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.