Gabe Milliken's Freshmen season in Cross Country was one like few others seen at Sarasota Christian in recent years, coming in 5th in his first race with a 19:52.5 time and trimming that time down to a personal best of 17:57.9 at the FHSAA District 1A-6 Meet, placing 10th to make his first appearance at the FHSAA Region 1A-3 meet, where he placed 26th to end the season. Along the way, Gabe won the first ever West Coast Athletic Conference Invitational, had a 3rd place finish in a tri-meet with Bradenton Christian and Saint Stephen's Episcopal, and finished 11th at the Sunshine State Athletic Associations Championship Meet.
Milliken has followed up with an even better Sophomore season, beginning the season with an 18:01.8 time and continuing to shave off time as his personal best 5k time went to 16:31.3 at the Tri County XC Championship at North Port HS, where he battled against the best Cross Country runners in Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte Counties. Gabe came in 17th place in that meet, going up against 164 other runners and placed 8th in Sarasota County. During his Sophomore year, Milliken followed up with his second victory at the West Coast Athletic Conference Invitational, placed 8th at the Sunshine State Athletic Association's Championship Meet, finished 2nd in the Patriot Invitational at The Classical Academy of Sarasota, finished 6th at the Out of Door Invitational, and 5th at the King's Invitational at Southwest Florida Christian Academy. In total Gabe had 5 straight top 10 finishes, 3 of which were top 5 finishes, during his Sophomore season.Â
At the FHSAA District 1A-6 Meet, Milliken cruised to a 17:31.1 finish that placed him in 7th place, which was good enough for the number one spot of individuals qualifying for the regional meet. At the FHSAAÂ Region 1A-3 Meet, Gabe followed up with a 17:14.8 time to place 13th and punch his ticket to the State 1A Meet next Saturday November 22nd in Tallahassee, FLÂ for the first time.