Belen boys win 12th state championship
Belen Jesuit’s crosscountry team — which is ranked 12th in the country — is bursting with pride after winning yet another state championship, its 12th, a Florida record.
Florida Gators recruit Javier Vento, a Belen senior, won the individual state title with a time of 15:22.2 on Saturday morning in Tallahassee. He also won state as a sophomore and joined Eric Alvarez as the only two-time champs in Belen’s storied history.
Belen coach Frankie
Ruiz also made history with his 11th state title. With the win, he broke the 33-year record of 10 state titles set by Largo’s Brent Haley, who won his championships from 1970 to 1987 and is now retired.
“In August, a coach from North Carolina State who was recruiting [Vento] texted me and said Haley wanted to be the first to congratulate me when I got the record,” Ruiz said.
“I called [Haley on Saturday] and thanked him for setting the bar so high. He told me he’s going to send me his book. He’s an incredible guy.”
Belen, which finished well ahead of second-place Sunlake in Saturday’s Class 3A team standings, produced four of the 5-kilometer race’s top-eight finishers.
Besides Vento, senior Aiden Villasuso finished second (15.41.6); senior Diego Gomez finished seventh (15.57.3); and junior Adam Magoulas finished eighth (15.57.4).
“I went out a little slower than I would’ve liked, but I made a hard surge and took the lead [at about the 2-K mark],” Vento said. “I wanted to make sure I was controlled so I could push through at the end, and I when I saw my teammate [Villasuso] finish second, there was no better feeling.”
Villasuso, who finished 27th at state last year, has had this race on his mind every day since.
“This has been my focus for the past 365 days,” he said. “During every hard practice, I told myself: ‘This is what I have to do to get ready for state’.”
Magoulas, who finished second at state as a freshman and fourth as a sophomore, was a major key for Belen because he managed to come in eighth despite painful shin splints on his left leg.
He felt the injury all week leading up to state. He felt it at the start of the race, too.
“But, with 800 meters left, it was on fire,” Magoulas said of his injury. “I told myself, ‘Don’t drop out’. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t finish.
“I was thinking of not letting down my teammates, and that’s what makes the Belen program so great. We’re the winningest program in the state, and we’re not stopping here. This is not the end.”
Villasuso said Ruiz — who has won his titles between 2006 and 2020 — deserves a lot of credit for the program’s success.
“Frankie works harder than us sometimes,” Villasuso said. “He’s up until 1 a.m. finding new training techniques or practicing his speeches. He runs with us sometimes. He’s very interactive.
“I’m super happy it’s paying off — all his hard work.”