Lakewood Ranch wins championships

LAKEWOOD RANCH — As she walked to the starting line, Lakewood Ranch’s “Mama Hen” was filled with a mix of emotions.

It was a bittersweet morning for Devin McDermott, as the lone senior on the Lady Mustangs varsity cross country team prepared to run her final Manatee County Championship race.

After her teammates surprised her with balloons, signs and a bag of sentimental goodies, McDermott and her teammates gathered together at the starting line in prayer and geared up for their final preparation race before the grueling three-week stretch leading up to the state championship.

Having won district and regional titles and having finished second overall at the Class 2A state meet each of the past two seasons, the Lady Mustangs were the undisputed favorite heading into the Manatee County Championships Oct. 29, at the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch.
But that doesn’t mean the girls took the race lightly.

“We always look forward to the county meet, not just because of the fun and competitive environment, but because it’s the one meet that kicks us into gear for that long and challenging battle to the state championship,” McDermott said. “Of course, we wanted to keep the tradition alive and bring home another girls varsity title, but that wasn’t our main objective — just like it isn’t for any other meet of the season. When we step up to the starting line, our goal is to see how much better we can do personally, and with that, hopefully will come a win. The county meet was no different.”

It might not have been their main objective, but that doesn’t mean the Lady Mustangs weren’t pleased with the results. Lakewood scored 15 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Braden River (61).

“As a team, it helped our confidence by getting a perfect score of 15 points,” junior Olivia Ortiz said. “We were all very excited and can’t wait to see what future lies ahead.”

Ortiz crossed the finish line first in 17:49 — more than two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. It was the first time Ortiz was forced to pace herself.

“This race was definitely different from the past races this season I have ran,” Ortiz said. “Usually, I am in a group and we are all pushing for first place, but this race I was all by myself. Overall, I liked the race and course. The most difficult part was staying on my pace and not slowing down. My goal was to break 18 minutes, and thankfully, I did.”

The first seven finishers were Lady Mustangs. McDermott finished second in 19:50 followed by Kristin Zarrella (20:07), Natalie Novak (20:14), Katie Wray (20:36), Ashley Platt (20:51) and Michelle Last (21:25).

“I am ecstatic to have finished with all Lakewood girls around me,” McDermott said. “Running my last county meet was sad, because it meant leaving all of the memories we had made there. However, I know we have a lot more to accomplish in these next few weeks, and there’s no one I would rather do that with. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect last county championship.”

The Lady Mustangs weren’t the only ones to walk away with Manatee County Championships. Lakewood’s JV girls and varsity and JV boys teams were all victorious.

The Lakewood boys varsity team scored 41 points to edge past Manatee (44). Four runners placed in the top 10 — Evan Dipsiner (third, 17:33), Mitch Arnold (fourth, 17:37), Quintin Wampler (eighth, 18:08) and Josh Napier (10th, 18:15).

Lakewood’s JV girls scored 21 points to finish ahead of Southeast (47).

Meanwhile the JV boys team scored 20 points to finish ahead of Manatee (57).

“The the big accomplishment this year was that the JV girls and both varsity and JV boys were able to take home the gold as well,” McDermott said. “I was proud of the Lakewood Legacy that they left on that course.”

With another Manatee County Championship under their belts, the Lady Mustangs will now prepare for the Class 3A-District 11 meet Nov. 4 at Estero Community Park — the first hurdle in their quest for a state championship.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].