Parker Wood runs toward the finish line at the 2023 Friday Night Lights
The Strake Jesuit XC Invite has been a venue where teams have consistently been able to showcase their speed over a flat course early in the season. While flat speed isn't usually the most prevalent quality at this point in the year, teams and individuals who can produce it this early on when it's not the focus are usually in for a great year.
This meet also provides an interesting insight into some tight team battles that we could see play out later this year. The times were fast and the team battles were tight, so let's take a look at five standout performances from the Strake Jesuit XC Invite.
1. The Woodlands Girls
While more casual followers of Texas cross country are familiar with The Woodlands for their consistently dominant boys teams, those who follow more closely know that The Woodlands girls have continually proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with. This last Saturday further proved the talent of The Woodlands Girls as they ran away with the Varsity Girls race and established themselves as an even greater force than previously thought.
The Woodlands girls were led by outstanding junior Stoya Laydevant who continued her already impressive run of form over the last year with a dominant victory, running 18:00 and winning the race by 16 seconds. Laydevant was followed by teammate Naomi Weller who finished second as just a freshman. Couple a first and second-place finish with having your fifth runner finish eighth, it's no question as to how The Woodlands was able to score just 24 points and run away with a dominant victory.
2. Parker Wood
Parker Wood has quickly established himself as a recurring member in this series as he produced yet another outstanding performance this last Saturday. Wood led yet another Tompkins victory as both himself and the team continue to establish themselves as podium contenders for the state meet this November.
Wood fought at the front of a tight pack that included two of his teammates and standout Stratford junior Benjamin Pearce. However, when it came down to it at the end, Wood was able to showcase a strong kick and win the tight race in a time of 15:30. Wood once again showcased himself as the top runner on a Tompkins team flush with talent that we've seen continually run close together at the front of races. Wood and the Falcons are off to a hot start as they continue to win races to start the year.
3. The Woodlands Boys
A team with a history of championships and dominance, The Woodlands boys have long been a name associated with prestige in the state of Texas. That being said, many had questions surrounding how high they were ranked given the youth and inexperience of this year's group. However, The Woodlands boys have proved they're more than worthy of their top-ten ranking after their performance last Saturday.
The Highlanders were led by junior Bryson Meredith who dropped a massive fifty-eight-second personal best, running 15:41 to secure a top-five finish. Meredith was followed by teammates Ethan Sharkowicz and Tyler Hedgepeth who finished sixth and seventh respectively. While the Highlanders may have finished second behind Tompkins, they more than proved their doubters wrong and showcased that they're more than able to remain contenders for the podium in November.
4. Stoya Laydevant
As mentioned above, Stoya Laydevant has consistently been impressive for The Woodlands throughout her young career in the program. Despite her junior standing, Laydevant has qualified for the state meet twice on the grass and once individually on the track. Laydevant continued her impressive young career with another victory to start her season.
Laydevant established herself as the class of the field quickly as she ran away from teammate Naomi Weller to secure a sixteen-second victory and a twenty-eight-second personal best to start her season. There isn't much she hasn't accomplished so far however this huge personal best to start the year signals Laydevant taking a crucial step towards individual contention as one of the top runners in Texas.
5. Benjamin Pearce
Benjamin Pearce has become an increasingly known commodity over the last year, however, he still feels very underrated despite his consistent performances. Pearce had a phenomenally consistent track season running in the 4:20s and 9:40s while setting personal bests nearly every week. Pearce continued to shine this last Saturday with yet another personal best.
Pearce had a strong race fighting at the front for the entire race, finishing fourth after an incredibly tight battle up front. Despite finishing fourth, Pearce set yet another personal best running 15:36, a six-second improvement from his previous personal best and a ten-second improvement from last week's meet. While Pearce may have not been on the podium this weekend, he's undoubtedly a name to watch out for as he continues to improve each week.