UIL Regional XC Preview

The stakes will be as high as ever for Austin-area cross country athletes and teams on Monday and Tuesday in Corpus Christi.

The long, three-hour journey down I-35 and I-37 will take the region’s top athletes and teams to the UIL Region IV Championships, set to be held at Texas A&M Corpus Christi over two days on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Their season’s hopes will no doubt be on the line, as only four teams from each classification (1A-6A) will qualify themselves for the Texas UIL State Championships. Ten individuals outside team qualifiers will also book their tickets to the state championships.

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Teams Set To Compete:

The Austin Vandegrift, Round Rock and Westwood boys and the Austin Vandegrift, Cedar Park Vista Ridge and Round Rock girls will represent District 6A-25; The Austin Westlake, Austin Bowie and Austin Lake Travis boys and the Austin Westlake, Austin Bowie and Austin Lake Travis girls will feature for District 6A-26; The Leander, Liberty Hill and Cedar Park boys and the Leander, Liberty Hill and Leander Rouse girls will compete for District 5A-25.

Here’s what to watch out for: 

The Austin Vandegrift Boys: The UIL Class 6A power – ranked No. 4 nationally by MileSplit – are legitimate state contender threats, with a team average of 15:04.38 that’s absolutely mind-boggling. Only Dallas-Area Southlake Carroll, which boasts one of the best runners in the nation in Caden Leonard, will likely take aim at the Vipers. Which means, the Vandegrift boys will need to be on their ‘A’ game at regionals. The likes of Hudson Haley, Kai McCullough and Collin Goodwin is a potent scoring three that could potentially go 1-2-3 in the Class 6A race. What’s more: Austin Vandegrift has never won a team title — however, Kevin Sanchez did win an individual title for the team in 2021; the last Austin-area team to win a championship came in 2010 when Cedar Park claimed the Class 4A crown. The Vandegrift boys will race at 11:00 a.m. on Monday.

Are The Round Rock Boys A Lock: Nothing is guaranteed in postseason racing, but this team has gotten better following its second-place finish at regionals last year. Led behind star sophomore Andrew Esparza – who was sick during his regional and state races in 2023 – the answer seems to be a resounding yes. If Round Rock races smart and loads up in the top 30 of this race, they will solidify their ticket to the state championships.

Who Takes The Class 6A Girls Region Race: One of the most competitive districts across Texas last week was 6A-25. Austin Vandegrift, Cedar Park Vista Ridge And Round Rock were separated by just four points in the team standings and seven seconds in team average. That fluctuation could easily flip at regionals, where there will be less familiarity on the Corpus Christi course. Of those three teams, only Vandegrift made it out of regions in 2023. But all three have held significantly faster team averages in 2024. Cedar Park Vista Ridge also has the combo of Norah Vanderzandan and Emma Wade, who could swing the pendulum their way when it’s all said and done. The girls Class 6A race will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday.

Can The Leander Girls Get A State Bid: The Lions were the first team out of the state race last year, finishing fifth at regions. Head coach Aubrey Lindberg-Bucchorn said during her team’s district win last week that junior Ava Tannehill is likely to be back for regionals and will immediately slot into a top five position. That infusion of speed could make or break the squad’s hopes as they try to secure two top four finishes across the boys’ and girls’ races. The Class 5A girls will go off at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

How Will Individual Qualifiers Shake Out: There’s good news for individual performers. A big chunk of the region’s strongest runners are also members of top-performing teams, which will (likely) allow for individual state qualification to extend past the top 10 finishes. Austin High’s Luke Bone and Austin Bowie’s Griffin Hummel will be searching for state bids in Class 6A, while Austin LASA’s Eva Cragnolino and Austin Anderson’s Colby Huntress and Faith Murphy will have fighting chances in Class 5A.

Austin-Area Boys Class 6A Regional Watch List:

1. Hudson Haley, Austin Vandegrift

2. Kai McCullough, Austin Vandegrift

3. Collin Goodwin, Austin Vandegrift

4. Griffin Hummel, Austin Bowie

5. Andrew Esparza, Round Rock

Austin-Area Girls Class 6A Regional Watch List:

1. Tibbie Mustacchio, Austin Vandegrift

2. Norah Vanderzanden, Cedar Park Vista Ridge

3. Miah McAuleay, Austin Bowie

4. Emma Wade, Cedar Park Vista Ridge

5. Olivia Laudicina, Austin Lake Travis

Austin-Area Class 5A Boys Regional Watch List:

1. Ethan Herrera, Lockhart

2. Blake Stowers, Leander Rouse

3. Malik Dekli, Leander

4. Emeric Famechon, Cedar Park

Austin-Area Class 5A Girls Regional Watch List:

1. Ciara Catton, Leander

2. Ava Tannehill, Leander

3. JJ Arellano, Leander Rouse

4. Sadie Guzman, Leander

Schedule

Monday, October 21, 2024

8:00:   Class 2A Girls – 3,200m
8:30:   Class 2A Boys – 5K
9:15:   Class 4A Girls – 3,200m
9:45:   Class 4A Boys – 5K
10:30: Class 6A Girls – 5K
11:00: Class 6A Boys – 5K

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

8:00:   1A Girls – 3,200m
8:30:   1A Boys – 5K
9:15:   3A Girls – 3,200m
9:45:   3A Boys – 5K
10:30: 5A Girls – 5K
11:00: 5A Boys – 5K