The Vipers Are Looking For Glory At The UIL State XC Championships
Can an Austin-Area team win its first state team title since 2010? Better yet, will the Vipers get their first?
When it comes to determining how the Texas State Cross Country Championships will shake out this weekend at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, you might want to look at the most recent results.
This is cross country, after all, and current fitness is the ultimate denominator of success.
So with that in mind, we find our most pressing question: Will the Austin Vandegrift boys win their first state title in school history on Friday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock?
That answer might lie in the numbers.
Defending state champion Southlake Carroll, the Dallas-area winners of the last five Class 6A boys titles, are as good as ever. So, too, is Houston-area Bridgeland, which finished sixth last year but, like Vandegrift, is amid a program-defining season. And then there’s another viable contender like Northwest Nelson of Fort Worth.
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UIL XC Championship Information
When: Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2
Where: Old Settlers Park in Round Rock
Time: 8:15 a.m. start time each day
For More: Parking Information
In the Viper’s most important race of the season, at the Region 6A-4 Championships in Corpus Christi on Oct. 21, the Vipers put five runners in the first 12 places. By contrast, in Region 6A-1, Carroll scored five in the top 22 spots while in Region 6A-2, Bridgeland put five in the first 13.
Those markers are important because position – not time – is ultimately how state championships are won in cross country.
State races have ebbed and flowed over the years. Some races have been extremely fast, while others have tracked closer to the average mean over the years. The last team not-named Southlake Carroll to win came in 2018 when The Woodlands compiled 99 points.
A team like Southlake Carroll or Bridgeland could try to stretch Vandegrift out by having its first and second runners create a pace that most would be unwilling to match early on. That strategy would take guts, not to mention a really strong race from the team’s three, four and five runners.
The key difference for the Austin boys this year, however, has been depth. Perhaps in a different year a fast race could have doomed a team like Vandegrift. After all, the Vipers averaged 15:29 at Old Settlers last year and still lost.
However, that weakness is no longer there – two runners have gone under 15 minutes for 5,000 meters, while two more securing times under 15:10 and the team’s fifth, sixth and seventh options are all under 15:40. The team has garnered averages of 15:38 at McNeil, 15:07 at Districts and 15:46 at regions, with the team’s last two meet spreads no greater than 40 seconds.
Carroll’s district spread was 53 seconds, its region race 75. Bridgeland sported a 15:30 average at regions and a 50-second spread.
The point being is that Vandegrift is ready. And readiness is the name of the game at the state championships, because only the runners can decide their fate on race day.
The last time an Austin-area team won a state cross country title came in 2010 when the Cedar Park boys pulled off the feat in Class 4A. But if we’re talking about true Austinites? Then we would have to go back 43 years when Austin Westlake secured the Class 4A crown in 1981.
That’s what’s at stake with Vandegrift’s push for the crown.
A perfect strategy only means so much. Hard racing will make all the difference.
More Austin-Area Teams To Watch Out For:
A total of six Austin-Area teams will compete this weekend, including both the Round Rock (6A) girls and boys, the Austin Anderson (5A) girls, the Georgetown (5A) girls and the Cedar Park Vista Ridge (6A) girls.
The Georgetown girls, podium finishers in Class 5A last year in third overall, are back in 2024, while the Round Rock boys will look to improve on a 12th-place finish a year ago.
The Round Rock and Cedar Park Vista Ridge girls did not compete at states in 2023.
The Individual Race:
The battle for a team title won’t be the only storyline worth watching this weekend.
In that same Class 6A boys race, Hudson Haley and/or Kai McCullough could see a win or podium placement. Strategy may determine just where they fall – a safe race plan could see either one of them inside the top 10 jointly, along with Collin Goodwin – but then again, Haley is the defending state runner-up.
The last time an Austin runner won an individual state championship came in 2022, when Vandegrift’s Kevin Sanchez took the Class 6A crown in 15:26.30, earning a repeat from his first win in 2021.
Elsewhere, Austin-area runners like Luke Bone (Austin High), Ben Hamilton (Austin Westlake) and Griffin Hummel will look to make their cases for a top 20 finish. Our prediction is at least one of those runners achieves that feat.
Over in the Class 6A girls race, Olivia Laudicina (Austin Westlake), Sophia Lopez (Round Rock Stony Point) and Miah McAulay (Austin Bowie) are among the contenders shooting for a top 20 finish.
Podium Potential In Class 5A
There’s an opportunity in the Class 5A boys race on Saturday for a podium finish.
With the top-end not quite figured out, it has left a gap for athletes like Leander’s Gage Horejsi, Austin Anderson’s Colby Huntress and Lockhart’s Ethan Herrera to potentially sneak into the picture with a perfect race.
Of course, time makes the difference at the state championships. Either one of those three will need to clock a major PR under 15:30 in order to achieve that feat – Huntress owns a season-best of 15:49; Horejsi has run 15:42; and Herrera just broke 16 for the first time at districts, clocking a time of 15:41.
Herrera, however, could be the most likely candidate, as he’s been a second-half runner over the last four weeks and gets noticeably stronger over the last mile of action.
On the girls side, first-year runner Eva Cragnolino of Austin LASA is coming off a win in her Regional Class 5A-3 race.
Her times have been getting progressively better. There’s opportunity for a potential top 10 finish – and a big career PR –if everything falls into place.
When Is Each Race Being Held At the UIL State XC Championships
The 2024 UIL State Cross Country Championships will be broken out into two days of action on Nov. 1-2 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, Texas.
