Vanguard stole the show at the 2022 MCIAC High School Cross Country Championships, sweeping both the individual and team titles at Belleview.
This was the 24th year in a row that the Vanguard boys had won the Marion County Conference Championships, and the 20th year for the girls. Junior Clayton Knight won the boy’s race, with seven Vanguard runners finishing in the top 11 places. The team finished with 22 points, well ahead of second-place Forest’s 45 points.
In the girl’s race, senior Rhema Taylor crossed the finish line first, with seven Vanguard runners placing in the top 12. The team again finished with 22 points, this time beating out 65-point Westport.
With yet another victory under their belts, the Vanguard boys and girls continue to dominate the Marion County Conference Championships. It’s an impressive feat that shows the strength of their team.
Other notable performances include the Senior and Freshman duo from Forest, Ryan Elfring and Zach Vickerman, who placed 3rd and 5th respectively in the boy’s race. Additionally, Mia White from Westport turned in a 2nd-place finish for the girl’s race.
Boys Race Results
| Place | Bib# | Name | Team | Split 1 |
| 1 | 46 | Clayton Knight | Vanguard (Ocala) | 17:15.1 |
| 2 | 58 | Miguel Cruz | Vanguard (Ocala) | 18:16.1 |
| 3 | 31 | Ryan Elfring | Forest | 18:37.4 |
| 4 | 57 | Matt Lammens | Vanguard (Ocala) | 18:38.7 |
| 5 | 34 | Zach Vickerman | Forest | 19:02.4 |
| 6 | 28 | Luke Gutierrez | Forest | 19:21.0 |
| 7 | 51 | Kartik Koti | Vanguard (Ocala) | 19:27.0 |
| 8 | 55 | Liam Cole | Vanguard (Ocala) | 19:29.3 |
| 9 | 75 | Luke Lombardo | West Port | 19:32.0 |
| 10 | 56 | Martin D’Esposito | Vanguard (Ocala) | 19:46.3 |
| 11 | 60 | Timothy Brannon | Vanguard (Ocala) | 20:02.3 |
| 12 | 63 | Bryce Blalock | West Port | 20:10.3 |
| 13 | 17 | Colin Kearse | Dunnellon | 20:42.0 |
| 14 | 15 | Zachary Townsend | Belleview | 20:56.4 |
| 15 | 25 | Christian Hicks | Forest | 20:57.5 |
| 16 | 30 | Parker Tew | Forest | 21:01.2 |
| 17 | 66 | Certain Williams | West Port | 21:10.1 |
| 18 | 18 | Ethan Slagle | Dunnellon | 21:11.1 |
| 19 | 26 | Dennis Rotella | Forest | 21:16.9 |
| 20 | 20 | Garrett Hinckley | Dunnellon | 21:18.6 |
| 21 | 68 | Colby Jones | West Port | 21:26.9 |
| 22 | 49 | Jon Rosa | Vanguard (Ocala) | 21:30.8 |
| 23 | 11 | Michael Smothers | Belleview | 21:52.0 |
| 24 | 70 | Gabriel Lopez | West Port | 21:58.1 |
| 25 | 22 | James Carter | Dunnellon | 22:02.7 |
| 26 | 48 | David Reed | Vanguard (Ocala) | 22:02.8 |
| 27 | 78 | Tai Geering | West Port | 22:03.3 |
| 28 | 4 | Aubrey Otieno | Belleview | 22:30.3 |
| 29 | 39 | Allanhirschrick Rojas | North Marion | 22:38.8 |
| 30 | 33 | Xavier Sahajpal | Forest | 22:56.6 |
| 31 | 45 | Brandon Kee | Vanguard (Ocala) | 23:06.3 |
| 32 | 79 | Tannon Trias | West Port | 23:15.1 |
| 33 | 42 | Hawk Brayden | North Marion | 23:22.1 |
| 34 | 9 | Jonathan Ancrum | Belleview | 23:22.8 |
| 35 | 16 | Caleb Hill | Dunnellon | 23:51.6 |
| 36 | 32 | Trey Northey | Forest | 24:16.1 |
| 37 | 27 | Ethan Ramsey | Forest | 24:22.7 |
| 38 | 29 | Nicholas Dessaint | Forest | 24:24.0 |
| 39 | 50 | Julian Colon | Vanguard (Ocala) | 24:35.1 |
| 40 | 7 | Douglas VanDeursen | Belleview | 24:42.6 |
| 41 | 23 | Jhonerin Flores-Dominquez | Dunnellon | 25:05.6 |
| 42 | 2 | Andrew Schmeiser | Belleview | 25:13.3 |
| 43 | 47 | Daniel Paez | Vanguard (Ocala) | 25:21.6 |
| 44 | 19 | Gabriel Spillman | Dunnellon | 25:26.2 |
| 45 | 77 | Raphael Piccola | West Port | 25:40.8 |
| 46 | 54 | Landon Reynolds | Vanguard (Ocala) | 25:41.9 |
| 47 | 53 | Kevin Zhu | Vanguard (Ocala) | 25:45.1 |
| 48 | 13 | Owen Hogan | Belleview | 25:59.3 |
