Houston Episcopal girls celebrate back-to-back-to-back championships
2024 SPC XC Preview
Every new XC season begins with the anticipation of either continued success or significant improvement. A coach must take into account who graduated, who dedicated themselves to the off-season program in the Texas summer heat, and which incoming freshmen or potential transfers may infuse a spark into the program.
Some definite changes for the upcoming season will be a new coach at Houston Episcopal as a championshipship winning coach will not be returning to the SPC. Additionally the graduation Evan Ringwald and Sam Marino as well as Margaret Thompson will make the transition of some of the SPC's best on both the girls and boys sides who will now be at the NCAA level.
The SPC (Southwest Preparatory Conference) is loaded in fabulous coaching and tremendous depth in talent, thus 2024 will undoubtedly prove to be another fantastic season.
Circle the date on your calendars now, because November 9th at Dallas' Norbuck Park is when and where it will all be deciced.
SPC 3A Boys Preview
In 2023, St. Stephen's Episcopal of Austin swept the 3A team titles, while Houston Episcopal did the same in 4A. Let's start with the 3A defending champions.
St. Stephen's returns its entire top 5: Graham Boles (2nd - 17:15.99), Ben Oehler (4th - 17:28.77), Joshua Goldenberg (6th - 18:01.70), Ben Patrick (15th - 18:32.16), and Simon Meyers (20th - 18:48.37.)
Boles ran sub-17:00 three times last season, including a 16:27.00 PR at the St. John's Maverick Ramble. This is a young man coming off a track season in which he tallied a trio of second place finishes in the 800, 1600, and 3200.
Oehler's and Goldenberg's PRs at the SPC State Championships should help sustain St. Stephen's for another run toward the top of the podium, especially when one considers that seven runners within the overall top 20 have graduated, meaning St. Stephens could lower their team score of 47.
Edgar Thielens - now a senior at Awty International - claimed the overall top individual spot in the 2023 3A XC championships with a time of 17:03.82. In addition to Thielens, Awty returns Felipe Beltran, a rising sophomore who finished in 5th. If Gabriel Giard, Gaultier Tardy, and Lukas Lindhorst, who finished 26th, 27th, and 30th respectively, improve upon their places, Awty International should remain a top three team contender.
Edgar Thielens
FW Country Day returns No. 8, 9, 12, 21, 33, and 34 - Ty Williams, Chuy Orozco, Dario Rosas, Eduardo Rodriguez, Knox Stephens, and Luke Vincent respectively. Rising Huckaby, who finished in 10th and Vail Dickey, who finished 23rd, have both graduated.
There's a common thread amongst the top contenders: veteran leadership. When five and six of your top runners return, the prognostication is that an incredible battle will be waged on the course.
Other athletes to keep an eye on: David Fernandes and Will Oliver (13th, 14th) from Cistercian Prep. Along with Marc Maalouf, Ian Tran, and Rishi Gopal, don't be surprised when Cistercian moves up from last year's 4th-place finish.
BOYS 2023 Team Results
3A
St. Stephen's Episcopal of Austin - 47
FW Country Day - 60
Awty International - 76
Cistercian Prep - 80
Trinity Valley - 89
Oakridge - 168
Episcopal School of Dallas - 191
SPC 3A Girls Preview
Of St. Stephens' top 10, eight will return: Audrey Wan (9th - 21:27.52), Lucia Sterling (11th - 22:19.98), Alexa Natinsky (15th - 23:09. 44), Felicite Jubelin (17th - 23:35.66), Katherine Oehler (18th - 23:35.96), Sophia Yu (19th - 23:40.52), Leela Weisser (27th - 25:21.13), and Claire Bank (30th - 25:45.91.) Chloe Benardete, who finished 5th, graduated.
The most amazing quality amongst this squad is that only Wan and Weisser will be seniors. The Spartans are ready for battle!
Keeley Klenke of Duchesne goes for her third-consecutive individual title while leading teammates Carolyn Raun (6th), Grace Livermore, Sofia Diaz, and Katie Stetzer (23rd, 24th, and 25th respectively) to a potential ascent to the top of the podium.
Keeley Klenke
Out of 43 total 3A girls' cross country participants in 2023, only five were seniors! When ninety percent of the field returns, there's bound to be incredible action and intrigue at the state meet.
For example, can Chloe Nelson (Fort Worth Country Day), last season's #2 finisher, dethrone Keeley Klenke for the overall top spot? They were separated by just under eight seconds.
Chloe Nelson
Can third-place Courtney McCracken - on the heels of an incredible SPC TF State Championship - move up toward the top of the podium?
All McCracken did was win 3A titles in the 400, 800, 1600, and 3200, garnering 40 points for Trinity Valley. She'll have younger sister Katelyn McCracken, who finished 7th as a freshman last year (21:25.65) alongside her in an effort to move Trinity Valley up from third.
