West Boca Cross Country Course Named for Coach Rick Rothman

At a Glance

• Palm Beach County formally dedicated the Rick Rothman Cross Country Course on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
• The course is at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in unincorporated West Boca Raton.
• Rothman designed and created the course in 2004.
• The ceremony took place during the 44th annual Spanish River Cross Country Invitational.
• Spanish River seniors won both Race of Champions individual titles on the newly named course that morning.

Palm Beach County formally dedicated the Rick Rothman Cross Country Course on Saturday, September 19, 2026, placing the longtime Spanish River High School coach's name on a course he designed more than two decades ago. The sign unveiling took place at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in unincorporated West Boca Raton during the 44th annual Spanish River Cross Country Invitational.

The county's advance announcement scheduled the dedication for 9 a.m. Post-event photographs show Rothman addressing the crowd during the ceremony, and race reporting confirmed the course received his name that morning.

Why Palm Beach County Named the Course for Rothman

The naming recognizes Rothman's role in creating the course and his decades of influence on cross country in Palm Beach County and across Florida. According to Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, Rothman designed and created the course in 2004. The county describes it as a venue used for high-school, collegiate, regional, national and USA Track & Field competition, and notes that it has also supported Palm Beach County sports tourism.

Rothman's Role in Designing the Course

Rothman designed and built the South County Regional Park course in 2004, giving western Boca Raton a dedicated cross-country venue at a time when high-school and collegiate programs in the area needed a permanent home for competition. The course has since hosted regional and national meets, making it one of the most significant athletic facilities of its kind in Palm Beach County.

A Career at Spanish River High School

Rothman arrived at the newly opened Spanish River High School in 1983, according to the Florida High School Athletic Association and Florida Atlantic University. He spent decades coaching cross country and track while teaching biology. His Spanish River teams won seven girls' cross-country state championships, and his teams won numerous district, regional and major-meet titles over the years.

Rothman also founded the Spanish River Invitational, the meet during which the dedication took place. FAU's biography says he retired after 33 years of teaching and 38 years of high-school coaching.

Influence Beyond West Boca

Rothman's reach extended well beyond the Spanish River campus. According to the FHSAA and FAU, he coached United States teams in international competition and served in state and national coaching, officiating and education roles. He later worked as a volunteer assistant with Florida Atlantic University's cross-country and track programs.

He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame. Different biographies were written in different years and contain differing totals for career victories, championships and Coach of the Year awards; MyWestBoca.com has not combined those incompatible figures.

The Spanish River Invitational

The Spanish River Cross Country Invitational, founded by Rothman, held its 44th edition on September 18 and 19, 2026. According to specialized cross-country coverage, the meet included eight races over two days and recorded approximately 2,300 finishers. The course was muddy during the championship races.

Spanish River's Results on Dedication Weekend

Spanish River runners delivered a fitting result on the morning the course was officially named for their longtime coach. According to meet coverage from Run Florida Run and MileSplit, Spanish River seniors won both Race of Champions individual titles.

Casey Sangely won the boys Race of Champions, finishing in 15 minutes, 46.41 seconds. The boys championship race reportedly had 199 runners. Alba Antunez-Perez won the girls Race of Champions, finishing in 18 minutes, 3.19 seconds — a personal best, according to MileSplit. Spanish River also won the girls Race of Champions team competition. Palmer Trinity eighth-grader Valentina Sarcos reportedly established a middle-school girls meet record of 10:56.61 in the 3-kilometer race.

Race results and times should be rechecked against official results immediately before publication.

The Course as a West Boca Athletic Venue

Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park is operated by Palm Beach County, not the City of Boca Raton, and sits in unincorporated Palm Beach County west of Boca Raton. The Rick Rothman Cross Country Course provides a dedicated venue for high-school cross country, collegiate competition, running events, regional and national meets, and sports tourism in western Boca Raton.

For West Boca residents, the course is a familiar local landmark — the place where student-athletes from Spanish River and schools across the region compete throughout the fall season, and where collegiate and national-level meets bring visitors to the community.

Have a photo from the dedication, a correction or additional information about the ceremony? Contact the MyWestBoca editorial desk at hello@mywestboca.com.