Columbus, Braddock cross-country squads aiming for top marks at state championships
There are many potential setbacks cross-country runners often deal with through the course of a season.
Columbus’ boys and Braddock’s girls’ teams are no different.
But what matters to both is that they seem to be peaking at the perfect time.
On Wednesday afternoon at Tropical Park, each team secured a championship at the Region 4-4A meet, building momentum a little over a week before this year’s state meet, which will be held next Friday in Tallahassee.
“We’ve had some bumps and bruises throughout the season, but we’ve kept the girls healthy and now we have nine days to get ready,” Braddock coach Alex Shaw said. “It’s a battle for that podium finish like we did last year.”
The Explorers held off Braddock’s boys’ squad, scoring 33 points to win the regional title by 12 points. Columbus was led by individual champion and senior Alejandro Romagosa, who ran a winning time of 15:49.38 to finish nearly eight seconds ahead of Flanagan’s Shamar Henry (15:57.00).
On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs cruised to the team title with 43 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Coral Reef (98 points).
Senior Annabella Cardona won the individual title, finishing with a time of 18:40.68. Cardona’s time was nearly a minute ahead of runner-up Nicole Dragoni of Miami Southridge, who finished with a time of 19:36.17.
“Bella is in the hunt for a top 3 finish individually and she’s made the podium every year since her freshman year and that doesn’t happen often,” Shaw said. “She’s special.”
Both Braddock and Columbus finished state runners-up at last year’s state meet.
Braddock is aiming to become the first Miami-Dade County girls’ public school to win a state cross-country team title. The Bulldogs’ state runner-up finish last season was the first by a Dade public school since Ferguson in 2011. They would also be the first Dade school overall to win a state title since Carrollton in 2011.
Columbus is one of a handful of teams statewide, along with Braddock, with a strong chance of coming home with the gold.
“There are three or four teams in it and it’s up for grabs right now,” Columbus coach Danny Areces said. “It’s going to come down to how everyone performs that day. I think we have a squad capable of being state champions, but it comes down to that day and who wants it more.”
The Explorers are trying to win their first state title since 2020 and sixth overall. It’s a chance for Columbus to tie Ransom Everglades for the second-most titles in Miami-Dade County history behind Miami Belen Jesuit’s state-best 14 championships.
“I think we’re getting into our perfect form,” Areces said. “Throughout the year, we’ve had guys getting sick, but this was the first race where all of our guys were not sick. Everyone’s healthy and things are clicking. Great timing.”
RESULTS
Team state qualifiers - Boys: 1. Columbus 33; 2. Braddock 45; 3. Cypress Bay 70; 4. Coral Reef 135; 5. Coral Gables 140; 6. Western 177; 7. Doral Academy 192; 8. Flanagan 252; Girls: 1. Braddock 43; 2. Coral Reef 98; 3. Southridge 116; 4. Coral Gables 149; 5. Western 153; 6. Douglas 158; 7. Doral Academy 169; 8. Ferguson 198.
Individual top 10 - Boys: 1. Alejandro Romagosa (Col) 15:49.38; 2. Shamar Henry (Flan) 15:57.00; 3. Alexander Lopez (Col) 15:59.31; 4. Kiran Nadanam (CB) 16:15.38; 5. Mauricio Escalona (Brad) 16:18.75; 6. Anthony Scarcello (Col) 16:23.36; 7. Michael Gongora (Brad) 16:28.46; 8. Andres Canas (Brad) 16:30.75; 9. Lucas Oliveira (CR) 16:33.41; 10. Mateo Sotelo (Col) 16:37.42; Girls: 1. Annabella Cardona (Brad) 18:40.68; 2. Nicole Dragoni (SR) 19:36.17; 3. Kayla Feeney (Brad) 20:04.88; 4. Samantha Ruiz (CR) 20:08.16; 5. Avril Donner (CG) 20:09.27; 6. Madeleine De Lacoste (CC) 20:13.09; 7. Jasmine Trotz (Brad) 20:21.94; 8. Tory Gardiner (West) 20:26.85; 9. Leandra Ferrell (SR) 20:30.34; 10. Judeny Thomas (SD) 20:36.01.
This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 9:17 PM.
