Isabel Conde De Frankenberg competes at the 2022 UIL State Cross Country Championships
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RESULTS 2022 Champs South Regional Championship
When the state meets are decided, we usually see who the best in each league and the classifications in those leagues are. As the state championship seasons complete is when it's time to see how the state's best measure up against the best in the country.
The Champs (formerly known as Foot Locker/McKinney, and Eastbay) is the oldest high school cross country national championship event in the country. Over the past five years or so, Texas athletes have fared well at the South Regional Championships. The meet is held in Charlotte, North Carolina at McAlpine Park, which at this time of year, seems to be an extension of the Texas borders. This morning, five Texas boys runners finished in the top-10 to qualify for the national meet and two girls did the same.
The boy's championship race was first, giving the us a chance to see the Texas boys put on a show. The two-time UIL 6A boys cross country champion Kevin Sanchez (Austin Vandegrift) was the highest boys finisher in third place with a time of 14:55.28. Sanchez who qualified for the national meet last year with a sixth place finish at the regional meet; the University of Notre Dame signee would eventually finish 11th at the national meet.
Angel Sanchez( Fort Worth Diamond Hills-Jarvis) was right behind Kevin Sanchez. The UIL 4A state champ finished in fourth place with a time of 14:55.94. Not having competed since the UIL state meet, Sanchez showed fresh legs and appears to have the best race of the season still ahead of him. The junior qualified for his first cross country national championship.
Ayden Granados (McAllen Memorial) and Marcelo Parra (San Antonio TMI) were in the same position of Kevin Sanchez. Both runners had competed in the Team Nationals South Region and qualified for the national championships prior to heading out to Charlotte. They'll compete in four consecutive 5,000m races in successive weekends at the highest level.
Granados, the Oklahoma State University signee, finished in seventh place with a time of 14:59.47 to earn his national championship berth. He was the seventh runner in the field to finish under 15:00. Parra, was ninth with his 15:01.42 run.
Lubbock Monterey senior and another Oklahoma State signee David Mora finished 10th place overall in 15:02.60 to qualify for the national meet. Mora electected to not travel across the country three consecutive weekends and will not race four straight 5Ks. Instead, he'll have a week to rest in between the regional and national meet.
In the girls championship race, it was UIL 5A state meet runner-up Isabel Conde De Frankenberg crossing the finish line first. The Cedar Park junior finished less than three seconds off the pace of leader Ciara O'Shea from Madison Central HS (KY). Frankenberg's 17:01.68 was over 20 seconds faster than her 17:23 to win the Team Championship South Regional the week prior.
Nicole Humphries (Flower Mound), finished fourth place in 17:07.52 to qualify for the national meet. Humphries, the UIL 6A state champion was less than 10 seconds back from the winner and had a near 10 second gap ahead of the fifth place runner.
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