FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2025
Dragon XC Dominates in the Fastest
District in the Nation
Records set by Leonard and Boys’ Team
SOUTHLAKE, Texas – The Southlake Carroll boys and girls cross country teams competed at District 4-6A cross country championships at Bob Jones Park on Thursday morning. Heralded as the fastest district in the country, the event did not disappoint. Star senior Caden Leonard set both the meet and course record in a blazing 14:29 while the boys team set the school record with a top 5 average of 14:52 placing them in the conversation for a national title. They won the district title and set themselves as one of the best teams in school history. Not to be outdone, the lady Dragons had a remarkable 18:07 team average for their top 5 narrowly missing the district title placing 2nd overall. Luna Gutierrez set the tone early and finished in a blazing 17:29. The improvements over this season set them as a top contender moving into the championship meets in October.
Head Coach Justin Leonard stated that, “We are really proud of the way all four of our teams came out and competed today at District. We pride ourselves on being able to compete and perform when it matters most. I’m excited to see where this year takes us and really appreciate this year’s senior class for all of their leadership and guidance to the underclassmen.”
In the varsity boys’ race, All American senior Caden Leonard was back in action and led the team to a district title and one of the top performances of the year. The team had a 1-7 spread of just over a minute and a 1-5 time of 74:20 which is an all time school record on this course. Leonard set the tone yet sophomore star Kai Gutierrez’ 2nd place (14:37) and senior Michale Fuller (14:48) closed hard passing 3 runners in the last 200 meters to give the Dragons a 1-3 finish. Caudio Auns (15:11), Grant Norgart(15:14), Jaxon Glenn (15:17), and Evan O’Donnell(15:35) rounded out the varsity competitors. Tradition means everything to Southlake Carroll as they won their 16th straight district title in dramatic fashion.
In the girls’ competition, the team time of 90:38 was exceptional as breakout races by senior Luna Gutierrez (2nd, 17:29) and junior Megan Bergman (7th, 17:51) set the tone. Closely following their teammates were Abigail Perez (10th, 18:00), Grace McIivain (11th, 18:01), and Nora Fraden (25th, 19:14). The lady Dragons came in 2nd place to a solid Byron Nelson team and are set for a rematch at UIL Regionals in less than two weeks.
In the final JV race of the season, Dragon boys had a near perfect 19 points. A 1-2-4-5-7 finish is rare in the sport yet the depth of the team was on full display. Carroll was led to the district title by promising freshman Cameron Perez (15:59) and talented junior Jack Swadish (2nd, 16:09). That 1-2 finish was followed by sophomore Adhavan Palanivelrajan (4th, 16:19), senior Gavin Folkerts (5th, 16:21) and senior Graysen Schick (7th, 16:21).
In the girls JV race, the ladies placed 2nd as well. Sophomore Kameron Dukes crossed the line first in 18:35 to take the title, the 3rd of the day for the team. Junior Quinn Salstrand finished second in 18:56. The next three scoring Dragons ran as a tight pack made up of senior Sophie Garland (12th, 19:53), junior Gwendolyn Asher (13th, 19:56), and sophomore Megan Saban (14th, 19:57).
The Dragons now advance to the Region 1-6A meet in Lubbock on October 21st. As both varsity teams look to qualify for the state meet, the boys will be aiming for their 8th consecutive regional championship. For more information on the 2025 XC UIL Regional Meet, link here: UIL 1A-6A Region 1 Championship 2025 - Meet Information