Carrollton’s cross country team focuses on making legacy

Disclaimer: Natalia Grabiel and Alexandra Prado are members of the cross country team.

After school, as you sit in a long line of cars trying to get out of the Grove, have you ever noticed a pack of Carrollton girls running down Main Highway? Meet the Carrollton cross country team. While you may have given them no more than a passing glance, they deserve a second look. 

The team has become extremely successful in recent years. They won the 2024 Regional Championship and have been District Champions for four of the past five years. But the team’s wins haven’t only been at the local level. In 2023, Carrollton finished fifth overall at the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) State Championships. That race had notable finishes from then-junior Grace Aldrich ‘25, who finished fifth even though it was her first year on the team, and then-freshman Daniela Hernandez ‘27, who placed 17th. However, this was just the beginning of the immense success that was to come. 

Last year, the pressure and expectations grew. The team had the goal to make it back to States and place even higher. This time, training was more rigorous. Morning practices started earlier, workouts got harder, and Saturday runs became longer. They practiced six days a week. But the hard work paid off. The varsity team placed in the top three in almost every race they competed in. 

On Oct. 4,  the team travelled up to Lakeland, Florida, to compete in the Girls Race Of Champions as well as the Junior Varsity 5k. After arriving in Lakeland close to sundown, the team prepared by running a light pre-meet jog at the park to get a view of the hilly course. They ended the night with a customary Olive Garden dinner, including pasta and breadsticks to fuel up with carbs for the morning ahead of them, followed by a team meeting led by coach Hermelee, who highlighted the importance of the race. 

The team was up early the next morning to arrive at the course at 6:00 a.m. The JV team, pushing through steep, grassy hills, secured second place out of 12 teams, and four girls, Fernanda Rochin ‘28, Natalia Grabiel ‘28, Katarina Nout ‘29, and Alessandra Castellanos ‘27, placed in the top 15. 

The varsity team also had a strong race and worked hard, finishing in second place. Hernandez placed as a top 10 finisher (eighth place) and first for the team. The team also saw strong performances from Gabriella Socarras ‘27, Paola De La Iglesia ‘30, Antonia Beltran ‘29, Sophie Forero ‘27, and Gabriella Bodoh ‘30.

These impressive results show just how committed the cross country team is this season. Clearly, the expectations and goals for the rest of the year are high. 

“The first thing is to win the District Championship,” said coach Hermelee. “It’d be the third District Championship in a row for the cross country team, so winning back-to-back-to-back would be a three-peat, which we haven’t done yet as a team. Next is to win the region, which we won last year. And I’m always the optimist, so I’d like to try to win a state championship.” 

The team, which finished fourth at States last year, thinks anything is possible.

“Right now, we’re ranked fourth or fifth, but, you know, we still have a shot; never say never,” Hermelee said. “We want to win all three of those races and end on a high note.” 

As the Carrollton cross country team pushes through the last half of the season, they will be traveling to Tallahassee for a pre-state meet to let the state know that the Cyclones have their sights set to win.