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Jan Smits
Boys XC
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Jan Smits
Alexandra Walsh
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Jessie McCabe
Caden Leonard
The Southlake Carroll’s boys’ cross country team is running toward a fifth consecutive state title after a substantial victory at the Southlake Invitational over the weekend. The girls’ team finished second, falling just two points behind Lovejoy High School.
Sophomore Caden Leonard finished second at 14:32 in the varsity boys’ elite race, leading to an 88-point victory over McKinney Boyd High School. Junior Blake Bullard finished fourth, followed by seniors Jude Alvarez in 12th, Ryan Van De Berghe in 14th and Zach Troutman in 15th.
Winning the girls’ gold medal for a second consecutive year, senior Alexandra Walsh finished first at 17:01 in the varsity elite girls’ race, nearly leading the Lady Dragons to victory. Junior Elizabeth Smits finished closely behind in third, followed by sophomore Vanessa Vega in ninth, junior Sarayu Veluri in 12th and Sylvia Schwedler in 26th.
In the varsity open races, junior Ryan Krasinski placed ninth in the boys’ competition at 16:21, while junior Katie Hurrell finished eighth at 19:47 in the girls’ competition.
“This was a great way to start the season,” head coach Justin Leonard says. “There’s always a lot of excitement for the opening meet, especially when it’s on your home course. Our young men and women handled their emotions and the heat well and ran hard.”
The Dragons hit the track again on Saturday, Sept. 2, during the Coach T. Invitational at North Lakes Park in Denton.