November 8, 2024
Mount Dora High Boys And Girls Cross-Country Teams Make History, Both Qualify For State Championships
By Kyle Coppola
Mount Dora High Boys And Girls Cross-Country Teams Make History, Both Qualify For State Championships
MOUNT DORA, Fla. — For the first time in school history, both the Mount Dora High School boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams are heading to the Florida State Championships. The milestone comes after a fantastic showing at this morning’s regional championships, where the girls’ team captured their third consecutive regional title, while the boys earned a coveted state berth.
(It has to be the hills! The Mount Dora girls cross-country team celebrates their third consecutive regional championship win.)
The girls’ team continued its dominance with standout performances across the board. Hannah Douglas led the charge with a strong 2nd-place finish, followed by Lilliana Vu in 10th, Cecelia Lear in 11th, and Bailey Roman in 13th. Isabella Orser, Mina Fourari, and Makayla Bauch also delivered impressive runs, helping the team secure a decisive victory under head coach Cody Adkinson’s guidance.
(With the boys clinching a spot in the FHSAA State Championships, both teams make history becoming the first time in school history that boy boys and girls teams are headed to the state championships.)
The boys’ team, equally determined to make their mark, fought their way to a state-qualifying finish. Led by Gavin Douglas and supported by key runners Donovan Spears, Jude Aoun, Ben Stone, Gabriel Lewis, Kaiba Sieber, and Gabriel Vazquez, the boys’ squad made history with their first state championship qualification.
(The Mount Dora High girls huddle before the regional finals. They would come out victorious and head to the State Championships as one of the teams to beat!)
Coach Adkinson commended both teams’ efforts, praising their dedication and resilience. “This is a monumental achievement for our program and our school,” Adkinson said. “To have both teams qualify for state in the same year is a testament to the hard work and determination of these athletes. We’re incredibly proud of them.”
Mount Dora High’s cross-country teams now turn their focus to the state championships next week. We are so proud of this team! Way to represent Lake County!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
