MASSIVE: 6A State Meet Preview!

This is will be one heck of a race! We got to see a hint of it at the Region 1 meet, which is one of the most loaded regions out there in this event for the girls. With teams like Marcus, Hebron, Flower Mound, and Southlake, which are some of the best cross country teams in the state, it's no wonder the ninth place on the line came from this region. In fact, the top four times in the state this year all came from Region 1. We unfortunately, won't get to see Maddy Reed, who currently holds the fastest time in the state in the 3200m (she also made the 1600m) due to how stacked this region is. We will see Abilene's Ashton Endsley, Southlake's  Alison Esparza and Hebron's Anna Elkin. They finished in that order at the region meet, but they're going to see some loaded competition from the rest of the field, including last year's state champion, Julia Heymach. Heymach hasn't raced as much as the rest of her competition this season due to a non-running-related injury, but she's been picking up momentum right when she needs to. We definitely can't count out the three-time state champion, who ran the fifth-fastest time in the state this year and owns a PR of 10:14.62.  Also making it out of Region 3 is Houston Memorial's Khayla Patel. Patel was the 3000m (9:46.93) Victor Lopez champion and Texas Relays 3200m runner-up (10:46.48). The future Rice Owl knows how to compete in big meets, and carries multiple state performances in both the 3200m and 1600m under her belt. She's made it to the state meet every year she's ran, but never placed in the top three for a medal, so you can bet this senior is hungry for a big win in her final year. Another runner like Patel who has state meet experience but hasn't won a state title is Madie Boreman. Boreman snagged the win in the 1600m her freshman year (she also won the state cross country title that year, as well). The senior has performed at the state level six times, and holds a 10:24.62 3200m PR. I think Boreman will be more of a threat in the 1600m, but with these kinds of state accolades, you can't go without mentioning her here as well. The other runner to come out of Region 2 is Kingwood's Abby Guidry. The future Texas Longhorn will look to show out big on her soon-to-be home track. Last year in this event, she finished seventh in 10:38.20. She, like the rest of the field, has raced in some big meets this year and finished well. Guidry will be a force to be reckoned with as she looks to finish out her senior year strong. Lastly, we have the dark horses from Region 4: Ariana Ramos and Paige Hofstad. Ramos, just a sophomore, will make her first state meet appearance and will look to gain experience amid a loaded field of seniors. Hofstad, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran who will look for a state title after placing third every time she's run at the state track meet. After a year hiatus, we will get to see Hofstad back in action, plus healthy and ready to take on the loaded field.         

(Last year's Results)