Belen runners still rule; Columbus, Braddock, Gibbons, Lourdes seek big years
Belen, Columbus and Braddock are again three of the top boys’ cross-country teams in the state.
Junior Marcelo Mantecon (14:40) leads Belen as he is ranked the second-fastest prep runner in the nation.
Coach Frankie Ruiz, who has led Belen to 15 state titles since 2006 – including eight in a row -- said Mantecon is the most highly-recruited running recruit in Miami in at least 20 years.
“He recently signed with Nike’s Elite program,” Ruiz said, “and that’s essentially an NIL deal.”
Mantecon’s father, Alex, was a member of Belen’s first-ever state championship cross-country team in 1995. Mantecon’s mother, Didi, was on FIU’s cross-country team.
Beyond Mantecon, Belen is led by junior Armando Cruz (15:20); senior Mathias Murrle (15:58); sophomores Nicholas Veloso (16:00) and Jack Michalik (16:14); and junior Davi Bodoh (16:27).
“This is the youngest team we’ve had in a while,” Ruiz said. “We have only one senior among our top 10.”
Columbus, which finished third at state last year in Class 4A, has a deep and experienced team with seniors Alexander Lopez (15:59); Diego Eseverri (16:07); Federico Llaguno (16:35); and Lucas Gonzalez (17:21).
In addition, junior Noah Gonzalez (17:18) and sophomore Steven Lundin (16:40) are in Columbus’ top six.
Braddock, which was poised to finish top-five in the state last year in 4A, came in 19th after two of its top-three runners were forced to withdraw just prior to the meet due to COVID.
Top Braddock runners this year include seniors Mauricio Escalona (15:40) and Jhonny Felix (16:15); juniors Jacob Castanedo (15:41) and Liano Lacayo (16:05); sophomore Lucas Knight (16:30); and freshman Ian Vicente.
“Columbus wants to defend its regional championship,” Braddock coach Alex Shaw said, “and we want that title and more.”
The Braddock team trained this past summer in Boone, North Carolina, and Shaw said this team has put in more miles than ever before.
Braddock is ranked third in Florida overall, which is interesting because the Bulldogs have never had a top-three state finish.
Added Shaw: “This is our strongest team in program history.”
Among the top girls’ teams in Dade and Broward, there’s Lourdes in Class 3A and Cardinal Gibbons in 2A.
Lourdes, which finished seventh at state last year, will be led by incoming freshman Marisa Mantecon. She is the sister of Belen’s star runner, Marcelo Mantecon.
Marisa Mantecon is worthy of the hype because she won the middle-school 1500-meter championship last year.
Lourdes has another strong freshman in Sofia Jimenez as well as seniors Daniella Fraga (19:45); Kylie Fernandez (19:37); and Eva Pozo (20:47); and junior Alessandra Perez (18:52).
“We have a deep team,” Lourdes coach Danny Aguas said. “We will be competing for a state title.”
Gibbons, which finished 10th at state last year, returns six of its top-10 runners, including All-County sophomore Claire Chanon (19:06). She is out to break the school-record time of 18:59.
The Chiefs’ second-best through fifth-best runners are all juniors, including Allison Albrecht (20:18), whose twin brother, Adam, runs on Gibbons’ boys’ team.
“This is the strongest team I’ve had,” said John May, who is in his eighth season coaching Gibbons. “Claire is one of the best runners in the county.”
MORE BOYS’ OUTLOOKS
Gulliver, which finished ninth at state last year, is led by juniors Emiliio Perez Garcia (16:40) and Adrian Iziliaev (16:53). Sophomore Kayaan Ghaffar (17:10) and junior Luca Levins (17:18) are also in the hunt.
Cardinal Gibbons, which finished ninth in its region last year, is led by juniors Aiden Huck (17:51) and Dominic Pregi (19:05).
Ransom Everglades is led by seniors Nelson Manstein (17:20) and JJ Candib (18:19).
St. Thomas Aquinas is led by three seniors: Alex Selman (17:29); Santiago Perez (18:36); and Jon Magbanua (18:39).
Coral Reef is led by seniors Anthony Porter (16:10) and Russell Tomlin (17:57).
Miami Country Day is led by sophomore Aven Bergman (16:53) and senior Brady Lubetsky (17:20).
Divine Savior is led by senior Erasmo Da Silva (19:20) and sophomore Eduardo Garrido (20:27).
MORE GIRLS’ OUTLOOKS
St. Thomas Aquinas last year went 16-0 in dual meets and won district and regional titles before finishing eighth at state. This year, only one senior returns. Top runners are three sophomores: Taylor Gold (19:27); Charlotte Lee (19:58); and Rebeca Cardenas (19:59).
Coral Gables is led by seniors Avril Donner (19:19) and Yora Korse (20:33).
Gulliver Prep is led by senior Tara Menon (19:35) and junior Aleah Sawyer (20:28).
Coral Reef is led by junior Fara Pages (21:26) and Sofia Marti (21:11).
Miami Country Day is led by sophomore Amelia Ziolkowski and senior Paloma Deen.
Divine Savior is led by juniors Isabel Alvarez and Luciana Antelo.
This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM.