In a highly anticipated rematch between state contenders, it was St. Thomas Aquinas’ Alexa Cruz evening the score against Pine Crest’s Julia Montgomery at the flrunners.com Invitational Race of Champions on Saturday.

Two weeks after Montgomery, the reigning Class 2A state champion, beat Cruz, the 2012 Class 4A state runner-up, at the City of Fort Lauderdale Championships, Cruz bounced back to finish third in 18:06 while Montgomery placed fifth in 18:24 in Titusville.