By Kyle Coppola
East Ridge High’s Axel Sallault Breaks School Record In Cross-Country
East Ridge High School’s Axel Sallault competed in the Cecil Field Summer Classic in Jacksonville, Florida this past weekend, breaking the school record with a time of 15:44. The “Super Sophomore” obliterated his previous best of 16:12, set during last year’s district race, by an impressive 28 seconds. Incredibly he would finish 8th as the competition was fierce. The winner Marcelo Mantecon from Belen Jesuit Prep won the meet with a blazing time of 15:01.
(Axel Sallault is used to finishing at the front of the pack. He will be a big time favorite to go after a state championship this season.)
Sallault’s performance not only established a new benchmark for East Ridge but also placed him among the elite runners in the history of the Cecil Field course, ranking in the top 20 fastest times ever recorded at the event. Sallault is looking forward to a big year. He comes into 2024 looking the best he ever has. This summer he really trained hard and it shows.
Sallault was not the only runner who had big results on the boys side, Junior Caleb Walker also ran among the top times in East Ridge High history with a 16:45. That was the 16th all -time fastest time at East Ridge. It was also Caleb’s personal best by over 30 seconds.
(Rhyen Foley took home 10th place overall with a time of 18:56. Foley’s time is now the fifth fastest time ever recorded in East Ridge High history.)
On the girls side, Rhyen Foley took home 10th place overall with a time of 18:56. Foley’s time is now the fifth fastest time ever recorded in East Ridge High history. Veronica Peterson finished 23rd with a time of 19:41. Hanna Warren finished 32nd with a time of 19:57. Overall it was a great performance by East Ridge High and both the boys and girls teams are set up for a big year in 2024.
As far as Sallault, his record-breaking run firmly establishes him as a leading contender in the state. He is among the top runners in Central Florida and we can’t wait to see what he is capable of as the cooler months arrive in a few weeks.
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.
