The Ponte Vedra High cross-country program had high expectations heading into the postseason and it is safe to say that they lived up to the expectations in a big way, as the girls squad won the Class 3A state championship and the boys finished third overall, their highest ever finish at the state competition.
Both teams path to the state competition included capturing district titles.
The girls were led by senior Daisy Ross and won their fourth consecutive district title, while the boys were led by senior Tanner Andrade Brinsko.
The teams then faced an unusual scheduling this year, as they then traveled to Panama City for regionals just five days after districts.
However, it did not seem to bother the Sharks as the girls team handled business and brought home the regional championship as well, as senior Sofia Bushkell chose the perfect time to show her best and was the Sharks’ No. 2 runner.
This was the girls’ fourth straight regional championship, while the boys team finished third behind eventual state runner up Chiles High.
This was a proud third place finish after the Sharks’ top runner, Andrade Brinsko, was injured after the first mile and was unable to finish the race.
The Sharks No. 2 runner junior Miles Wicks was also returning to form after a series of illnesses kept him sidelined for a month.
The success continued to mount and followed the Sharks as they went back out to the panhandle, this time to Tallahassee and Florida’s cross-country capital for the FHSAA Class 3A State Championship.
The girls squad was slight favorites coming into the race against perennial rival Fort Lauderdale Dillard High who were the defending champions.
As expected, Ross led the Sharks with another great performance, as she finished fourth overall with a time of 18:28.
This time junior Sam Gore stepped up for a career-best 18:56 and a spot on the medal stand with a 13th-place finish.
With another outstanding performance from Bushkell and fellow teammates Savannah Lavasser and Olivia Kaminsky, the Sharks were able to capture their second state title.
Ross and Bushkell have helped put the Sharks’ girls program on the map during their high school careers and were able to win at states as both freshmen and seniors.
The boys battled hard to match their highest ever finish at states with the third-place finish.
They were once again led by Andrade Brinsko as well as Wicks, Sophomore Luke Ross, and juniors Walker White and Evan Wienroth.
As the Sharks look ahead to next season, the high expectations remain as a deep girls team returns three of their top five scorers.
They will also return Ella McGowan, Mia Wicks and Julia Preston who will be seniors along with a strong stable of juniors who are going to battle to be on the postseason squad.
The boys return four of their top scorers and have a rising crop of young runners who will look to contribute next year, including Cooper Hunt and Jasper Graham.
Under the guidance of former coach Rob Circelli and current coaches Jeff Cannada and Christian Skarat the Sharks have become one of the premier programs in Florida, and their championship resume continues to grow.
Thirty-two athletes from the track and cross-country programs have competed at the college level over the past seven years with more to come.
