea (Carr) 22:08.32; 9. Gaby Latorre-Lagos (Terra) 22:22.22; 10. Giulianna Rivero (Doral) 22:25.71.
Boys’ team scores: 1. Belen 18; 2. Columbus 54; 3. Mater Lakes 101; 4. Coral Reef 103; 5. Coral Park 212; Boys’ individuals: 1. Joshua Ruiz (Bel) 16:18.41; 2. Lucas Garcia (Bel) 16:31.17; 3. Joseph Ruiz (Bel) 16:34.24; 4. Alejandro Romagosa (Col) 16:40.88; 5. Evan Torres (Bel) 16:53.87; 6. Ryan Sarafoglu (CR) 16:54.41; 7. Justin Ruiz (Bel) 16:59.01; 8. Jeshua Osorio (ML) 17:12.29; 9. Mario Sueiras (Col) 17:16.54; 10. Philippe Riobe (Bel) 17:18.86.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 9:23 AM.
