Each year, Texas Distance Festival stands alone as the most highly anticipated meet outside of the UIL State Championships. Whether it be the rate at which we see incredibly fast times or the sheer volume of talent throughout the field, TDF is truly a one-of-a-kind meet for the state.
This year's Texas Distance Festival will be no different as the top stars from Texas and the surrounding states will converge on Southlake Carroll's track for what's going to be one of the best meets in the country this year. While TDF hosts the full catalog of distance events, the 3200m and 5000m are often the most anticipated of the bunch. The 5000m specifically usually sees the state's top talent from cross-country take advantage of the rare opportunity to run a fast 5K on the track under the 15:00 mark.
This year's field will host a strong depth of talent over both distances, with the 5000m likely featuring this year's state champion, among multiple state podium finishers from cross country. So, let's dive into the entries and find out the top contenders in this year's 3200m and 5000m races.
Boys 3200m
While the 5000m is generally seen as the pinnacle event of TDF, the 3200m also stands as one of the more impressive races of the weekend. Its placement on the calendar puts it as a relevant test of midseason form as the runners in the elite field will be well on their way to qualifying for the state meet about a month later.
Historically, this race has seen some lightning-fast times, with the current meet record being held by Keegan Thomas who ran 9:01.01 last year and won the race by eight seconds. Since 2013, this race has seen five runners break the 9:10 mark, with a total of nineteen breaking 9:20. This year's field brings yet another host of elite talent who could further add to TDF's historic tally of fast times.
Matthew Engle
El Paso Franklin senior Matthew Engle currently holds the top official time amongst the current entries. Over his career, Engle has proven to be a member of the upper echelon of the state's cross-country circuit. He's proven to be consistently successful on the grass and has shown continued improvement on the track which has led him to top the timing sheets heading into TDF.
As mentioned, Engle has perhaps been at his best on the grass and he showcased that most recently over the 2023 season. He consistently ran well under the 15:40 mark for much of the season and produced his best time at the Southlake #2 XC Invite where he ran an extremely impressive 15:01.14 to take home second place. Outside of nearly breaking the 15:00 barrier, Engle qualified and placed eighteenth at the UIL State Championship before setting another sub-15:20 time in the form of a 15:19.10 at the NXR South Regional Championships. Engle has been able to find similar success on the track where he's set personal bests of 4:25.56 in the 1600m and 9:24.18 in the 3200m.
Coming into TDF, Engle will be looking to translate the success he had this fall in cross country to the track. He's shown throughout his career that he excels in distance-based events and TDF should be no different. His cross-country season signals that he's made some good improvements and should push below the 9:20 mark once it's time for TDF.
David Flaig
Coming in at the number two spot on our current entries is Regis Jesuit senior David Flaig out of Aurora, Colorado who is currently seeded at 9:25. Flaig has had one of the more steady improvement tracks you'll see throughout a career, but he's improved to the point where it's impossible to talk about Colorado middle-distance running and not at least mention his name in the conversation as one of the best.
Unlike some of the runners you'll see on these lists, Flaig didn't start his career running sub 16:00 5K's and dipping under 4:30 in the 1600m his freshman year. He started like most runners by running good times and continuing to improve, and saying he's continually improved would be an understatement. Flaig had the best year of his career in 2023 both on the track and in cross country where he made massive strides. In the spring, Flaig routinely ran under the 4:25 mark in 80% of his races and finished the year off with an impressive personal best in the form of a 4:16.12 which he ran at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships. His success on the track transferred into the fall as well where he ran a new personal best of 15:23.60 over 5000m and also qualified for the state meet.
Take one look at Flaig's 2023 season and it becomes evident that he can run fast over middle and long distances. Coming into TDF, he's chosen to run the 3200m where he doesn't have a ton of experience when compared to the 1600m and 500m. But, when you take a look at his personal bests, it becomes evident that he's going to run fast in the 3200m now that he has the opportunity. Look for him to end up around the 9:20 mark and be in the mix at the front of the race.
Elijah Merino
Sliding into the number three spot with the third-fastest seed time is Kingwood Park junior Elijah Merino. Merino has had one of the better two-year stretches in the state over the last year, and his sizable jump in performance signals that he has a lot left to give. He's quietly built one of the better all-around resumes in the Houston area and he'll surely be looking to add to that against a strong TDF field.
As mentioned, Merino comes into the 2024 outdoor season off a year that has seen him realize substantial improvements. He came into the 2023 season with modest personal bests but he would soon see himself make significant performance jumps. The first came in the 1600m which saw him drop his personal best by twenty-five seconds, and then the 3200m where he ran 9:39.93, a twenty-nine-second improvement. He then followed up this stellar outdoor season with an even better cross-country season that saw him break the 16:00 mark five times and qualify for the state meet with a new personal best of 15:26.70.
Coming into TDF, Merino has already started off his 2024 campaign with another sizable jump in performance. He's only raced once in the 1600m and 3200m at the Sam Mosley Relays where he set new personal best times of 4:28.23 and 9:25.77 respectively. Merino has been on a tear over the last year and his start to the season signals that he could easily break the 9:20 mark with the right race at TDF.
Dade Humes
Coming in at the number four spot in the current entries is Piedmont High School senior Dade Humes out of Oklahoma. Humes has been a good all-around distance runner for his entire career, but he's stepped up over the last year and that's allowed him to now be considered one of the best runners in Oklahoma. He's always had a lot of success at big meets which makes him a name to watch at TDF this year.
