Every 2024 Texas high school state cross country top 3 finishers (11/2/2024)

Southlake Carroll boys win a state title for 6th year in a row, while Flower Mound girls make it 5 in a row

High school cross country meet. / Tayloe Balkom, SBLive file photo

The 2024 Texas high school cross country season wrapped up this weekend in Round Rock when the UIL hosted the Class 1A to Class 6A finals between Friday and Saturday.

The festivities held at Old Settlers Park saw some new champions and a lot of champions who were repeat winners — both individually and in the team standings. Most of the races were 5K, but there were some finals that were 3,200-meter runs, which are noted. 

Here is every 2024 UIL state champion from the track and field championships:

FRIDAY

6A GIRLS

Individual champion: Macy Wingard, Denton Braswell

The junior ran 17:07.90 to win the state title for the second year in a row. She won seven of her eight races this fall and is now a three-time all-state runner. Wingard is also the first to repeat since Houston Lamar’s Julia Heymach in 2016.

Team champion: Flower Mound 

The Jaguars won the team title with 47 points, easily ahead of Cypress Bridgeland, which took second with 81. Flower Mound went 4-5-6, led by sophomore Adeline Bennett, to account for 9 points for three of the five runners that counted in the team standings. This was state title No. 5 in a row for Flower Mound.

Top 3 Finishers

2. Lily Fawcett, Cypress Bridgeland

3. Maya Easterwood, Coppell

6A BOYS

Individual champion: Caden Leonard, Southlake Carroll

For the second year in a row, the Dragons standout was the champion. After winning in 15:00.10 in 2023, the junior won the title in 14:50.10 this year — the only runner to break 15 minutes in the race. 

Team champion: Southlake Carroll

In a close race, the Dragons won state title No. 6 in a row with 49 points. Austin Vandegrift was second with 53. This marked the 15th year in a row that the Tarrant County school was 1st or 2nd.

Top 3 Finishers

2. Benjamin Montgomery, Cypress Bridgeland

3. Aleksandr Acuna, Denton Braswell

4A BOYS

Individual champion: Lathan Lewter, Canyon

Canyon represented West Texas well with the 1st-place finisher and third — Ryan Fernandez — in the 4A race. After taking fourth last year, the senior won by running 15:25 this year. 

Team champion: Canyon 

The Eagles had a team score of 48 and cruised to the title as runner-up Salado was a distant second with 103.

4A GIRLS

Individual champion: Addyson Bristow, Canyon 

Bristow finished the year undefeated winning all 8 races and her 10:43.30 in the 3,200-meter race set a new Class 4A record by 24 seconds. She won the title last year in 11:31.90. 

Team champion: Canyon

The Lady Eagles joined the Eagles as state champions with 45 points. The runner-up was fellow Canyon ISD school Canyon Randall, which had 74. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Nayomi Granados, Canyon Randall

3. Brooke French, Canyon Randall

2A GIRLS

Individual champion: Cara Sims, Waskom Elysian Fields 

The Jackets got a personal record 11:34.60 from Sims in the 3,200-meter race, winning by more than 16 seconds. The junior won eight of her nine races in 2024. 

Team champion: Hamilton 

The Bulldogs won their third straight championship with 37 points - 40 points better than runner-up Farwell. Hamilton had five in the top 20, led by Presley Long, who was fourth.

Top 3 Finishers

2. Isabella Jaime, Farwell

3. Alexis Wade, Farwell

2A BOYS

Individual champion: Marco Cunningham, Waco Meyer 

After being a runner-up last year, Cunningham took home a state title on Friday by running 16:12.70.  He was a four-time state qualifier for the Ravens. 

Team champion: Plains 

The last town on Highway 380 before you get to New Mexico won a championship for the third year in a row. The Cowboys finished with 52 points and were led by third-place finisher Sawyer Hamilton. Runner-up Windthorst had 98.

Top 3 Finishers

2. Michael Flores, Itasca

3. Hamilton, Plains

SATURDAY

5A BOYS

Individual champion: Bryce Denton, Anna

For the fifth time this year, Denton won a race and his third straight win resulted in a state title. He ran 15:16.90 — a winning margin of 15 seconds. The previous two years he was 3rd and 14th, respectively for the Coyotes.

Team champion: Lucas Lovejoy

The Leopards had 77 points and had a comfortable margin over Boerne, which took second with 137. The title is the second in a row and fifth all-time. Sophomore Tristan Arceneau was the Leopards’ first finisher, taking ninth. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Aiden Fitzgerald, Friendswood

3. Miles Westbrook, El Paso

5A GIRLS

Individual champion: Elizabeth Leachman, Boerne Champion 

The junior may be the best runner in the state and showed it on Saturday by running 17:14.80, clinching a repeat championship by more than 52 seconds. Leachman took 20th and ran 19:06.70 in 2022 and won the title last year running 16:25.50. 

Team champion: Comal Smithson Valley 

The Lady Rangers claimed the state championship with 54 points and kept Lovejoy from winning its fourth straight. Lovejoy was the runner-up with 97 points. Freshman Brady Solansky took third to lead her team. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Dana Rojas Vasquez, McAllen

3. Solansky, Comal Smithson Valley

3A GIRLS

Individual champion: Sophia Bendet, Universal City Randolph

The senior won the 3,200-meter race in 10:40.50 — a new course record in 3A. It was also a repeat state champion for Bendet, who didn’t lose any of her nine races this fall. 

Team champion: Holliday 

With five in the top 25, the Lady Eagles repeated as the Class 3A champions with ease. Holliday had 35 points and runner-up East Bernard was second with 103 points. Holliday’s Kenli Atwood was the runner-up. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Atwood, Holliday

3. Aubrey Milam, Universal City Randolph

3A BOYS

Individual champion: Noah Strohman, Holliday

He won his third straight championship by nearly 30 seconds and his 15:24.80 is a new 3A course record. The junior won the last four races this year and the 15:24 is the slowest time in those four wins. 

Team champion: Lytle

Despite Holliday having the 1st- and 3rd-place runners, Lytle won the team title with 68 points. Holliday took second with 104.

Senior Johnny Rey Alvarez took eighth to the Lytle Pirates. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Grayson Williams, Troy

3. Ryder Strohman, Holliday

1A BOYS

Individual champion: Sebastian Talamantez, Comstock 

The junior repeated as the champion by running 16:10.30, securing the title with a 25-second margin. He shaved about 15 seconds off his winning time from last year. 

Team champion: Comstock 

Talamantez led the way but four other runners were all in the top 25 for the Panthers, who finished with 57 points. Zephyr took second with 90. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Jose Ventura, Lasara

3. Ryker Haivala, Cumby Miller Grove

1A GIRLS

Individual champion: Lilly Benson, Roby

In the 3,200-meter race, the senior took home the state title for the Lady Lions. Her 11:56 was a personal best and her time breaking 12 minutes in that distance. A four-time qualifier, she’s been 7th, 16th and 50th, respectively. 

Team champion: Tilden McMullen County 

Behind 5 in the top 17, the Cowgirls won the title with 38 points. Junior Isabella Billingsley was seventh to lead her team. Clyde Eula took second with 69 points. 

Top 3 Finishers

2. Hailie Cauthen, Clyde Eula

3. Danni Ruiz, Menard

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx