Dillard’s Coleman, Coral Springs Belizaire secure BCAA cross-country championships

When the BCAA cross-country championships concluded late Thursday afternoon individual victories came both as a surprise and expected.

The expected was a six-year cross country veteran in senior Christiana Coleman of Dillard High.

She cruised to the 2023 championship with a time of 18:44.55, outdistancing teammate Raquel Edwards by nearly 41 seconds. Last year’s winner Grace Finneran of St. Thomas Aquinas finished third at 19:30.47.

Coleman’s finishing time was an indication of her growth as a cross-country runner since her seventh-place finish as a seventh grader in 2018 with a time of 20:59.10.

The surprise was Jeffrey Belizaire of Coral Springs, whose first-place finish at 16:17.75 out distanced many of the BCAA favorites in Alejandro De Bastos (Pembroke Pines Charter), Shamar Henry (Flanagan) and Kiran Nadanam of Cypress Bay.

Belizaire’s individual first place performance was the first by a boys Coral Springs distance runner in just over 30 years.

When the racing was complete the Dillard girls had five runners in the top six places finishing at the team champion with 18 points, well ahead of second place and defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas (69 points).

After taking 12 years to win the BCAA boys championship last year, Cypress Bay successfully defended it boys title with 36 points with St. Thomas Aquinas well behind in second with 86 points.

“This win was wonderful with some of the best competition around,” Cypress Bay coach Joseph Monks said. “The boys worked hard over the summer. The results showed how much dedication they have put in.”

Coleman established herself as an up-and-coming cross-country runner as a seventh grader after finishing 16th at the FHSAA Class 3A state meet with a time of 19:10.77.

“My focus was not to go out too strong,” said Coleman. “I felt comfortable from the start and was able to finish strong. This shows what I’m capable of and how I can finish a race.”

“I was pleased to see her execute so well today,” Dillard coach Davidson Gill said. “She had a down year last year and we talked about reaching those seventeens and being more aggressive.”

Belizaire winning time was second to his personal best of 16:00.

“I felt I had a chance to win this race,” Belizaire said. “My coach motivated me and said I could win this. The only thing left to do was execute and I did it. Last year I got on the podium and this year I want the top spot and that’s what I did.”

Belizaire finished sixth at last year’s BCAA Championships with a time of 17:19.15.

RESULTS

Boys’ team scores - (Top 5): 1. Cypress Bay 36; 2. St. Thomas Aquinas 86; 3. Western 88; 4. Pembroke Pines Charter 130; 5. Coral Springs 159; Individuals (Top 15): 1. Jeffrey Belizaire (CS) 16:17.75; 2. Alejandro De Bastos (PPC) 16:30.24; 3. Shamar Henry (FLAN) 16:32.30; 4. Kiran Nadanam (CB) 16:32.47; 5. Maiz Thompson (CB) 16:41.72; 6. Christopher Adams (STA) 16:43.61; 7. Majet Bethely (BA) 16:44.16; 8. Dudley Moise (MCA) 15:52.05; 9. Blake Lorenzo (CB)16:59.04; 10. Joshua Gammage (DILL) 17:01.38; 11. Dashon Dill (DILL) 1:11.09; 12. Sawyer Ethan (CB) 17:12.17; 13. Adrian Gandara (CB) 17:20.93; 14. Lara Santiago (WEST) 17:34.90; 15. Hector Cordero (WEST) 17:39.32.

Girls’ team scores - (Top 5): 1. Dillard 18; 2, St. Thomas Aquinas 69; 3, Western 135; 4. Coral Springs Charter 151; 5. Douglas 166; Individuals (Top 15): 1. Christiana Coleman (DILL) 18:44.45; 2. Raquel Edwards (DILL) 19:25.51; 3. Grace Finneran (STA) 19:30.47; 4. Shynah Collins (DILL) 19:55.13; 5. Peyton Williams (DILL) 20:17.56; 6. Miley Gill (DILL) 20:27.16; 7. Madeleine De Lacosta (COOP) 20:28.52; 8. Abigail Richards (DILL) 20:47.66; 9. Tory Gardiner (WEST) 21:01.31; 10. Lily Richardson (CSC) 21:19.40; 11. Zoe Giacobbe (STA) 21:20.71; 12. Kendall Parrott (CSC) 21:24.8; 13. Regan Morrall (WEST) 21:25.57; 14. Ella Schwartz (MSD) 21:52.42; 15. Piper Battaglia (STA) 22:10.10.