2025 TAPPS 1A XC PREVIEW: GIRLS
In 2025, sophomore Hannah Murphy ran away with the overall 1A individual title, crossing the finish line in a time of 12:51.66, a little more than 30 seconds ahead of second place while helping Texoma Christian to a second-place team finish.
In a field of 72 total athletes, San Angelo Cornerstone Christian tallied an impressive 28 points to capture the TAPPS 1A title. Led by Alyssa Fowler, (13:29.16), the team's only senior, Cornerstone Christian must replace her to qualify to defend its team title. Fowler's fourth-place finish led the trio of Lorelei Bryant (fifth place; 13:32.07) and Hannah Bright (sixth place; 14:00.79), a rising sophomore and senior respectively.
Rising senior Zoe Hollis finished fourteenth overall (15:19.31) while rising sophomore Madeline Skelton finished sixteenth in a time of 15:38.10. For the Lions to stand atop the podium in 2025, they'll need to add one strong runner to the group of four led by two seniors.
Murphy's Texoma Christian harriers finished in second place with a team total of 59 points, yet the Eagles return a full squad of five from the 2024 team of seven. Alongside Murphy, rising senior Aly Sosa finished seventeenth overall in a time of 15:40.13.
Also returning for the Eagles are Mary Grace Hayes (senior - 32nd overall - 16:34.53), Hannah Barker (senior - 37th overall - 17:01.63) and Zaryiah Franklin, a soon-to-be junior who finished 51st overall in a time of 18:24.33.
Five points behind Texoma Christian is the squad from First Baptist Academy of Universal City who only return two of its five runners, including Alex Witt who finished eighth overall in a time of 14:59.14. Her returning teammate is rising senior Trinity Wright who finished 23rd overall in a time of 15:57.47.
Rounding out the field of five are Founders Christian from Spring (80 points) and Macedonian Christian Academy of Alamo with 104 points.
Hannah Murphy, 1st place overall
[picture from Texoma Christian's FB]
2025 TAPPS 1A XC PREVIEW: BOYS
The dominance of David Salas is over.
The San Angelo Cornerstone Christian graduate won four consecutive TAPPS 1A cross country titles to go along with 9 gold medals in track & field. This follows on the heels of his older sister Lesli, who also won four consecutive TAPPS 1A cross country titles and 9 gold medals on the track in the 800, 1600, and 3200. Her chance for 12 golds was stymied by Covid in 2020.
Salas, the only representative for the Lions, finished first overall by nearly 23 seconds over second-place rising senior Ethan Stegent of Faith Academy (Bellville), the only representative of his school.
Standing atop the podium as a team were the Falcons from Founders Academy-Spring. In a 17-team field, they outdistanced second place Macedonian Christian Academy of Alamo by 111 points: 30 to 141.
Of the six Falcons to finish in the top 13, three have graduated, leaving rising senior Levi Karns to lead the team back to the podium. Karns finished in 6th place overall in a time of 18:13.71. Joining Karns for the 2025 campaign are the younger Karns (Logan) who finished 10th overall in a time of 19:03.50, the younger Welling (Nicholas), who finished 12th overall in a time of 19:25.09, and Jaren Giron, a rising junior who finished 47th overall in a time of 21:57.15. [Nicholas Welling's older brother Robert finished fourth overall to close out his career.]
For Macedonian Christian Academy to dethrone Founders Christian, the five returning Lions will have to run as a pride toward the top half of the field that in 2024 included 136 total runners, 43 of whom have graduated.
Esteban Godoy's graduation (19th place) means that leading the charge for the Lions is Seth Wychopen who as a freshman in 2024 finished 20th overall in a time of 20:00.66.
Joining Wychopen is older brother Titus Wychopen who as a sophomore last season finished 37th overall in a time of 21:16.95. Sam Alvarado, a rising senior, finished 43rd overall (21:48.94), Camilo Requejo, a rising junior, finished 49th overall in a time of 22:04.93, and rising senior Ethan Lopez who finished 106th in a time of 25:26.22.
Third and fourth-place team finishers were Angleton Christian, First Baptist Academy-Universal City, and Granbury Cornerstone Christian. Angleton totaled 153 points while FBA and Cornerstone tied at 156.
Angleton returns 5th-place finisher Grant Challenger (17:50.43) and Tino Beacom-Casas, the 11th-place finisher in an overall time of 19:12.26, while Cornerstone returns three rising seniors who all finished in the top 25: Carson Jones and Carter Jones (14th and 15th) and Cale Davis, 24th. Caleb Wall of FBA is their highest returning runner; he finished 42nd in 2024.
Ethan Stegent of Faith Academy (Bellville), 2nd place finisher, with teammate
Daniella Skardenni who finished in 9th place.
[picture from Faith Academy's IG]