REPEAT PLEASE
Andrea Sanchez Sundown
State Championship Girls 2-A Preview
Who Teams: Hamilton, Sundown, San Saba
Why: Repeat please…or at least that's what the Hamilton girls are saying. This strong team is returning five of its top seven from last year's championship team. Coming off its Region 2 Championship win with 37 points, this team will be led by Sydney Lengefeld who will likely contend for an individual medal as well.
Sundown is looking to improve on last year's third place finish at state. A few weeks ago, they won the Region 1 Championship by more than 100 points. Andrea Sanchez will likely lead the way for Sundown and will be one to watch for a podium spot herself.
San Saba will also likely make a run for a podium finish. This young team is mostly freshmen and sophomores but after its win at the Region 4 Championship, it's definitely a team to watch. Harper, who finished 4th last year could factor in the mix as well. But this team will need something special from its fourth and fifth runners.
Individuals: Valley Mills' Hannah Dillard is looking for a repeat as the 2A State Champion. She has been running strong this year but will it be enough to fend off Hamilton's Sydney Lengefeld? Lengefeld is the only 2A girl who ran under 12:00 minutes at the regional races. Valley View's Sydney Reynolds wasn't too far behind (12:03), finishing second at the Region 2 meet. Reynold's strong finish makes her a contender for a spot on the podium. Region 1 Champion, Andrea Sanchez had the third fastest time coming out of the regional races (12:04). She will be looking to make the podium this year, after finishing 6th a year ago.