2023 Top 3

Victory Baptist Academy - 35

Founders Christian - 44

Texoma Christian - 76

If the last name Salas sounds familiar, David's won the 1A XC individual title in three consecutive seasons (2021-23), and his older sister Lesli garnered 4 straight individual titles and earned 9 golds on the track in the 800, 1600, and 3200.

David captured the overall title in a time of 17:37.77, while leading San Angelo Cornerstone Christian to an 11th-place finish. On the track, David has earned three consecutive 1600 and 3200 titles.

Victory Baptist

Of Victory Baptist's 7 entries in the 2023 TAPPS Cross Country Championships, 2 have graduated: Noah Burns, who finished 5th overall and Brock Hestand, who finished 10th. Returning to compete for another 1A XC title are Bailey Hughes (6th place), Wade Haynes (11th place), Kyle Collinsworth (17th), Hudson Bushman (19th), and Waxin Tiger (51st.)

Hughes has a PR of 17:43.60, which he ran at the NTX Small School Championships nine days prior to the 2023 TAPPS State XC Championships. 

Founders Christian

Only 9 points separated Founders from Victory Baptist, and with four athletes within the overall top 25 having graduated, Founders could make a run toward the top of the podium, as its top 5 return, all of whom finished in the top 26 out of 134 total runners. 

Finishing 4th overall was Levi Karns in a time of 17:59.51. Right behind Karnes in 5th was teammate Robert Welling in a time of 18:08.83. Finishing 14th and 15th respectively are younger siblings Luke Karns (19:13.99) and Nicholas Welling (19:25.26.) Conrad Murrell, in a time of 20:31.49 rounds out the top 5, having finished in 26th place. 

Two weeks after the TAPPS State XC Championships, Levi Karns competed in the Rising Stars division of the NXR South Regional Championships and set a PR at 17:43.00

Texoma Christian

For Texoma Christian, 5 athletes return, four rising seniors and 1 rising junior. Tyler Sturdivan finished 7th overall, Lucas Hayes finished 24th, Noah Reed finished 27th, Lawson Haney finished 70th, and Bradyn Green finished 87th. John Barker (12th) and Chase Whitson (30th) have graduated. 

Sturdivan set a huge PR of 16:48.1 at the October 14th Texoma Christian North Regional Invitational, so he's fully capable of dropping a time to place him in the top 5 overall. 

GIRLS

2023 Top 4

Texoma Christian - 31

Victory Baptist Academy - 62

Briarwood - 64

Harvest Christian-Edinburg - 69

Out of 57 total athletes who competed in the TAPPS 1A Girls XC Championships in 2023, 47 return, and for Texoma Christian, who doubled up 2nd place Victory Baptist, all 7 runners return for a run at another title. 

First, let's throw kudos to Hallie Collins, who, as a freshman last year - and the only representative of Azle Christian - won the overall title in a time of 13:32.05. Her PR of 12:31.50 in the 2-mile competition came 9 days earlier at the NTX Small School Championships. She then went on to have a wonderful track & field season, finishing 4th in the 400, 3rd in the 800, 3rd in the 1600, and 2nd in the pole vault. 

Texoma Christian

Hannah Murphy - 2nd place - 13:35.09

Aly Sosa - 11th place - 15:22.85

Olivia Simpkins - 12th place - 15:31.96

Mary Grace Hayes - 16th place - 16:18.40

Kate Turner - 25th place - 16:57.03

Hannah Barker - 27th place - 17:04.63

Dailana Bradley - 43rd place - 19:02.23

This is quite a formidable lineup, especially when adding that 5 of the top 25 have graduated. This could be another special XC season for Texoma Christian. 

Should she run like she did at the NTX Small School Championships (12:32.8), Hannah Murphy could easily lead her team to the top of the podium again, but also capture the overall individual title. 

Only 7 points separated 2nd-place Victory Baptist from 4th-place Harvest Christian-Edinburg. Briarwood returns its top 7 from the 2023 campaign, Victory Baptist returns 3 of its top 5, and Harvest also returns 3 of its top 5. 

Briarwood

With its top 7 returning, perhaps Briarwood poses the biggest threat to Texoma's spot atop the team podium. Christiane Griggs (5th place), Allie Burke (29th), Kate Brookby (30th), Emily Brolan (32nd), Ava Adams-Marsh (34th), Emma Petty (41st), and Karsyn Lessner (57th) should make a strong run to challenge Victory Baptist to move up a spot into the second slot. 

Christiane Griggs looks for a strong return to the XC course, as she set a 10-second PR at the TAPPS State Meet - 14:40.10.

Victory Baptist

Emily Haynes (10th place) and Emma Mars (48th place) have both graduated, so a podium return falls to Sophie Cantu (9th place), Nevaeh Tidwell (17th place), and Olivia Mars (53rd place.)

Harvest Christian-Edinburg

With Ashley Gonzalez (14th place) and Alexis Garcia (24th) having graduated, the pressure to return to the podium Jamie Gonzalez (28th), Arlyne Cruz (38th), and Kezia Leal (45th) along with any incoming freshman and transfers. 

The TAPPS XC State Championships will take place at Cottonwood Golf Course in Waco on October 28th.