Photo Courtesy Dragon Media
The Carroll boys and girls cross country teams continue their dominant 2025 season.
At the District 4-6A championships last weekend at Bob Jones Park, the boys claimed the district title with record-setting performances and the girls finished second, narrowly missing the top spot.
The teams will now turn their eyes to Region 1-6A championships on Oct. 21. The race will take place at Mac Simmons Park in Lubbock.
At district, senior standout Caden Leonard led the boys with a time of 14:29, setting both the meet and course records. Sophomore Kai Gutierrez (14:37) and senior Michale Fuller (14:48) completed a top-three sweep, with the top five averaging 14:52, a school record. Leonard’s remarkable year includes his second consecutive UIL Class 6A state title, a third-place finish at the national NXN championships, and a personal best of 14:33.5 at the District 4 postseason meet.
The girls team posted an 18:07 average for their top five runners, led by senior Luna Gutierrez (17:29) and junior Megan Bergman (17:51), establishing themselves as strong contenders at the upcoming UIL Regionals and state championship meets.
The Dragons’ success builds on a strong early-season showing, including wins at the Southlake 2 Mile Invitational, top-10 finishes at the Southlake 5K Invitational and competitive performances at the Nike South Invitational, where both teams raced against nationally ranked programs.
Currently ranked No. 1 in Texas for the boys and No. 3 for the girls, with national rankings of 11th and 32nd respectively, the Dragons are poised for a deep postseason run and a shot at the state title this November.