Dragons Win Boys & Girls Regional Championships

Sophomore Caden Leonard claims boys’ individual title

Lubbock, TX – The Southlake Carroll boys’ and girls’ cross country teams each won Region 1-6A cross country championships at Mae Simmons Park Tuesday morning. It is the sixth consecutive regional title for the boys, while the girls avenged last year’s second-place performance to finish atop the medal stand. Both Dragon teams qualified for the state meet.

It marks the 27^th consecutive year the girls have qualified for the state meet, and the 14^th straight year for the boys. The boys have won four consecutive state titles.

“I’m really proud of our young men and women,” Head Coach Justin Leonard said. “This is always such a tough region, and our runners rose to the challenge. The boys are excited to have the opportunity to defend their state championship again, and the girls are looking forward to competing for a state title of their own.”

Sophomore Caden Leonard won the individual boys’ title, crossing the finish line in 15:12. Senior Jude Alvarez finished 10^th in 15:31, followed by junior Blake Bullard (13^th, 15:41), senior Zach Troutman (16^th, 15:46) and senior Ryan Van De Berghe (24^th, 16:06). Juniors Alex Severson (36^th, 16:15) and Griffin Cords (40^th, 16:18) rounded out the Dragon runners.

In the girls’ race, senior Alexandra Walsh finished third overall with a time of 17:52, followed by junior Elizabeth Smits in fourth, with a time of 18:13. Sophomore Vanessa Vezga finished 17^th in 18:46, followed by senior Charlotte Martin (20^th, 18:50) and junior Sarayu Veluri (25^th, 19:03). Seniors Sylvia Schwedler (28^th, 19:06) and Julia Gassett (40^th, 19:29) were the Dragons’ final two finishers.

The 6A state championship meet will be held in Round Rock on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Dragons Sweep Nike South Invitational

Leonard wins boys’ gold; JV teams race at Reunion Run

THE WOODLANDS and DECATUR, Texas – The Southlake Carroll cross country teams ended their 2023 regular season by winning the boys’ and girls’ varsity elite championships at the Nike South Invitational in The Woodlands Saturday morning. Sophomore Caden Leonard took home the top individual honors, winning the boys’ race in 15:06.

“This was a great final tune-up before the district meet,” Southlake Carroll Head Coach Justin Leonard said. “We faced some of the best teams in the state today, and it was good for our boys and girls to see what it takes to come out on top.”

Senior Jude Alvarez finished third overall in the boys’ varsity elite race, with a time of 15:23. Senior Zach Troutman finished seventh in 15:27, followed by three juniors: Blake Bullard (10^th, 15:31), Alex Severson (13^th, 15:38) and Griffin Cords (14^th, 15:41). Senior Ryan Van De Berghe rounded out the Dragons’ finishers (41^st, 16:16).

The girls edged two-time defending state champion Flower Mound in the varsity elite race, led by junior Elizabeth Smits (10^th, 18:12). She was followed by senior Alexandra Walsh (12^th, 18:15), sophomore Vanessa Vezga (20^th, 18:29), junior Sarayu Veluri (24^th, 18:42) and senior Sylvia Schwedler (28^th, 18:56). Seniors Charlotte Martin (35^th, 19:01) and Julia Gassett (43^rd, 19:15), as well as junior Gabriella Tesoriero (81^st, 20:14), rounded out the Dragons’ runners.

The boys also won the regular varsity race, led by senior Carter Haskell’s fourth-place finish in 16:23. Sophomore Michael Fuller finished 11^th in 16:37, followed by juniors Ryan Krasinski (16^th, 16:43) and Caleb Lo (17^th, 16:44), and senior Michael Kovach (38^th, 17:03).

On the girls’ side, junior Carmela Bell led the way, finishing 12^th (20:24). She was followed by seniors Kylee Cusick (28^th, 20:50.3), Sophia Wilwayco (29^th, 20:50.7), Lucy Pettigrew (56^th, 21:34) and Lauren Sims (75^th, 22:01).

Meanwhile, the JV teams competed at the Reunion Run in Decatur. The boys were led by Graysen Schick (26^th, 17:31), Aidan Bedwell (31^st, 17:43) and Jason McCarthy (33^rd, 17:46). The top girls’ finishers were Ryann Flores (30^th, 21:19.15), Megan Bergman (31^st, 21:19.68) and Grace Rhoten (34^th, 21:50).

The postseason begins on Thursday, Oct. 12, when the Dragons will host the District 4-6A meet at Bob Jones Park. The boys are seeking their fifth consecutive state championship, while the girls are looking to improve on last year’s runner-up finish at the state meet.

