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Austin-Area State Championship Athletes Of The Meet Presented by Ready To Run

These 13 athletes performed exceptionally at the UIL Texas State Cross Country Championships this weekend

By Cory Mull – November 6, 2024

Photos by Cory Mull

Championships have a tendency to bring out the best in athletes.

That much was true at the UIL Texas State Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Round Rock, where a bevy of Austin-area athletes and teams performed remarkably over the final regular season meet on the calendar at Old Settlers Park.

With a selection of top 20 finishers and a podium finish by the Austin Vandegrift boys marking our area’s top performances, we witnessed the best of Central Texas.

We gathered the best performances overall from the state championships to form our final Austin-Area State Championship Athletes of the Meet Presented by Ready To Run.

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Here are the winners:

Colby Huntress, Austin Anderson: Seizing the moment couldn’t more properly summarize this high school junior’s final 100 meters in the Class 5A race. Huntress shifted gears and made sure he went toe-to-toe with a group of six other finishers in the final seconds, crossing the line in sixth-place overall in 15:52.10. After staying patient early and running conservatively, Huntress netted his second straight sub-16 performance for 5,000 meters and his third on the season. His time was his best on the Old Settlers Park course.

State Championship Austin-Area Athletes Of The Meet Nominees:

Athlete	School	Results	5K Time
Kai McCullough	Austin Vandegrift	Finished sixth overall in the Class 6A race, tops for the large school class for an Austin-area runner	15:11.80
Griffin Hummel	Austin Bowie	Clocked the first top 20 finish of his career, climbing to 12th in Class 6A	15:24.50
Colby Huntress	Austin Anderson	Exhibited an incredible sprint to the finish in Class 5A, finishing in sixth overall and earning his first top 10 bid	15:52.10
Matthew Morales	Georgetown	The youngest athlete on this list, the sophomore produced a 15th-place finish	16:01.40
Gage Horejsi	Leander	Emptied his tank in the final 400 meters, finishing in 18th in Class 5A	16:06.30
Collin Goodwin	Austin Vandegrift	Became the Vipers' No. 2 in Class 6A, landing in 13th overall	15:27.00
Luke Bone	Austin High	In his first state title race, he finished 15th overall in Class 6A	15:31.70

Meredith Wolfe, Round Rock: Wolfe made sure to finish her final race in a Round Rock High School jersey in style, landing in seventh-place overall in a time of 18:01.40. A consistent performer at the state level, Wolfe was able to close out her high school career for the third time at the state championships and nab her best time on the Old Settlers Park course, just two seconds shy of the sub-18 barrier. Wolfe is headed to Columbia University in the fall.

State Championship Austin-Area Athletes Of The Meet Nominees:

Athlete	School	Results	5K Time
Eva Cragnolino	Austin LASA	The high school junior scored a top 10 finish in Class 5A, coming through in eighth overall	18:24.90
Meredith Wolfe	Round Rock	The Round Rock senior and Columbia signee scored her best finish at states, landing in seventh overall in Class 6A	18:01.40
Sophia Lopez	RR Stony Point	The high school sophomore ran a fast first mile and then stuck in the top 20, earning a 15th-place finish in Class 6A	18:21.50
Melia Flowers	Georgetown	The high school junior scored a top 40 finish, securing a 32nd-place finish in Class 5A	19:22.50
Olivia Laudicina	Lake Travis	The high school freshman was 21st overall in her first state championship in Class 6A	18:33.00
Mia McAulay	Austin Bowie	Appearing in her second state title race, she finished 31st in Class 6A	18:41.00