Last week, we shared our thoughts on which UIL 5A boys teams could be good this season and by the end of the year be pressing for the state championships. Well, the 5A girls team race has always been a significant race on the state championship weekend and will once again be one of the best classifications in 2025.
We've seen the Lovejoy girls control the classification the past several years and last year was nudged off the top of the podium by Smithson Valley who won the scoring column by 43 points. The next couple of scoring teams saw the race come down to a close number four and five runner races. Aledo was third overall with McAllen, College Station A&M Consolidated, Frisco Wakeland, and Boerne Champion making considerable presses toward the top of the heap.
Today, we start out by sharing who we think will be the top ten teams are going to be heading into the 2025 the season and why.
1. Smithson Valley
SV had a very good 2024 season and an injection of talented youth combined to form a very good squad. It was good enough to take down the four-time state champions Lovejoy Leopards to capture the title in their own right. With only 54 points scored, SV looked as strong as a team with multiple young and inexperienced runners could look.
With four freshmen and a sophomore as the core the talent carried the team and we saw them maintain their production until the very end. Only one major performer graduated from the the state champs with Mia Perez due to enroll at UT in a couple of weeks. Returning this season are six of the seven region and state meet performers including top 10 finishers Brady Solansky and Lilly Koenig.
Solansky developed into a reliable frosh who had an uncanny ability to finish the races with a serious mad dash over the second half of the race. She scorched earth on the back end of the race to win the Region 4-6A race and did the same to finish third at state. Solansky rested down the stretch of the track season and could enter both healthy and fit to start this cross country season.
Koenig finished 10th at the state meet and her track season was phenomenal. She showed plenty of range in the spring with 2:14 and 4:48 (mile) speed to go with a 10:34 in the 3,200m.
Solansky at 18:05 and Koenig in 18:37 are the only returners under 19-minutes, but with Skyler Fonseca - 19:00, Aubrey Pozzi - 19:02, and Addison Knibbe - 19:13 form a good core to begin 2025 as the team to chase. They ran with a 0.53 gap time at the state meet and have the majority of those pieces to keep it tight again.
2. Lucas Lovejoy
Although Lovejoy was knocked down a rung by SV last year, they weren't relegated too much as they were still able to finish runner-up in the team standings. As some of the familiar names and faces from the championship teams continue to graduate year after year, the program continues to hover around the top of the 5A classification and to start this season, we should see more of that.
Camryn Benson returns for her senior season and throughout her career she hasn't finished outside of the top 10 at the 5A state meet once in her career. She will again be one of the top girls in the state and having gone 18:02 will again be one of the top Leopards in Lucas.
Bridget Bernal is another returning leader on the team who has both experience and success at the program. She has placed in the top 25 individually at the past two state championships and comes into this season with a 18:22 PR in the 5K and went 10:58 in the spring for 3,200m.
To go along with program success and two experienced leaders, Lovejoy brings back all of their top seven runners except for Campbell Lester who graduated. So Sophie Brooks, Sofia Dominguez, Harper Jaynes, and Jocelyn Chapman all return from last year's runner-up finish. Add Talia Orshalick who ran sub 19-minutes last year and this year figures to be another good one for Coach Littlefield's girls. They ran with a 61-second gap time and they have the potential to run with a mid 0.50 gap time.
3. Aledo
The Aledo girls continue to be a major player in the 5A girls team title push. For the past three seasons, they've kept Lovejoy on their game and they were a podium team yet again in 2024, taking third place. They held off a veteran McAllen team and this year becomes the McAllen of 2025.
Three Bearcats placed in the top 15 individual spots with Molly Garrison crossing the finish line in sixth place, Micah Neal 12th, and Mykel Murry 15th. The big three had season bests of 18-mid to nealy 18-flat and they all ran under 19:00 at state.
Returning that core is huge for Aledo in 2025, but they also have Sofia Brandenburg, Madison Larsen, Mayden Mitchell, and Kjersten Loy coming back who were all under 20:00.
Nobody could run with SV and Lovejoy through five runners last year other than Aledo and that is why they were on the podium. However, the four and five positions is where those two separated themselves. Can Aledo make this year's race even closer? They have everybody back and they'll be a really, really, really good team again.
