The Southlake Carroll cross-country teams successfully defended their district titles Thursday morning.
During the District 4-6A Championship at Bob Jones Park, the Dragons finished first in both of the varsity races. Sophomore Caden Leonard led the boys with a time of 14:56, while senior Jude Alvarez followed behind with a time of 14:59. Junior Blake Bullard finished third with a time of 15:12, while senior Zach Troutman finished fourth in 15:13, junior Alex Severson finished eighth in 15:40, senior Ryan Van De Berghe finished ninth in 15:41 and junior Griffin Cords finished 11th in 15:50.
In the girls competition, senior Alexandra Walsh placed first overall with a time of 17:40. Junior Elizabeth Smits followed behind in fifth place with a time of 18:06, while sophomore Vanessa Vezga finished seventh with 18:15. Junior Sarayu Veluri and senior Charlotte Martin finished ninth and 10th respectively with split times of 18:24.4 and 18:24.6, while seniors Sylvia Schwedler and Julia Gassett rounded out the girls with times of 18:48 and 19:51. This win marks the girls' fifth consecutive district title, while its the 14th for the boys.
“I’m very proud of our young men and women,” head coach Justin Leonard says via media release. “We work hard all year to prepare for the championship season, and district titles are the first step. We’re looking forward to carrying this momentum into regionals.”
Dragon Cross-Country's next race will be the Regional 1-6A meet on Tuesday, Oct. 24 in Lubbock.