| 49 | 6 | Christopher Rivera | Belleview | 26:42.6 |
| 50 | 1 | Alex Fernandez | Belleview | 26:54.5 |
| 51 | 12 | Nicholas Rivera | Belleview | 26:56.8 |
| 52 | 61 | Adrian Lozano | West Port | 27:41.7 |
| 53 | 81 | Mufeez Ahmad | West Port | 28:00.3 |
| 54 | 72 | James Jeppson | West Port | 28:44.1 |
| 55 | 24 | Jose Schwarz Barrera | Dunnellon | 29:12.2 |
| 56 | 38 | Sahir Encarnacion Pacheco | Lake Weir | 31:01.4 |
| 57 | 74 | Logan Davis | West Port | 31:29.1 |
| 58 | 52 | Kevin Lin | Vanguard (Ocala) | 33:55.6 |
| 59 | 37 | Payden Pryor | Lake Weir | 34:47.7 |
| 60 | 64 | Caden Golden | West Port | 39:20.1 |
| 61 | 8 | Jackson Vannoy | Belleview | 42:10.0 |
| 62 | 62 | Benjamin Swanson | West Port | 42:52.3 |
| DNS | 80 | Xavier Martinez | West Port | 41:21.9 |
| Team Scores | ||||
| Vanguard (Ocala)22 | 22 | |||
| Forest45 | 44 | |||
| West Port82 | 82 | |||
| Dunnellon105 | 105 | |||
| Belleview122 | 122 |
Girls Race Results
| Place | Bib# | Name | Team | Split 1 |
| 1 | 120 | Rhema Taylor | Vanguard (Ocala) | 20:58.4 |
| 2 | 129 | Mia White | West Port | 21:25.3 |
| 3 | 118 | Ruby Scott | Vanguard (Ocala) | 21:41.4 |
| 4 | 84 | Kiley Summerlin | Belleview | 22:10.7 |
| 5 | 112 | Audrey Taylor | Vanguard (Ocala) | 23:13.5 |
| 6 | 116 | Emma Curtis | Vanguard (Ocala) | 23:16.2 |
| 7 | 110 | Savannah Risner | Vanguard (Ocala) | 23:18.1 |
| 8 | 135 | Natalie Nelson | West Port | 23:24.0 |
| 9 | 86 | Christina Seecharan | Belleview | 23:55.3 |
| 10 | 115 | Ava Curtis | Vanguard (Ocala) | 24:06.0 |
| 11 | 96 | Taylor Alvard | Dunnellon | 24:40.1 |
| 12 | 119 | Kristen Moore | Vanguard (Ocala) | 24:40.7 |
| 13 | 107 | Chloe Fields | North Marion | 24:53.2 |
| 14 | 100 | Lillian Ledy | Forest | 25:01.2 |
| 15 | 95 | Rachel Hill | Dunnellon | 25:17.3 |
| 16 | 105 | Taylor Smith | Forest | 25:26.6 |
| 17 | 145 | Ximena Diaz | West Port | 25:36.8 |
| 18 | 125 | Sama Jaber | West Port | 25:39.4 |
| 19 | 101 | Ryan Steffey | Forest | 25:42.8 |
| 20 | 97 | Adrienne Bunn | Forest | 25:45.5 |
| 21 | 104 | Michelle Houldsworth | Forest | 25:52.7 |
| 22 | 114 | Abigail Taylor | Vanguard (Ocala) | 26:16.9 |
| 23 | 91 | Emma Hatcher | Dunnellon | 26:21.7 |
| 24 | 124 | Serena Saju | West Port | 26:40.2 |
| 25 | 127 | Azabeth Thompson | West Port | 26:57.0 |
| 26 | 103 | Coralei Deriso | Forest | 27:00.6 |
| 27 | 121 | Nicole Ni | Vanguard (Ocala) | 27:11.2 |
| 28 | 111 | Alexandra Rudnianyn | Vanguard (Ocala) | 27:18.1 |
| 29 | 98 | Anna Wilson | Forest | 28:06.5 |
| 30 | 109 | Isabella Carrascosa | Vanguard (Ocala) | 28:31.1 |
| 31 | 94 | Allison Robb | Dunnellon | 28:44.2 |
| 32 | 102 | Johanna Wells | Forest | 28:57.5 |
| 33 | 99 | Riley Smith | Forest | 29:43.8 |
| 34 | 126 | Emily Vadnais | West Port | 30:08.9 |
| 35 | 141 | Malon Rubenius | West Port | 31:46.6 |
| 36 | 108 | Natalie Hernandez | North Marion | 31:57.7 |
| 37 | 122 | Mina Lango | West Port | 32:46.1 |
| 38 | 142 | Pien Kleeven | West Port | 32:59.8 |
| 39 | 130 | Mackenzie Cutler | West Port | 33:30.6 |
| 40 | 106 | Arely Rodriguez Landaverde | Lake Weir | 36:12.3 |
| 41 | 85 | Caely Mullinix | Belleview | 37:12.8 |
| 42 | 138 | Valeria Gonzalez | West Port | 37:40.1 |
| 43 | 82 | Brynn Filkins | Belleview | 37:57.9 |
| 44 | 87 | A’niyah Stogsdill | Belleview | 38:06.7 |
| 45 | 140 | Justine Peterzell | West Port | 38:15.8 |
| 46 | 90 | Trinity Powell | Dunnellon | 40:08.4 |
| 47 | 93 | Juliana Rodriquez | Dunnellon | 40:08.8 |
| 48 | 137 | Cristina Bejarano | West Port | 40:24.8 |
| Team Scores | ||||
| Vanguard (Ocala)22 | 22 | |||
| West Port65 | 65 | |||
| Forest85 | 85 | |||
| Belleview100 | 100 | |||
| Dunnellon103 | 103 |
