Southlake Carroll cross country athletes were the champions at the Nike South Cross Regionals in The Woodlands this past Saturday. According to a press release, the Nike Regionals included teams from five different states, and only the top two teams from each regional from around the country would qualify for the Nike Cross Nationals meet in early December.
Not only did the Carroll boys team finish first in the championship race with 85 points but also the girls team placed second in the championship with 99 points. The boys and girls teams have made an appearance at the Nike Cross Nationals 13 times now, with this year marking the 10th consecutive appearance for the boys.
“I’m so proud of the way all of our kids competed,” head coach Justin Leonard says in the release. “We had great performances in the rising star, open and championship races, which reflects how hard all of our kids work. Qualifying for Nike Cross National is one of many goals for our program, and we are excited to once again go compete against some of the best runners and teams in the nation.”
The championship boys team was led by Nat Lannen, who placed fourth in the race. He was followed by Solomon Chavez in 12th, Tim McElaney in 18th, Antonio Florcruz in 21st, Joe Gardner in 30th, Michael McCabe in 40th and Brett Gilley in 47th. The championship girls team, meanwhile, was led by Jenna Holland at ninth place, Katherine McElaney in 15th, Grace Williamson in 20th, Tatum Foreman in 21st, Kaylie Cox in 34th, Abigail McIlvain in 37th and Alexa Karmis in 48th.
In the open races, the Carroll boys A team, which comprised of Chase Fisher, Mason Alexander, Matthew Sims, Jayden Chambless, Lucas Levant, Grant Anderson and Matthew Hetrick, placed first with 58 points. The Carroll girls A team, comprised of Ava Bushaw, Natalie Ng, Laurel Hook, Olivia Jones, Kristin Mader and Rachel Nguyen finished second in the open race.
The Nike Cross Nationals will be held at the Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland on Dec. 7. If you would like to learn more about the meet, visit RunnerSpace.com/NXN.