Prosper
State Meet Finish - 3rd place at UIL 6A state meet
NXR South Finish - 1st at NXR South
NXN Roster - Aubrey O'Connell (SO), Sadie Gonzales (SO), Tatum Castillo (SR), Emily Kern (SO), Kirstin Towle (JR), Alexis Svoboda (JR), Kate Parsons (FR)
Prediction - Last year, Prosper qualified for NXN and finished 20th overall. This year, they have returned thanks to their NXR South win. This year, Prosper is heading to Oregon on a streak with their progression arrow pointing upwards. They will be healthy and maybe one of the freshest teams at the meet. Aubrey O'Connell leads the Lady Eagles and should be their lowest scorer. She had a speed rating of 139 at NXR South and a 143 at the UIL State meet when she won her individual state title.
Prosper's finish will be determined by the rest of their scorers. Their three through seven runners were within seven seconds of each other at NXR South. That pack running will be key, but so will their placement. Last year, they had 450 points and 440 cam from the two through five spots. They know exactly what to expect this year and all they have to do is perform. If they can keep their score under 300 points, they could possibly finish in the top 15, which is where we see this young team ending up.
Southlake Carroll
State Meet Finish - 1st place at UIL 6A state meet
NXR South Finish - 2nd at NXR South
NXN Roster - Jenna Holland (SR), Katherine McElaney (SR), Grace Williamson (JR), Tatum Foreman (SR), Kaylie Cox (SO), Abigail McIlvain (JR), Alexa Karmis (SR)
Prediction - Southlake Carroll is a solid team and they could come away with a top five finish. Carroll didn't have their best race at NXR South and they know it, however, they look to bounce back. Bouncing back could mean getting back to the high level of running they were competing at for the much of the year but more specifically the last month of the season. Carroll's strength is their ability to run tight as they have consistently demonstrated in their ability to run low splits.
This team has fared well at national meets by running to a tie at Woodbridge Cross Country Classic as well as winning Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival. Carroll will get back on track and they will have another big time national performance. The key to their best possible performance will be in two of the girls who will return next season. Grace Williamson and Kaylie Cox will be the key to this weekend's race. Carroll's seniors have been solid all season long as well as improving and will be looking to end their careers the best way possible. Williamson may be one of the freshest girls at the meet with few races on her legs and Cox has shown the ability to run big throughout the season. Another big race from Cox and Williamson's improving fitness level could produce the best race of the year for the Lady Dragons. A solid 18:20 team average and a score in the low 200s will put Carroll in the top five and maybe bring a trophy with them back to Texas.