Southlake Carroll Lady Dragons Deliver Breakthrough Podium Performance at Historic Chile Pepper Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 3, 2026

Lady Dragons Storm to Third in Massive 108-Team Field; JV Boys Showcase Remarkable Depth Against 137 Teams

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Southlake Carroll High School’s varsity girls delivered a tremendous breakthrough at the 39^th Annual Chile Pepper Festival today, surging to third place out of a massive 108-team field with 318 points and a season-best 18:44 team average. The podium finish marked the Lady Dragons’ strongest team performance of the season and a major statement as championship season arrived. Abigail Perez set the tone in 17:54.8, and Carroll backed that front-running performance with a powerful scoring pack. The JV boys provided another powerful measure of the program’s depth, placing 20th in a massive 137-team field while competing against varsity lineups, with Ryan Kovach leading Carroll in 15:54.2.

Head Coach Justin Leonard stated “Our girls put together their most complete race of the season, and I’m proud of the way they competed for each other. Abigail set the tone up front, and the pack behind her stepped up to earn a podium finish against a tremendous field. Our JV boys also showed the depth of our program by finishing in the top 20 against varsity competition. This is the momentum we want heading into championship season, but we know there’s more work to do. Now our focus turns to preparing for District.”

Girls’ 5K — Tremendous Effort Puts Lady Dragons on the Podium in Fayetteville

The Lady Dragons produced the kind of breakthrough race that can redefine a season. In an enormous 108-team field, Carroll rose all the way to third place with 318 points and a season-best 18:44 team average, an outstanding podium finish against one of the deepest fields the team had faced. Senior Abigail Perez led the charge in 17:54.8, Senior Grace McIlvain followed in 18:37.0, and the scoring five of Perez, McIlvain, Landry Lambert, Megan Bergman and Nora Farden combined for 1:33:44. From the front of the lineup through the fifth scorer, Carroll delivered its most complete team race of the season when the stage was at its biggest.

The strength of the performance extended deep into the lineup. Lambert ran 19:01.2, Bergman finished in 19:03.9 and Farden closed the scoring five in 19:07.1. Quinn Salstrand followed in 19:24.0, giving Carroll six total runners under 19:25. That combination of front-end strength and a tightly packed group behind Perez gave the Lady Dragons the depth needed to climb onto the podium in a field of 108 teams.

Third place represented far more than another strong invitational finish. It was a tremendous step forward for the Lady Dragons, a season-best team performance delivered at exactly the right time, entering championship season. Carroll left Fayetteville with a podium finish, a new season-best average and unmistakable momentum heading into the championship phase of the season.

Boys’ 5K — JV Dragons Showcase Remarkable Depth Against 137-Team Varsity Field

Carroll’s JV boys delivered an impressive demonstration of the program’s depth, placing 20th in a massive 137-team field while racing against varsity competition. The significance was in who Carroll sent to the line: a JV lineup that still finished among the top 20 teams in an enormous varsity field. Ryan Kovach led the Dragons with a 15:54.2 performance, giving the JV group a strong front-running effort on a stage filled with varsity lineups.

What made the result especially impressive was the depth behind Carroll’s varsity seven. Behind Ryan Kovach’s 15:54.2, Aadi Ghanchi ran 16:20.1, Gia-Bao To finished in 16:25.0 and Nathan Calvert followed in 16:37.7. Jack Swadish ran 16:41.2, Nolan Nelson finished in 16:48.3 and Yates Eddins completed the seven in 17:48.8. For a JV group to compete that successfully in a field of that size against varsity teams underscored the remarkable depth Carroll carries into championship season which they will need to tap into when this record breaking class of 2027 graduates.

Next Up: October 15 Showdown at Bob Jones Park

Everything now points to October 15. Carroll returns home to Bob Jones Park in Southlake for a District 4-6A showdown that opens the postseason for both programs. The Lady Dragons arrive with their strongest momentum of the season after a tremendous third-place finish among 108 teams at Chile Pepper and a season-best 18:44 team average. That breakthrough performance showed just how high Carroll’s ceiling can be as the stakes rise. For the boys, the pursuit of an eighth straight state title begins through the fastest district in the country, as they come off the victory at the 2026 Woodbridge Invitational. Keller and Byron Nelson await. On October 15, the road to November runs through Southlake.

Southlake Carroll – Chile Pepper Festival Individual Results

Carroll Varsity Girls Finishers (5K)

Carroll JV Boys Finishers (Varsity 5K Race)