The East Ridge High School girls cross country team competed in the second installment of the Ocoee Cross Country Invitational at Ocoee on Saturday morning. This was the first time the Knights had participated in Ocoee’s meet.

The race started with the runners charging across the practice football field. After making a sharp right turn, the runners made their way around the softball and baseball fields. From there, a long straightaway took the runners to a nearby pond. The course continued around the pond, and onto the West Orange Trail. One long, gradual downhill straightaway led to the first turnaround on the Trail and into a second long, gradual uphill straightaway that led to the second turnaround on the Trail. The runners exited the Trail, rounded the pond again (running the opposite direction from the lap), and made their way back to the athletic fields of the campus. They made one final turn onto track for the last 300M of the race and charged the finish line.

Girls from twelve complete teams throughout Central Florida participated in the Ocoee Cross Country Invitational on Saturday. For the third time this season, senior Rhyen Foley was the first Knight to cross the finish line. Rhyen got out of the starting area fairly quickly and put herself with the other frontrunners, including Lake Brantley’s Avalyn Thompson, Horizon’s Abigayle White, Tavares’s Jimena Nava Garcia, and Rachel Judy of Master’s Academy (of Oviedo). Thompson led the field for most of the first mile, but Rhyen, Abigayle, and Jimena worked their way ahead of her into the second mile.

(Seniors Rhyen Foley and Veronica Peterson pose with their top ten finisher medals after the Ocoee Invitational.)

By the third mile, Rachel had also overcome Avalyn and put herself in the race for the individual championship. The four girls hit the track a few seconds apart from each other, however Abigayle was able to put more distance between herself and the others, as she took first overall. A mere twelve seconds separated the individual champion from Rhyen, who ultimately took fourth overall out of a large field of 106 varsity runners. Rhyen finished in a time of 19:37, which was her second fastest time of the season and her third time medaling in an invitational this season.

Finishing second for the Knights was senior Veronica Peterson. Veronica kept herself in close proximity to Windermere High School’s top two runners for the entirety of the race and ultimately secured eighth place overall! She finished in a swift time of 19:59 – her fastest performance of the current season.

(East Ridge high continues to win events. They have a very strong team in 2025.)

Trailing in close proximity was the rest of East Ridge’s pack, a pack that has been difficult for opponents to beat this season. Leading that pack was freshman Hortance Sallault. Hortance, once again, pushed the tempo in order to make the pack move. She kept herself in close proximity to Veronica for the most of the race, which helped to pull her other teammates along. Hortance finished in eleventh overall and finished in a time of 20:49.

The pack’s remaining four runners thinned out over the next ten finishing positions (an approximate thirty-five second spread). Junior Taylor Walker hit the track and opened her stride in hot pursuit of two opponents who were slightly ahead. Taylor was able to split them in the finish chute, as she took fourteenth overall and finished in a time of 20:56.

It was a great overall performance from East Ridge High who continue to dominate this season.