Humes has seen consistent cross-country success throughout his entire career, finishing on the podium multiple times at the state meet. In addition to this, he's gone under the 16:00 mark several times this last season which signals the fact that he'll be in the best shape we've seen him at TDF. He currently holds personal bests of 4:27.20 in the 1600m, 9:30.56 in the 3200m, and 15:40.40 in the 5000m. Humes has truly established himself as a great all-around distance runner and look for him to combine his success across multiple events into a successful 2024 season.
Coming into TDF, the key for Humes will be to make sure he's in the best shape he can be to stick with the leaders and run as fast as possible. He's shown over his career that he can run well on the big stage and if he's able to do so here, he'll likely run near the 9:20 mark and could potentially go even faster.
Carlos Mendez
Taking the final spot in the top five of the current entries is the second of two El Paso Franklin runners in the form of senior Carlos Mendez. Much like his teammate, Mendez has proven to excel in distance-oriented events both on the track and on the grass. We saw that most recently over the 2023 season where Mendez was regularly able to run at or below the 16:00 mark and help power an impressive El Paso Franklin team.
Mendez had a great cross-country season in the fall where he was integral to El Paso Franklin's success as a team. He played the role of a strong depth piece behind Matthew Engle and was rewarded with a personal best of 15:49.29 as a result. Over time, Mendez has shown himself to have great proficiency over both middle and long distances, with quality race experience ranging from the 1600m to the 5000m.
Most recently, Mendez opened up his season with a strong showing at the Socorro Invitational, where he came away with two new personal bests in the 1600m and 3200m. He ran 4:27.73 and 9:34.54 respectively and has given himself an impressive starting point for the coming months of the season. If he's able to continually improve, look for him to be well into the 9:20s at TDF and surprise a few people with just how fast he can go if the race gets out well.
Runners to Watch
While the 3200m contains a host of talent in the top five, several guys in the field have plenty of potential to run fast and shake things up. Some of these runners include Samarth Dubey whose run 9:36, Grady Jenkins whose run 9:44, and Rohit Kalpathy whose run 9:45. Look for these guys to also be in the mix to run fast at TDF.
Girls Race (3200m)
Unlike most of the events we've seen so far, the Girls 3200m race for this year's TDF meet doesn't have a ton of entries at this point. While the entries are slim right now, this race still has plenty of time to fill out and we'll surely keep an eye on it. However, a lack of entries doesn't equal a lack of talent, and we've seen that over this race's history and this year's meet will be no different.
Brooke Wilson currently holds the meet record which she set back in 2022 in a time of 10:22.58. Over the course of its history, this race has seen sixteen girls break the 11:00 barrier with a further fifty-one going under the 11:15 mark. Wilson's meet record is likely safe this year due to what's only a field of thirteen currently being entered, however, more entries could still come in and there are still multiple talented girls entered right now.
Kapri Parry
As mentioned, the entries for the 3200m are slim, however, Kapri Parry would likely remain at the top of the field regardless of its depth thanks to a great start to her career. Parry hails from Chaparral High School in Parker, Colorado where she's quickly established herself as one of the top young runners in the state. She's shown to be very well-rounded and has found sizable success both on the track and the grass to start her career.
Parry started off her career with a solid cross-country season which saw her break into the 18:50s and establish a good baseline personal best of 18:51.00. Additionally, she also qualified for the state meet where she finished in the top fifty. Heading into the 2023 outdoor season, Parry looked to build on her strong cross-country season and she was able to do that. She showcased great proficiency across the 1600m and 3200m, qualifying for the state meet in the ladder. Ultimately, she finished her freshman campaign with personal bests of 5:12.61 and 11:03.27 which put her well on her way to further improvement in the fall.
Over this most recent cross-country season, Parry took another big step where she drastically lowered her personal best. She ran nearly every race well under her previous personal best, and showcased improvement at the state meet by gaining nearly forty places and finishing thirteenth. She came away from the year with a new personal best of 18:05.44 and will look to build on her massive improvement with a fast 3200m in a field that she looks likely to beat at TDF.
Liliana Campos
Coming in as the second of our two key girls to watch for the 3200m is Liliana Campos out of Conroe Oak Ridge. Throughout her career, Campos has proven to be the strongest over races like the 3200m and 5000m and we'll see her showcase this strength at TDF this year. She's proven to be one of the more consistent runners in the state and it's paid off as she's currently committed to run at the University of Houston this coming fall.
Campos really started to hit her stride during her sophomore year, where we saw her make big leaps in performance across the 1600m, 3200m, and cross-country. She started off the year by performing well on the grass where she ran 18:21.47 and qualified for her first state meet where she finished in the top fifty. Her success then translated to the track where she ran 11:28.10 and set a personal best in the mile of 5:17.28. As her career has progressed, Campos has proven to be very consistent and it's paid off for her, particularly in the 3200m where she now holds a personal best of 11:08.01.
In the fall, Campos had her best cross-country season to date. She set a new personal best of 18:07.10 and qualified for the state meet for the third time where she eventually finished in the top thirty. She's proven to be at her best over 3200m and she'll look to continue that at TDF. Look for her to be at the front and potentially come close to breaking the 11:00 mark if the race ends up being fast.
Runners to Watch
It's difficult to give a full scope of the field at this point, as with only thirteen girls currently entered there's not a ton of analysis that can be done. However, there are still multiple other girls to watch as we wait for the field to grow. Some of these names include:
Meg Swindle: 11:38.54 3200m, 19:01.51 5000m
Susana Rawls: 5:17.58 mile, 11:39.99 3200m
Emry Schwalm: 11:45.27 3200m