The first day of action on Nov. 1 will consist of Class 2A, Class 4A, and Class 6A races, starting at 8:15 a.m. The Class 2A and Class 4A girls will run 3,200 meters, while the Class 2A and Class 4A boys and the Class 6A boys and girls will run 5,000 meters. The final two races of the day, the Class 6A girls and Class 6A boys races, will start at 10:45 a.m. CST and 11:25 a.m. CST.
The second day of action on Nov. 2 will consist of Class 1A, Class 3A, and Class 5A races, starting at 8:15 a.m. The Class 1A and Class 3A girls will run 3,200 meters, while the Class 1A and Class 3A boys and the Class 5A boys and girls will run 5,000 meters. The final two races of the day, the Class 5A girls and Class 5A boys races, will start at 10:45 a.m. CST and 11:25 a.m. CST.
Austin-Area Qualifiers To Watch Out For:
| Austin Vandegrift | Class 6A |
| Hudson Haley | Senior |
| Kai McCullough | Junior |
| Collin Goodwin | Sophomore |
| Miles Nutt | Junior |
| Jack Ebeier | Senior |
| Christian Cruz-Castro | Senior |
| Jackson Stafford | Senior |
| Round Rock | Class 6A |
| Andrew Esparza | Sophomore |
| Judsen Massey | Senior |
| Landon Fluckinger | Junior |
| Raffael Giesen Linssen | Senior |
| Zachary Stevens | Freshman |
| Ryan Chase | Senior |
| Leo Brasil | Freshman |
| Round Rock | Class 6A |
| Meredith Wolfe | Senior |
| Olivia Tallent | Senior |
| Merritt Moore | Senior |
| Irelyn Hindman | Junior |
| Ashley Talkington | Sophomore |
| Emery Gutierrez | Freshman |
| Sarina Gharbi | Senior |
| Cedar Park Vista Ridge | Class 6A |
| Norah Vanderzanden | Junior |
| Emma Wade | Senior |
| Ella Cunha | Freshman |
| Gabby Chouinard | Freshman |
| Audrey Robinson | Senior |
| Paloma Groves | Junior |
| Alessia Hurst | Junior |
| Georgetown | Class 5A |
| Melia Flowers | Junior |
| Sierra Harrell | Senior |
| Lilly Johnston | Freshman |
| Kendall McDougle | Sophomore |
| Peighton Kriegh | Sophomore |
| Caitlin Gomez | Freshman |
| Jocelynn Mendez | Sophomore |
| Austin Anderson | Class 5A |
| Faith Murphy | Senior |
| Emily Scholtz | Freshman |
| Lucy Gibson | Junior |
| Caroline Talarcek | Freshman |
| Bojana Rutkouszky | Junior |
| Ashley Marron-Rodriguez | Junior |
| Leah Heckmann | Senior |
Boys Individuals To Watch
| Name | School | Division |
| Luke Bone | Austin High | Class 6A |
| Griffin Hummel | Austin Bowie | Class 6A |
| Ben Hamilton | Austin Westlake | Class 6A |
| Gage Horejsi | Leander | Class 6A |
| Colby Huntress | Austin Anderson | Class 5A |
| Matthew Morales | Georgetown | Class 5A |
| Joaquin Gonzalez | Austin LASA | Class 5A |
| Brayden Lazenby | Georgetown East View | Class 5A |
| Ethan Herrera | Lockhart | Class 5A |
| Malik Dekli | Leander | Class 5A |
| Tyler Hamblin | Marble Falls | Class 4A |
| Max Rodriguez | Georgetown Gateway | Class 4A |
Girls Individuals To Watch
| Name | School | Division |
| Olivia Laudicina | Austin Lake Travis | Class 6A |
| Sophia Lopez | RR Stony Point | Class 6A |
| Miah McAulay | Austin Bowie | Class 6A |
| Caroline Krupa | Austin Vandegrift | Class 6A |
| Eva Cragnolino | Austin LASA | Class 5A |
| JJ Arellano | Leander Rouse | Class 5A |
| Sierra Harrell | Georgetown East View | Class 5A |
| Reese Massey | Marble Falls | Class 4A |
Austin-Area Individual Boys Champions Since 2000:
2001: Leo Manzano, Marble Falls, Class 4A, 15:41
2002: Leo Manzano, Marble Falls, Class 4A, 15:51.65
2003: Leo Manzano, Marble Falls, Class 4A, 15:28.1
2004: Christopher West, Lockhart, Class 4A 15:20.75
2005: Travis Fort, Cedar Park Vista Ridge, Class 4A, 15:42.1
2007: Rory Tunninghaly, Lockhart, Class 4A, 15:19.25
2021: Kevin Sanchez, Austin Vandegrift, Class 6A, 14:53.4
2022: Kevin Sanchez, Austin Vandegrift, Class 6A, 15:26.30
Austin-Area Boys Team Champions History:
1979: Austin Westlake, B
1981: Austin Westlake, Class 4A
2000: Lockhart, Class 4A
2010: Cedar Park, Class 4A
Austin-Area Individual Girls Champions Since 2000:
2002: Anissa Angelosante, Marble Falls, 11:40.15
2004: Amy Fowler, Austin Lake Travis, 11:17.15
2012: Maddie Boreman, Leander Rouse, 17:53.04
2020: Isabel Conde de Frankenberg, 2020, 17:10.65
Austin-Area Girls Team Champions History:
1975: Austin Lanier, A
1975: Austin Westlake, B
1976: Austin Westlake, B
1977: Austin Westlake, B
1985: Austin Westlake, Class 4A
1990: Austin Westlake, Class 4A
2003: Cedar Park, Class 5A
