By Kyle Coppola
East Ridge High’s Rhyen Foley Breaks School Record for Cross-Country
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — East Ridge High School’s junior cross-country star, Rhyen Foley, shattered her own school record in the girls’ 5K at the New World Fall Spectacular on Saturday morning, finishing in 18:00 and placing 10th out of more than 300 elite runners from across the state.
(Foley shows off her 10th place medal and shirt she won at New World Fall Spectacula and she set a new School Record in the 5K race doing so with a time of 18:00.)
Foley, who originally set the East Ridge 5K record last year with a time of 18:33, led her team with a remarkable personal best performance on the flat, fast course at New World Sports Complex. The New World Fall Spectacular was a high-profile meet, drawing top competition, crisp temperatures, and an atmosphere that lent itself to personal records.
Foley seized the opportunity early in the race, positioning herself alongside her familiar rivals, including Viera’s Addison Elwell and unattached runner Mary Summers. After battling Elwell throughout the season, Foley broke away in the final stretch, securing the win in their fourth matchup this year.
(Foley leads Viera High’s Addison Elwell who has been the top competition for Foley this year. It was a great to see her come out and beat her. The two always put on a good show.)
“I knew I had to give everything on that last stretch,” Foley said. “I didn’t want to leave anything on the course, and I’m so proud to break my record for East Ridge.”
Foley wasn’t the only Knight to shine at the meet. Senior captain Hanna Warren posted a season-best 18:48, placing 29th overall. Warren, who has consistently led East Ridge’s team, made her mark once again as one of the most decorated runners in the school’s history.
(Hanna Warren had another good showing and picked up good points for East Ridge High. Veronica Peterson also had a good race.)
Junior Veronica Peterson followed with a stellar 19:07, another season-best, placing 44th overall. Both Peterson and Warren’s efforts helped propel East Ridge to a fifth-place team finish in the elite division, beating several top Class 4A teams.
The Knights also saw impressive performances from juniors Adriana Mustin (20:24) and Taylor Walker (20:34), both posting season-best times to round out the team’s scoring positions.
East Ridge will now turn their focus to the Lake County Championships, set to take place on October 26, where they will be favorites to win. This will be the final race of the regular season and will showcase some of the best runners in Lake County.
(Varsity girls prior to the start of the Elite Division at New World Fall Spectacular. From L to R: Jessie Volz, Neelyanis Lugo, Veronica Peterson, Lexi Whitehead, Hanna Warren, Adriana Mustin, Rhyen Foley, Avery Post, Taylor Walker, and Kori Lindley.)
For Foley, breaking the school record again is a testament to her drive and focus ahead of the state championship meet next month. East Ridge is looking really good coming into the home stretch of the 2024 regular season.
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.
