Courtesy Carroll XC (Instagram)
The Carroll cross country dynasty kept rolling Tuesday as the Dragons dominated the Region 1-6A Championships at Mae Simmons Park.
The boys captured their eighth consecutive regional title with an average of 15:33, while the girls finished second to qualify for state for the 28th straight year.
Senior All-American Caden Leonard led the charge, winning his third straight individual regional crown in 15:03. Sophomore Kai Gutierrez followed in third (15:13), junior Jaxon Glenn placed ninth (15:32), senior Michael Fuller 17th (15:51) and junior Claudio Auns 26th (16:04).
The boys’ performance extended their dominance and produced one of the fastest team averages ever at Mae Simmons Park. They’ll now look to claim their seventh straight UIL Class 6A state title Nov. 1 in Round Rock.
In the girls’ race, senior Luna Gutierrez led with a ninth-place finish in 18:20, followed by juniors Megan Bergman (20th, 18:43), Grace McIlain (27th, 18:54), Abigail Perez (39th, 19:24) and Quinn Salstrand (46th, 19:34). Their second-place finish behind nationally ranked Flower Mound earned another trip to state.
“It takes a true team effort, dedication and heart to punch your ticket on such a challenging course,” said head coach Justin Leonard. “Every runner contributed and their hard work all season long truly showed today.”
The regional success follows a dominant showing at the District 4-6A Championships at Bob Jones Park, where the boys swept the top three spots and the girls finished second.