4. College Station A&M Consolidated
My concern with much of the state is that they'll overlook A&M Consolidated to begin this season. That would be a huge mistake because this is a very good squad. They showed up at Region 3-5A and the state meet being in contention in Round Rock and were just 15 points off the podium.
This team has earned the right to be considered one of the best 5A teams in the state based off what they did at Old Settlers last year. They are returning six of seven girls from the fifth place state meet team and they'll be able to hang with the big girls.
It is hard to compete when not having a top individual runner. That is exactly what Consolidated did. As a sophomore, Rowen Skinner was 29th overall in 19:16, which isn't exactly high for a top team. If she had her average type of race, Skinner would have run in the high 18s (18:40 PR) and that would have been near 15 points less and closer to the podium.
Consolidated developed throughout the season into the good team we witnessed by the end of the season. They ran a 34-second gap in Round Rock and that creates excitement on how they might be able to consistency race throughout this year.
With Elizabeth Gregory - 19:05 close to going under 19-minutes and then Alexandra Staack - 19:37, Hayden Helms - 19:40, Sullivan Glass - 19:40, and Gracie Pike - 19:46 there are plenty of reason why this team should be good again and how well they run as a team.
5. Boerne Champion
We've seen it in the past and we'll definitely see it more in the future; when teams have the a low stick runner who can race with the best individuals in any race, they expect that low amount of points to be contributed to the score for the team to be successful. Boerne Champion went into the 2024 cross country season with the idea that they had the best runner in the state and the country in Elizabeth Leachman. The best version of themselves was to have Leachman be the best version of herself.
However, Champion did not get that when they needed it the most-- at the Region 4-5A Championships.
Leachman was a DNF after a bad reaction in the second half of the race and that put the Chargers in a bad position. Without the expectation that Leachman would not complete the race, they were racing with a certain mindset or assignment until they had to proactively change strategy mid race.
The team still qualified for the state meet and carried Leachman instead of things being the other way around. Champion mostly ran without Leachman throughout the season and matured by racing without her contribution for much of the year.
The entire team is back with the exception of the graduated Kynley Albright. Leachman returns for her senior year and she'll be joined by junior Luciana Zazueta Ibarra, and sophomores Rebecca Bezerra, Payton Baldwin, Payton Kidder, Addison Graham, and Madison Mungia.
That moxy they demonstrated in 2024 is all I need to know about the Boerne Champion girls. They are young, they're tested, and they could have Leachman back. They'll be good, yet again.
6. Dallas Highland Park
The Highland Park girls will once again be a force to deal with. Last year, they returned to the 5A classification and again be a top Region 2-5A team instead of a Region 1-6A squad. They made their way back to state as a team and performed well all season long.
Heading into 2025, HP graduated two seniors from their top seven lineup from the state meet in Ellie Preston and Samantha Meck. Junior Ryan Sontag is the top returner with her 18:36 PR from last year. In fact, she has three other teammates in Madeline Heckler - 18:39, Finley Heckler - 18:41, and Paisley Bassett - 18:57 who all ran under 19-minutes at one point or another in the season.
With those types of returning top individual performances, HP looks like they can run a near 21-second gap at their best. While that is a lot to ask for, that is the type of pack/team running we are accustomed to seeing from Coach Bailey teams. Last year, there were some meets where the team did run under 60-second splits/gaps, but there at the end of the season, they were uncharacteristically over 1:30.
The Scots are now a year more experienced and there is no doubt they have the talent. With a good off/pre-season training and the pack running we are used to seeing then the HP girls will be title contenders.
7. Colleyville Heritage
In recent years, Colleyville Heritage has earned the right to be considered as a top 5A team. As runners come and runners graduate, Heritage is always a team who will be ready to go when they lace up the spikes. It helps when you return a lead runner like Natali Velasquez.
Velasquez placed 13th last year at the state meet with her 18:49 run, just off the pace of her 18:41 personal best. Without having a lot of stats from this past track season, Velasquez is still an outstanding runner to stay aware of. She was both a track and XC state meet qualifier in her freshman season as well as a swimming and diving state meet qualifier.
