Cross Country Wins 9th Consecutive State Title

11/23/2025
Frankie Ruiz ’96 | Head Cross Country Coach

The Belen Jesuit Cross Country team delivered once again on Saturday morning, conquering humid and dusty conditions at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee to win the FHSAA 3A 2025 State Championship. The Wolverines scored 49 points in a highly competitive field of 32 teams.

Junior Marcelo Mantecon headlined the victory, capturing his second consecutive individual State Championship with a time of 15:03 on the 5K course. Close behind, junior Armando Cruz finished second overall in 15:12, giving Belen a commanding one-two punch at the front of the race.

The Wolverines stayed tightly packed through 3K, with sophomore Jack Michalak pushing the pace late to place thirteenth overall. Freshman David Jaramillo and sophomore Nico Veloso completed the scoring five, giving Belen a team average of 15:45, which was the fastest among all classifications on the day.

This championship marks Belen's ninth straight Florida State title and extends its state record total to 17, the highest in Florida high school cross country history. The victory also increased Frankie Ruiz's Florida coaching record to 16 State Championships.

With the state meet complete, Belen will continue training as they await a potential at-large selection to the Nike Cross National Championship in Portland. Because the State Championship was held on the same day as the NXR Southeast Regional for the first time, Florida teams were unable to compete for an automatic qualifying spot.