Cross-country preview - Key for Ransom runner: How do you replace a champion?
Two Miami runners won individual state titles in cross-country last year … and neither of them competed for Belen Jesuit.
The Belen Wolverines, a perennial national power, instead won their seventh straight Class 3A state title. No Florida cross-country program has won more than Belen’s 15 state titles, and the seven straight championships are also a record.
As for the individual champs, Dave “Chuli” Serra of Ransom Everglades won the 2A title with a time of 15:19.5; and Henry Stark of Palmer Trinity earned the 1A crown with a 15:30.8 clocking.
Both were seniors last season. Serra is now running for Wake Forest; and Stark is competing for Appalachian State.
So, how do you replace a champion at your school?
Just ask junior Nelson Manstein, who is the top returning runner at Ransom. Manstein, whose best time last year was 16:50.7, tried to soak up as much information from Serra as possible.
“He inspired me a lot,” Manstein said of Serra. “After each race, I would ask him how he tackled different parts of the course.
“I wanted to know his mindset. I wanted to know how he stayed so strong throughout the race.”
Manstein said he admires Serra’s discipline.
“’Chuli’ taught me some mental techniques,” Manstein said. “He went into every race with a dominant attitude, to persevere no matter what.
“Not to be overly dramatic, but it’s like going into battle. Running is at least 50 percent mental.”
Manstein’s personal record as a freshman was 18:09. He finally beat that time by more than a minute with his performance at regionals, but there’s a reason why it took so long for him to get there.
Last summer, he went on an Alaskan vacation with his family, and they were about 100 miles north of Anchorage when Manstein suddenly felt immense pain.
He Googled his symptoms, and he figured out that he likely had to have his appendix removed. His parents – as quickly as possible – drove him two hours back to Anchorage, where he could get the proper care.
The appendix removal set Manstein back in training. This summer, though, he has been running out in front more, and he has set his goal for a timing below 16 minutes.
Don Kappelman, who is entering his 26th year as Ransom’s coach, said the appendix issue was a huge obstacle, especially considering when it happened.
“Cross-country is about summer miles,” Kappelman said. “If you look at Belen, their kids buy in, and they run a lot of miles in the summer, and that allows them to begin a new season where they left off last year.”
Ransom has great tradition in cross-country with six individual state championships, tied with Belen for third-most in Florida history.
Billy Convey won three straight state titles for Ransom from 1980 to 1982. Bert Irigoyen won two consecutive state titles (2010, 2011), and Serra prevailed last year.
It remains to be seen if Manstein can add his name to that list, but he has gotten physically stronger this year, according to Kappelman.
Even so, Manstein and other talented Ransom runners such as Ethan Sullivan – whose top time last year was 17:11.5 – have a long way to go to match Serra.
“David put in a lot of miles, and hard work pays off,” Kappelman said. “He was so far ahead of our other runners last year that they couldn’t truly train together. He was at a different level.
“That’s the advantage Belen has – they have several elite runners whose times are comparable. They can train together and push each other.”
There’s a reason why Kappelman mentions Belen so much, and it’s because the Wolverines are the gold standard.
Frankie Ruiz has been the coach for 14 of Belen’s 15 state titles, and his kids make annual summer pilgrimages to run in elevation.
Once they return to Miami’s flat courses, it’s relatively easy for them.
This year, the Wolverines will be led by sophomore Marcelo Mantecon (14:48 top time); and seniors Justin Ruiz (15:23); Joseph Socarras (15:40); Diego Magarino (15:44); and Marco Prieguez (16:05). Sophomore Armando Cruz (16:21) is not far behind.
Mantecon is on pace this year to break Florida’s state-finals 5K record time of 14:56.
“Marcelo is the fastest sophomore in the country,” Ruiz said. “He’s a humble kid who has a ton of fun training. He also has special genetics because both of his parents were good runners.”
The Wolverines, who finished fourth at nationals last year, are ranked No. 1 in Florida, regardless of class. Most polls also have them ranked in the top 10 nationally.
This past summer, 20 Belen runners trained for 24 days at Flagstaff, Arizona.
Next month, Belen will open the Robert Suris Athletic Center, which will include a cross-country room with state-of-the-art training equipment.
“I’m excited to be one of the first coaches in the country to add this type of training center to our ecosystem,” Ruiz said. “We started dreaming about this more than 10 years ago, and to know that it’s finally here is surreal.”
BOYS’ TEAM OUTLOOKS
▪ Palmer Trinity will be led by senior Gregorio Ramos and sophomore Juan Bracamontes.
▪ Miami Country Day is led by junior Brady Lubetsky and freshmen Mayer Wolfson and Aven Bergman, all of whom have run 18:05 or faster.
▪ Coral Reef is led by senior Luis Marti, who ran a 15:45. Seniors Diego Angel (17:01) and Jonas Wyse (17:54) are in support.
▪ Goleman is led by junior Anthony Chambers and senior Charles Cordova.
▪ West Broward is led by sophomores Luke Lambert and Leo Ponce.
▪ Divine Savior is led by senior Ryan Hansen and sophomore Lucas Marques.
GIRLS’ TEAM OUTLOOKS
▪ Palmer Trinity will be led by junior Eloise Miles and senior Natalia Reyes.
▪ Braddock finished second at state in 2022 and 10th last year. Seniors Kayla Feeney and Jasmine Trotz are the team’s top runners and emotional leaders.
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas is led by senior Grace Finneran and junior Ella Collins, both of whom have run under 19 minutes.
▪ Miami Country Day is led by sophomore Mia Fernandez and senior Erika Ramirez, both of whom made it to state last year.
▪ Coral Reef is led by senior Samantha Ruiz, who has run 19.44.
▪ West Broward is led by junior Nina Perez and sophomore Hailey Barrios.
▪ Divine Savior is led by senior Sophia Kuerth and sophomore Isabel Alvarez.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 7:00 AM.