UIL 6A Girls
Chances To Win Individual Title
Macy Wingard is the reigning and defending UIL 6A state champion. The Denton Braswell junior is undefeated and with her 16:44 PR this year at the UIL 6A - District 05, she looks primed and ready to win another state championship.
The toughest competition Wingard will face should come from the girls she just raced last week at the Region 1-6A Championships.
Maya Easterwood (Coppell) has quietly been one of the most impressive runners in the state. For a girl who considers this her second sport behind her love of basketball, she is still in consideration to win it all.
Easterwood finished only seven-seconds behind Wingard. The sophomore has challenged Wingard in every race of the year and less than ten-seconds has been the difference in all four of their races this year.
Adelynn Rodriguez (El Paso Eastwood) was only able to manage a sixth place finish at Region 1, but that doesn't really affect a girl like Rodriguez. She was third at the UIL 6A state meet in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m last spring.
Rodriguez was sixth in Lubbock because Wingard and Esterwood were in front of her, but also because Flower Mound's Adeline Bennett, Alexandra Fox, and Ava Cole were as well.
Bennett and Cole have both won big invitationals this year. When fit and healthy, Fox was third at the state meet two years ago. She has ran as fast as almost anyone in the state when she is on. It is not beyond the capability of any of the these young ladies to win the state meet.
Emily Orr (El Paso Franklin) ran 17:46 to win the Southlake #1 XC Invite earlier this year. She doesn't have the load of trying to race with her team and all she has is an individual race to worry about. She is a threat in this race.
Lily Fawcett (Bridgeland) dropped nearly 40-seconds off her season best when she ran a 17:32 PR to win the Region 2-6A Championship.
If you're like me and you're wondering where in the world did Caroline Barrow come from, tell me when you figure it out. The freshman doesn't have any records this year until the UIL 6A - District 19.
No, but seriously, some teams use athletes from other sports to fill out their district rosters. She is a major soccer talent and came over to run. I've seen this done for years in the inner-city schools and the smaller classification schools.
Well, Katy Taylor just might have the best district filler of all-time. In Barrow's two races, she has run 17:54 and 17:35. Old Settler's will be much more challenging than the two courses she's races on so far, but Barrow, the Region 3 champ shouldn't be overlooked.
Also out of Region 3 is Jamie Klander (Katy Mayde Creek). Klander ran well in the McNeil Invitational and Nike South Invitational races. She also has four sub 18-minute runs this season.
Eleanor Smith (San Marcos) won the Region 4 race with a 18:22. The San Marcos sophomore has run well all year long adn with wins in both of her championship season meets, look for her to try to continue this winning streak in Round Rock.
Chances To Win Team Title
The No. 1 ranked team in the state is and has been Flower Mound; they've won the past four 6A state titles. Over the years, despite how well they've looked throughout the season, they've still managed to turn things up another notch in Round Rock.
I don't think anyone can beat this team, they'd have to beat themselves. Unless, the course is wet and sloppy and it turns into a race like what we had in 2015 when the course conditions were not conducive for runners to have their normal races, Coach Cook's girls should win another trophy.
Flower Mound has four girls who have run sub 18-minutes and it's just too difficult to figure out how to outrun them.
The No. 3 Northwest Nelson girls were second behind Flower Mound at the Region 1 race when they ran a 19:15 average.They were able to get their spread under a minute by going 54-seconds.
They did go for a 18:05 race at the UIL 6A - District 04 and with a 40-second gap. However, that was at a flat and very fast Bob Jones Park course.
Southlake Carroll is ranked No. 2 by the CCCAT, but they finished behind Nelson at their district meet and at regionals. They did run 18:20 with a 1:05 gap at that race. If they can keep it fast and tight, they'll be able to threaten for the podium.
Out of Region 2, both No.4 Bridgeland and No. 5. The Woodlands have been impressive and have looked threatening to the state title and podium this season.
At Lynn Creek Park, Bridgeland were show-offs going for a 18:13 team average. Their 1-2 regional finish with Lily Fawcett and Rowan Saacke are going to put them in a good position, especially if they can both run sub 18-minutes in the same race again.
The Woodlands also has a potent 1-2 punch at the top of their lineup with Stoya Laydevant and Naomi Weller.
They ran 18:30 and 18:32 at Region 2 and the team went 19:05 with a 1:06 spread. At their district meet, they ran a 18:46 team average.
The No. 6 Katy girls ran a 18:59 tam average to win Region 3. That opens up their chances of getting on the podium. More impressively was their ability to run tight, going for a 38-second spread.