Having a successful leader like that, I expect the Panthers to be very good again. They only graduated Leilany Diaz form last year's team and bring back a strong lineup of Olivia Sandoval, Amrita Thiru, Akshita Thiru, Clara Deweese, Leighton Pillow, and Jade Munguia who will help reinforce a motivated team moving into the 2025 cross country season.
If Heritage can keep the the 2-5 runners within 40 seconds of one another then this team will be a force in the region and once again on the state level.
8. Frisco Wakeland
Frisco Wakeland has become a reload type of a program. That is a good sign when you have the numbers who you can develop and plug and run. They graduated three of their top seven runners from last year in their number two Rebekah Gould, number five runner Taylor Phan, and number six runner Avery Alonso. So, that means they return four from their sixth place state meet placing squad.
We expect their number one to be back this fall in last year's top runner Presley Robertson who is back as a junior. Robertson finished 14th last year in Round Rock with a 18:53 run and had a personal best of 18:39. Lily Schmidt will be a sophomore this year and Sophia Altieri will be a senior after impactful running last season. Schmidt ran a 19:18 personal best as a frosh and Altieri went for a 19:27.
Three girls who will be key for the Wolverines are rising sophomores Ariel Hartwell, Keely Coghlan, and Piper Erickson along with junior Samantha Ivey. Hartwell ran a 19:38 early in the season and went 19:55 at the Region 2-5A meet. Her hurdling, pole vault, and even a steeplechase race took over during track season, but if she can consistently run under 20-minutes, she'll give the team a solid replacement runner. Coghlan had a couple of sub 21-minute races and ran quality 800m adn 1,600m races on the track. Erickson ran 21:03 early in the season and got to race at state. Speaking of track, junior Samantha Ivey could be a top seven runner. She recently ran 56.99 and 2:13 during summer track to follow up her state meet qualification in the 800m, so her fitness level should be pretty high to start the season.
If Wakeland gets another quality incoming youngster or two, this will be another good season for the squad located out there on the Dallas North Tollway.
9. Grapevine
The Grapevine girls will be an interesting team to watch this season. I think last year was a bit of inconsistency mixed with some young and inexperienced runners. This season could bridge a more linear season and less of a roller coaster to tie with the exposure from 2024. A lineup made up of more sophomores and juniors versus the freshman and sophomore dominated lineup from 2024 could actually raise the bar in 2025.
Katelyn McCown was the only graduation piece from last year's squad, so Carleigh Gomez, Annabelle Butler, London Dezurik, Maggie Li, and Audrey Rankin return fortis season and their personal bests are all within 19-seconds of one another at an average of 19:49.
We've seen Coach Miller work miracles with far less than he has coming into this season and with this group, he can easily turn this group into a title contender.
10. Georgetown
Georgetown is another program that only graduated one runner and return many young runners who previously gained crucial experience. This is the perfect clay for Coach Braun to mold a perfect masterpiece by season's end.
Melia Flowers returns for her senior year after going 18:48 and 18:49 at her district and regional meets. Behind her, Georgetown returns Lilly Johnston, Peighton Kriegh, Kendall, McDougle, Caitlin Gomez, Mimma McKinney, and Jocelynn Mendez. That makes both three sophomores and three juniors who bring both program experience and state meet experience.
If Flowers can produce another 18-minute season, that will be huge for the Eagles. With their 2024 personal bests, the two through five runners have bring a potential 51-second gap time.
This team should again be one of the top Region 3-5A teams and the sky is the limit for their 2025 season.
Last week, we shared our thoughts on which UIL 5A boys teams could be good this season and by the end of the year be pressing for the state championships. Well, the 5A girls team race has always been a significant race on the state championship weekend and will once again be one of the best classifications in 2025.
We've seen the Lovejoy girls control the classification the past several years and last year was nudged off the top of the podium by Smithson Valley who won the scoring column by 43 points. The next couple of scoring teams saw the race come down to a close number four and five runner races. Aledo was third overall with McAllen, College Station A&M Consolidated, Frisco Wakeland, and Boerne Champion making considerable presses toward the top of the heap.
Today, we start out by sharing who we think will be the top ten teams are going to be heading into the 2025 the season and why.