Carroll XC Stacks up Well with National Powerhouses

Dragon Boys Finish Fourth; Girls Eighth

NORCO, CA – Southlake Carroll’s top boys’ and girls’ cross country runners traveled to Southern California to compete against dozens of the top high school programs in the country at the three-mile Woodbridge XC Classic on Saturday evening. Both teams impressed on the national stage – the boys finished fourth in the top “sweepstakes” division, while the girls came in eighth.

“Our young men and women faced some of the strongest high school cross country teams in the U.S. tonight, and they proved they could compete with the best of the best,” Southlake Carroll Head Coach Justin Leonard said. “They rose to the challenge and raced well.”

Senior Jude Alvarez led the boys’ team with a time of 14:11, finishing 12^th overall. Sophomore Caden Leonard finished 21^st in 14:16, followed by junior Blake Bullard (41^st, 14:31), junior Alex Severson (70^th, 14:51) and senior Ryan Van de Berghe (72^nd, 14:51). Seniors Zach Troutman (88^th, 14:56) and Brady Golomb (151^st, 15:20) rounded out the Dragons’ finishers.

In the girls’ “sweepstakes” race, senior Alexandra Walsh led the way with a time of 16:42, good for a 25^th-place finish. Junior Elizabeth Smits finished 40^th in 16:57, followed by junior Sarayu Veluri (87^th, 17:36), senior Sylvia Schwedler (88^th, 17:38), sophomore Vanessa Vezga (122^nd, 18:04), and seniors Charlotte Martin (125^th, 18:06) and Julia Gassett (129^th, 18:11).

In the “rated” competition, junior Griffin Cords was the Dragons’ top finisher in 56^th place with a time of 15:07. Sophomore Michael Fuller was next, finishing 73^rd in 16:15, followed by seniors Carter Haskell (93^rd, 15:31) and John Adam Kieda (114^th, 15:38), juniors Caleb Lo (124^th, 15:43) and Hudson Lowry (140^th, 15:48), and senior Michael Kovach (182^nd, 16:04).

On the girls’ side, junior Gabriella Tesoriero finished in 18:32, good for 76^th place overall to lead the Dragons. Junior Mia Lay was next, finishing 126^th in 19:09, followed by junior Carmella Bell (133^rd, 19:11), senior Kylee Cusick (141^st, 19:18) and junior Katie Hurrell (147^th, 19:21). Seniors Sophia Wilwayco (161^st, 19:37) and Lauren Sims (173^rd, 19:49) rounded out the Dragons finishers.

The Dragons’ top runners will return to action on Saturday, September 30, at the University of Arkansas Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville.

Dragons Run at Marcus Coach T Invitational

Denton, TX – With the top Southlake Carroll boys and girls cross country runners taking the weekend off from competition to prepare for an upcoming national meet in California, the Dragons sent their JV teams to North Lakes Park in Denton for the Marcus Coach T Invitational on Saturday morning.

“This meet always attracts some of the top teams in the area, and it was a good opportunity for some of our younger runners to step up in competition,” Head Coach Justin Leonard said. “The course was laid out a bit differently from previous years, and while the results weren’t what we’re used to, I’m proud of how we competed.”

In the varsity elite girls’ race, Gabriella Tesoriero paced the Dragons with a time of 20:12, followed by Carmela Bell in 20:13. Kylee Cusick (20:27), Lauren Sims (20:50) and Sophia Wilwayco (20:50.5) rounded out the scoring.

On the boys side, Michael Kovach led the way with a time of 16:24, followed by Hudson Lowry (16:31), John Adam Kieda (16:32), Michael Fuller (16:34) and Caleb Lo (16:37).

In the varsity open races, Lucy Pettigrew was the top Dragon runner in the girls’ competition, crossing the finish line in 21:04. Bella Severson (21:08) was next, followed by Grace McIlvain (21:36), Grace Rhoten (21:42) and Mia Dunagan (22:06). The boys were led by Claudio Auns (17:24), followed by Aidan Bedwell (17:48), Gavin Folkerts (18:23), Graysen Schick (18:27) and Jason McCarthy (18:34).

In elite junior varsity action, Isabella DiVincenzo led the girls with a time of 23:11, followed by Gwendolyn Asher (23:14), Annalise Bell (23:15), Quinn Salstrand (23:28) and Callie Furlich (23:34). In the boys’ race, Madhavan Bosemani paced Carroll with a time of 19:01, followed by Damian Garza (19:55), Jack Swadish (20:00), Armaan Dhillon (20:01) and Robert Hargrave (20:04).

The Dragons return to action on Saturday, Sept. 16. The varsity will travel to Irvine, Ca., to compete in the Woodbridge XC Classic, while the junior varsity will run in the Paschal Invitational in Fort Worth.