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It wasn't long ago that a Texan won a National Championship race at the RunningLane Nationals. Back in December, it was Natalie Cook (Flower Mound) who won the girls cross country national title.
Last night, the Texas distance boys were taking their turn winning at RunningLane. However, it was more than just a win and more than a Texas two-step, it was a Texas sweep of the event.
Kevin Sanchez (Austin Vandegrift) won the race in a personal best time of 8:50.91, putting him No. 5 on the Texas All-Time best for the distance.
Sanchez covered the first quarter-mile in 1:03 and the half-mile in just under 2:10 as Jackson Barna from New Jersey led the first three laps. The Texas UIL 6A state 3,200m and cross country champion, Sanchez was content following Parna's lead -- until he wasn't.
It was right at 1,300m when Sanchez took control and a lead that he would never relinquish. After trailing Barna for three laps, the Austin Vandegrift junior did what we've seen him consistently do for the past year. Take a early fast pace and make it faster in the middle of the race.
Boys 3200 meter Run
Finals
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NAME YR TEAM MARK H# WIND
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1 Kevin Sanchez 11 Texas 8:50.91 1
2 Marcelo Parra 10 Texas 8:55.01 1
3 Franco Parra 10 Texas 8:55.15 1
4 Edward Blaha 12 Georgia 8:58.06 1
5 Rendon Kuykendall 11 New Mexico 8:58.33 1
6 Joey Sandel 12 Georgia 9:00.94 1
7 Ty Steorts 9 West Virginia 9:01.62 1
8 Mac Conwell 11 Alabama 9:02.09 1
9 Chase Evans 12 Utah 9:02.97 1
10 Jake Liebert 10 South Carolina 9:03.76 1
11 Myles Liss-Riordan 12 Massachusetts 9:04.17 1
12 Jackson Barna 12 New Jersey 9:07.07 1
13 Ethan Edgeworth 10 Alabama 9:10.10 1
14 Steven West 11 New Mexico 9:13.19 1
15 Ben Bergey 11 Georgia 9:16.03 1
16 Wyatt Athey 11 Texas 9:17.60 1
17 Hunter Strand 11 Colorado 9:20.56 1
18 Collin Brooks 12 Florida 9:21.96 1
The first three laps were fast, but began to successively decelerate as they went 1:03, 1:06, and 1:07. Sanchez' preference was to turn it back up; he ran the next two laps in 1:06 for a 4:23.65 1,600m split and 1:07 to come through 2K in 5:30.70.
Sanchez' slowest lap then followed on lap six in 1:08.31. With the chase pack gaining some ground, he quickly rectified the situation in the final 800m. Dropping splits of 1:07 on lap seven and a final lap of 1:04.
As the UIL state champion was controlling the front of the race, TAPPS stars Marcelo Parra and Franco Parra were patrolling the chase pack.
The San Antonio TMI Episcopal pair were putting in work; the early fast pace strung the field along, but the twins right there in the mix. Franco came through the first 400m in 1:04.49 and 2:11 for the first half-mile. With brother Marcelo not far behind with splits of 1:04.72 and 2:12, the twins would then run almost hip to hip over the next two laps.
As they rode the momentum of the excellent field, it was their last half mile that separated them from their previous PRs and push them ahead of about seven runners who entered the race with PRs better than theirs.
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| 3200m | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Conversion 2 Mile) | 8:44.01 | Colby Lowe | Southlake Carroll | 2008 |
| (Conversion 2 Mile) | 8:45.83 | Ben Shearer | The Woodlands Christian | 2021 |
| 8:47.19 | Emmanuel Sgouros | Houston St. Johns | 2022 | |
| Conversion 2 Mile) | 8:47.44 | Graydon Morris | Aledo | 2019 |
| 8:49.12 | Craig Nowak | Cypress Woods | 2012 | |
| 8:49.29 | Judson Greer | Melissa | 2021 | |
| Conversion 2 Mile) | 8:50.36 | Carter Cheeseman | Fort Worth Christian | 2019 |
| 8:50.43 | Reed Brown | Southlake Carroll | 2017 | |
| 8:50.91 | Kevin Sanchez | Austin Vandegrift | 2022 | |
| 8:51.44 | Sam Worley | New Braunfels Canyon | 2017 | |
| 8:52.20 | Eric Henry | The Woodlands | 1987 |
After the 2K, Marcelo pulling moved up from fifth into the second position to lead the chase pack. Franco was in fourth place as the two went from riding the momentum wave to enforcing their will on the rest of the field.
Marcelo would set his eyes on Sanchez as he was the only other runner in front of him. At the same time Franco went from holding onto the pack to pulling into third place. With 200m to go, Franco would run past Marcelo, pulling his twin brother onto the homestretch and into the final 100m.
Marcelo, who had been leading the rest of the competitors in the field except for Sanchez wouldn't let his twin run away towards history over the final meters without him. Team Celerity club coach Kenny Dirkson would cue and encourage the two throughout the entire race, helping to lead them to second and third place finishes and the Texas sweep.
Marcelo would finish runner-up in 8:55.01with Franco right behind in 8:55.15 to join the elite list of few Texas boys to run sub 9:00 in the 3,200m.
Five Texas boys have now run under 9:00 this season. That is nearly the same amount that has ever done it previously in Texas history excluding four 2 mile performers.