Antigone Archer is the only top 5 runner returning for the 3-time champions, but it still won't be easy to slay the Dragons.
I don't have to live in Texas to know that some people are talking about the possible demise of the Southlake Carroll girls' dynasty. After all, the 3-time defending 5A champions lost their 2, 3, 4, and 5 runners from the 2013 state meet to graduation, a year after losing the top 3 runners from the 2012 state meet. That's 7 girls graduated over a two-year span, which would force any team into rebuilding mode. The Dragons, however, have a Lee Corso impression to do for you: Not. So. Fast. Or rather, they had some VERY fast spring track times from returning athletes that suggest this team will not give up the title without a fight: Carroll ranks 4th in the state in the 5-girl 3200 average and 6th in the 5-girl 1600 average. The biggest indicator, however, is the team's three-year history of improvement, which is third-best among all Texas teams. Simply put, the Dragons have proved that they can overcome heavy graduation losses and still win championships. 2014 will be the biggest challenge for one of the top programs in the nation, though, as for the first time since 2011 they enter the season as underdogs.
| Southlake Carroll (TX) | |||
| 1) Antigone Archer | 18:08.42 | ||
| 2) Kayli Jones | 19:38.10 | ||
| 3) Arianna Lopez | 19:59.00 | ||
| 4) Sophie Watson | 20:26.26 | ||
| 5) Stacey Young | 20:27.65 | ||
| Average Time: 19:43.89 Total Time: 1:38:39.43 1-5 Split: 2:19.23 | |||
| 6) Gillian Mortimer | 20:30.52 | ||
| 7) Rianna Randolph | 20:38.00 | ||