They did lose Vinny Worsley (14th), so it's up to Haley Munshi (22nd) and Anna Willmann (29th), Lucy Good (34th), and Ayomide Agboola (40th) to rise to the challenge.
Courtney McCracken
GIRLS 2023 Team Results
3A
St. Stephen's Episcopal of Austin - 56
Duchesne Academy - 64
Trinity Valley - 71
FW Country Day - 94
Houston Christian - 109
Episcopal School of Dallas - 123
SPC 4A Boys Preview
The biggest question entering this season is the impact felt from the loss of Episcopal Bellaire Head XC Coach Julius Michael. As he endeavors into the UIL with Katy Tompkins, a legacy has been established, and they remain talented with both squads.
Like St. Stephen's, Bellaire Episcopal swept the 4A races, yet the top three squads were only separated by four points. And of the top 25 overall finishers in 2023, twelve have graduated, including Episcopal's Evan Ringwald and Sam Marino, No 1 and No 2 runners.
Evan Ringwald and Sam Marino
Evan Ringwald and Sam Marino
So who returns for Episcopal? Will Pacey, who finished 7th in a time of 16:45.71, Shivam Albee, who finished 30th in a time of 18:00.93, Grant Evans, who finished 36th in a time of 18:09.65, Craig Ringwald, who finished 39th in a time of 18:15.22, Grayson Luengas, who finished 45th in a time of 18:35.83, and Jacob Holzhauser, who finished 59th in a time of 19:25.86.
The top two overall returners are Luke Dial and Reed Robinson (3rd and 6th), both from St. Andrew's Episcopal. They'll get help from Nicholas Rubin (25th), Alexander Sutton (41st), William Metschan (46th), Henry Flake (47th), Miles Nunez (57th), and Colin McCormick (61st.)
Luke Dial
For the Houston St. John's Mavericks, who finished two points behind Episcopal, Andrew Wasserman (9th), Jay Woodhouse (13th), Samuel Caruso (15th), Horatio Wilcox (19th), Henry Caputo (21st) all return and must have strong seasons to claim top honors, as they graduated several, including Jack Litton, who finished 8th overall.
The John Cooper School, four points removed from the top spot, loses Aditya Pakal (4th), Grey Mendenhall (11th) and Ryan Taylor (20th), so it's up to Walter Day (14th) and Jacob Bailey (17th) to lead the way.
BOYS 2023 Team Results
4A
Episcopal - 62
St. John's - 64
John Cooper - 66
St. Andrew's - 102
St. Marks of Texas - 116
Kinkaid - 168
Greenhill - 176
Houston Christian - 193
SPC 4A Girls Preview
Episcopal, led by the 1-2 punch of Madison Morgan and Olivia Kiefer - 19:23.65 and 19:34.44 respectively, is shooting for its fourth-consecutive 4A girls state title. Georgia Bass (9th) returns, as does Asher Luengas (15th) and Palmer Popov (20th), but Shepherd Gregg (14th) has graduated.
Madison Morgan
Olivia Kiefer
Hockaday loses one of the SPC's best in Margaret Thompson, a Princeton signee, so the responsibility now lies with senior Jordan Lacsamana, who finished 7th last year in a time of 19:48.67.
Lacsamana will be joined by Anderson Rhodus (34th), Madalena Ritz-Muret (39th), Victoria Zavala (43rd), Emily McLeroy (67th), and Maddy Oyakawa (74th.)
Margaret Thompson
Kinkaid returns three who finished in the twelve (Maya Bernal, 6th), (Victoria Walton, 10th), and (Maddy Billipp, 12th.) Tori Livingstone, who finished 31st, has graduated. Riley Smith, who finished 44th, and Isabel Huddle, Brinnley Tanner, and Emily Campo, who finished 51st, 52nd, and 53rd respectively, and Penelope Gustafson (59th) and Molly Dinerstein (60th) all return to bolster Kinkaid's chances.
Similar to the boy's squad, the St. John's girls return a talented group of eight that finished in the top 36, led by rising sophomore Thea Popovic, who finished 4th (19:40.71.) The other seven include Mary Elizabeth Villa (21st), Amina Zegar (25th), Claire Connelly (27th), Evie Laskaris (28th), Sofia Kiyama (33rd), Bryanna Micu (35th), and Natalia Frost (36th).
GIRLS 2023 Team Results
4A
Episcopal - 41
Hockaday - 98
Kinkaid - 98
St. John's - 103
John Cooper - 112
St. Andrew's - 130
Awty International - 140
Greenhill - 190
St. Stephen's Boys & Girls Championship Teams
Bellaire Episcopal's Boys & Girls Championship Teams