Alexandra Walsh (R) ran 10:28.56 for 3200m last weekend
Normally, we wouldn't make a big deal out of a time trial or a race on the track during cross country season. However, for the second consecutive season, there is a certain meet that has proven to be more than just any ole meet.
If you haven't seen the results for the Southlake Carroll 2 Mile time trial, then you're missing out. You're missing out big, the results were very impressive.
If you're tired of speculation, guessing, and predictions then this will not quench your desire for it to end, but it will give you a lot to go on by telling how good some of the top Dallas-Fort Worth programs are at this time.
Girls 2 Mile Time Trial
One thing is easy to notice, Samantha Humphries; she ran the fastest time and she did so with an impressive 10:24, that's a Texas top 20 all-time performance in 3200m on the track.
The Flower Mound junior is coming off a track season where she ran 2:07.68, 4:44.80, and 10:23.68, all PRs for the events earning her a gold medal and two silver medals at the state track meet.
Humphries ran 17:39.98 last year at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships and she was fourth place at the state cross country meet.
Last year, Natalie Cook blazed 10:12 at this very meet and we all know what she went on to do that cross country season. It is early, and this is a heck of a thought, but, at the moment, Humphries is only 12 seconds off Cook's pace.
What's also important to notice is the 10:28 by Alexandra Walsh. The Southlake Carroll junior was not only four seconds behind a very established Humphries, but she ran the second fastest time in school history. That puts her in the company of other Dragon greats like Miranda Walker, Alison Esparza, Tara Upshaw, and Courtney Kriegshauser, and only behind Brooke Upshaw.
GIRLS 3200 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Samantha Humphries 11 Flower Mound 10:24.07 6 2 Alexandra Walsh 11 Carroll High School 10:28.56 6 3 Nicole Humphries 11 Flower Mound 10:35.65 6 4 Ava Bushaw 12 Carroll High School 11:09.93 6 5 Sylvia Schwedler 11 Carroll High School 11:14.04 6 6 Natalie Spangher 11 Flower Mound 11:27.38 6 7 Abigail Bass 12 Melissa 11:32.26 6 8 Kylie Himes 12 Grapevine 11:34.07 6 9 Charlotte Martin 11 Carroll High School 11:34.94 6 10 Riley Ries 12 Addison Trinity Christian 11:35.15 6
Team wise, Flower Mound (FM) and Carroll figure to be two of the top teams in the state. FM is the favorite heading into the season, but Carroll definitely opened our eyes with their run on Saturday night.
FM sophomore Alexandra Fox who was the third place finisher at May's state track meet in the 3,200m did not participate in the time trial. Fox's PR of 10:30.58 ranks her 36th on the all-time Texas 3200m list.
Nicole Humphries was the only other girl on the day to break 11:00 with her 10:35, which makes optimism high around her upcoming season.
Optimism should also be really high with the outcome of the Carroll girls. To go with Walsh's run, five other Carroll girls ran within 44 seconds of one another and all under 11:45 and four other girls all under 12:00.
Do the results mean we should look for Humphries to take Cook's place as the top girls in Texas and possibly nationally? Can her 10:24 endurance and her 2:07 speed make for a super season?
Are the state champions Flower Mound Jaguars in trouble team wise? Is Carroll closer than everyone thinks?
Boys 2 Mile Time Trial
The boys race saw 15 run under 10 minutes. The winner of the race was Grapevine newcomer Adam Burlison, the junior transfer from Lubbock High. Burlison ran 9:18 to finish just ahead of his new fellow district competitor Wyatt Athey from Denton who ran 9:19.
Athey was figured to be a state championship favorite heading into the season. The son of football coach, Burlison landed at Grapevine when an opening on the coaching staff opened.
The Carroll boys were just as impressive as the girls. The back-to-back-to back state champs saw Logan Cantu and Jack Litwin run 9:25 and 9:31. They got a big confirmed boost with freshman Caden Leonard going 9:36 for the third Dragon to cross the line. Leonard is the son of Southlake Carroll head coach Justin Leonard.
BOYS 3200 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Adam Burlison 11 Grapevine 9:18.78 7 2 Wyatt Athey 12 Denton High 9:19.13 7 3 Logan Cantu 12 Carroll High School 9:25.50 7 4 Jack Litwin 12 Carroll High School 9:31.00 7 5 Brayden Kennedy 12 Flower Mound 9:34.03 7 6 Owen Cole 11 Flower Mound 9:35.46 7 7 Caden Leonard 9 Carroll High School 9:36.28 7 8 Ethan Stutts 11 New Braunfels 9:36.49 7 9 David Fisher 12 Carroll High School 9:36.64 7 10 Alex Severson 10 Carroll High School 9:39.78 7 11 Zach Troutman 11 Carroll High School 9:46.28 7 12 Blake Bullard 10 Carroll High School 9:52.45 7 13 Tyler Ortiz 12 Carroll High School 9:53.78 7 14 Robert Freeman 12 Carroll High School 9:54.31 7
18 seconds after Leonard crossed the line, six other Carroll runners would too making it nine boys to run within 29 second for 3200m.
Flower Mound's top two boys were also impressive with their 9:34 and 9:35 runs. Brayden Kennedy and junior Owen Cole were within a second of one another and look fit heading into the season.
New Braunfels junior Ethan Stutts showed he also has good fitness. He ran 9:36, just off his 9:34.94 PR from the Region 4 track meet. His 16:09 PR from the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational is his PR and best effort. At the moment, he looks ready to outrun his 88th place finish at the state cross country meet.
Does this meet tell us there is another big time runner in the 5A division this year? How will the upcoming clashes between Athey and Burlison go down?
With the way the Carroll boys ran at 3200m, is anyone in the state on their level? With Cantu, Litwin, and Leonard leading at this point, how good can this Dragon squad get?
We don't know at this moment, but we could find out very soon how much the results from this meet tell us about those who competed.