Spanish River senior Preston Sangely will close his varsity career with the top individual prize in Florida high school cross country.
Sangely won the individual Class 4A cross country state championship on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. He finished in 15:22.50, five seconds clear of runner-up Axel Sallault from East Ridge, to become Spanish River's first boys cross country state champion.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe title caps a perfect finish for Sangely, who previously took first place at the Palm Beach County, district and regional championships.
It also confirms the potential Spanish River cross country head coach Doug Horn has long seen in Sangely.
"The first time I saw Preston run was when he was in eighth grade," Horn said. "I said to my assistant coach, 'Look at that kid, he will be an individual state champion one day.'
"Well today he's a champion on the course and in the classroom. We're all super proud of the person he has become."
Sangely is the first boys cross country state champion from Palm Beach County since Boca Raton Christian's Tucker Hindle won the Class 1A title in 2015.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe's also the first boys cross country state champion from a Palm Beach County public school since John I. Leonard's Ryan Pickering won the Class 4A title in 2010.
Spanish River's boys team, which swept titles at county and FHSAA postseason meets, took third place overall behind Buchholz and Oviedo.
Spanish River senior Preston Sangely (left) and head coach Doug Horn (right) celebrate Sangely's Class 4A individual state championship on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 in Tallahassee.State preview: Spanish River's dominant cross country teams chase Florida state titles
How it happened
Despite entering as a race favorite, Sangely said doubt entered his mind after a blistering early pace.
"Even though we didn’t win as a team, I put in all the work and suffered through the pain," Sangely said. "I was confident I could win but then I didn’t expect it. They went out fast and my body couldn’t keep up."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSangely said he surged around the two-mile marker to bring home the program's first individual boys cross country state title, which he acknowledged was a big thing for his veteran coach.
“It was hot and I got happy, "Sangely said. "We train in this heat every day. So it wasn’t a big difference.
"This one took a lot. I suffered hard out there, but I stayed mentally stronger than anything that tried to slow me down. Winning the state title wasn’t about feeling perfect — it was about pushing through every moment that hurt and proving to myself that I could handle it."
Palm Beach County top Class 4A boys finishers
1. Preston Sangely, Sr., Spanish River (15:22.50)
28. Ryan Cook, Sr., Spanish River (16:25.90)
39. Avery Rand, Fr., Spanish River (16:36.00)
55. Casey Sangely, Jr., Spanish River (16:51.70)
66. Matthew Ward, Jr., Jupiter (16:59.80)
106. Erik Moss, So., Spanish River (17:26.10)
Spanish River girls take runner-up
Spanish River junior Alba Antunez-Perez (left) and head coach Doug Horn (right) hold the team runner-up trophy at the Class 4A state championship on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 in Tallahassee.The Sharks' girls squad came ever so close to a Florida team state championship in Tallahassee, finishing second to Creekside High.
The Sharks posted the fastest average time for its five runners in the field but Creekside's tighter grouping of its scoring runners proved to be the final three-point difference.
"We’re a little sad not to win first place but we’re still happy we took second," said Spanish River junior Alba Antunez-Perez, who logged the event's fastest final mile in 6:37. "I’m happy about my overall placement. I went out fast with the first group and kept catching up."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoca Raton's Katelyn O'Brien was the county's top runner in the Class 4A girls meet with a fourth place finish.
Palm Beach County top Class 4A girls finishers
4. Katelyn O'Brien, Sr., Boca Raton (18:10.90)
6. Alba Antunez-Perez, Jr., Spanish River (18:20.30)
11. Lailani Levy, Fr., Spanish River (18:42.20)
12. Kirsten Maarsingh, Sr., Wellington (18:48.90)
22. Makaela Morilla, Fr., Spanish River (19:14.50)
26. Geneveve Storey, Sr., Boca Raton (19:34.60)
50. Julia D'Emic, So., Spanish River (20:03.80)
82. Olivia Downes, So., Spanish River (20:40.50)
90. Isabella Cortez, Sr., Boca Raton (20:48.00)
91. Brooke Thunberg, Fr., Boca Raton (20:50.40)
93. Delaney Ulmer, So., Jupiter (20:53.30)
95. Debora Larencuent, So., Spanish River (20:54.50)
Marc Berman contributed to this report.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Preston Sangely wins Florida cross country state championship
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