Ransom Everglades freshman Juju Hart won the girls 5K at the STU Bobcat Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26, clocking 19:27.73 at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.

The Coconut Grove school called the victory the program's first individual girls cross-country championship at a major invitational in at least a decade.

Hart held off Carrollton's Eva Martinez-Lejarza by 3.52 seconds.

Hart cuts 54 seconds in two weeks

The win capped a sharp two-week climb for Hart. At the Astronaut Invitational on Sept. 12, she finished seventh in 20:21.76. At St. Thomas, she cut just over 54 seconds from that time to take the individual title.

Raiders place four runners in the top 11

Hart was not the only Raider running well. The team, coached by D. Kappelman, put four runners in the top 11 and finished second in the team standings with 58 points. Carrollton took the team title with 24.

Sophomore Gillian Carvalho, who earned second-team all-county honors from the Miami Herald last fall, placed fifth in 19:55.89. She broke the 20-minute mark for the first time this season after running 20:52.72 at the Astronaut Invitational.

Seventh grader London Ross finished eighth in 20:15.14. Sophomore Amelia Gonzales, an all-county honorable mention last season, was 11th in 21:25.08. Junior Victoria Garcia-Pinochet rounded out the scoring five in 36th at 24:24.02.

The team's next scheduled meet had not been posted as of Monday, Sept. 28. Check MaxPreps for updated scheduling.