Vanguard Sweeps Whispering Pines Invitational as South Marion Makes Cross Country Debut

Vanguard High School swept the team titles in both the boys' and girls' varsity races at the Whispering Pines Invitational, hosted by Citrus High School at Whispering Pines Park in Inverness on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The meet drew 20 boys' teams and 21 girls' teams from across Central Florida, marking one of the first major tests of the season for Marion County cross country programs, including a historic first for South Marion High School. Full results are posted on RunFloridaRun.

Vanguard Sweeps Both Team Titles

Vanguard won the boys' race with 59 points, well clear of runner-up Tavares (75), on a scoring five that averaged 16:57.81. Sophomore Trevor Berquist led the Knights in fifth overall (16:34.09), followed by fellow sophomore Lachlan Bryniarski in eighth (16:43.60), sophomore Christopher Taylor in ninth (16:50.45), junior Jacob Rogers in 10th (16:53.35), and Cooper Gumpert rounding out the scoring five. It's a new-look Vanguard lineup this fall without senior Timothy Brannon, last year's team leader, who is now running collegiately at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton — and the Knights opened the season showing they have the depth to cover the gap.

On the girls' side, Vanguard scored 63 points to beat Buchholz (113) and Oak Hall (114). Sophomore Lyla Hallick was the story of the race, finishing second overall in 18:25.40, just 16 seconds behind individual winner Natalia Gaona-Zelaya of Wiregrass Ranch. Junior Cierra Mills (sixth, 19:20.20), junior Reese Cartwright (ninth, 19:46.17), freshman Annalise Hallick (19th, 21:01.17) and sophomore Natalie Lammens (35th, 21:52.91) completed the Knights' scoring five.

Belleview's Young Core Steps Up

Belleview finished fifth in the boys' team standings (166 points, 18:12.49 average), led by sophomore Asher Inman, who was Belleview's top finisher in 17:22.51 for 16th overall. Senior Kaden Fernandez was next for the Rattlers in 31st (17:49.62), with sophomore Wiley Bethea (40th, 18:26.57), sophomore Jacob McGovern (42nd, 18:30.31) and junior Chapman Stewart (52nd, 18:53.40) rounding out the scoring five — a young group looking to close the gap to Belleview's front two as the season progresses.

Sydney Farris Makes Her Trinity Catholic Debut

Trinity Catholic placed ninth in the girls' team standings (213 points, 22:16.48 average) behind senior Lauren Murphy, who finished 11th overall in 19:52.04. Right behind her was Sydney Farris, a freshman who previously ran as the top finisher at St. John Lutheran before choosing Trinity Catholic for high school, in her first race in a Celtics uniform — 22nd overall in 21:11.86 as a 9th grader. Mya Vail (57th), Vivian Leonard (61st) and Kathryn Schatt (74th) rounded out Trinity's scoring five. On the boys' side, Trinity Catholic finished 13th (349 points, 19:32.94 average), led by Edward Zinnie in 45th (18:40.44).

Pictured left to right: Rachel Chiles (Citrus), Alanna Doyle (Buchholz), Lyla Hallick (Vanguard), Sydney Farris (Trinity Catholic) and Lise Hallick (Vanguard, Lyla's cousin) — all former Ocala Distance Project teammates — at the Whispering Pines Invitational. Photo credit: Lacey McGovern.

South Marion Makes History

South Marion High School, a newer addition to Marion County's public school system, competed in its first-ever cross country meet at Whispering Pines. The program fielded two boys' varsity finishers — Jameson McNulty (101st, 20:10.83) and Raymel Rosell (140th, 22:13.56) — along with JV girls' runner Victoria De La Rosa (39th, 29:37.14). With a roster still short of the five runners needed to score as a team, Saturday was about establishing a starting point for a brand-new program rather than chasing a team result.

Rest of the County

North Marion finished 17th in the boys' team standings (484 points), led by Brooklyn Smith in 27th overall (17:46.10). West Port was 16th in the boys' standings (410 points, 20:16.82 average) and fielded a JV girls' squad that finished fourth in its division (103 points), led by Rylee Vilela in fifth (23:57.11).

Looking Ahead

With Vanguard's boys and girls both opening the season on top at Whispering Pines, and young talent emerging at Belleview, Trinity Catholic and now South Marion, Marion County's cross country programs will keep building toward the Marion Athletic Conference championships and the postseason push toward the state meet later this fall.