We've said it quite a bit over the last couple of weeks that the season is approaching. Well, this weekend, another round of meets will occur.
We've listed our thoughts on the order of the UIL 4A Girls top teams heading into the season.
The CCCAT (Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas) released its Pre-Season rankings. You can view their rankings along with ours to see how they compare and contrast with one another.
Ours differs just a little bit. You can view things below and see our reasoning for having each team in each spot.
10. Celina
Celina is trying to get back to their championship-winning ways. Coach Krepps has continued to lead Celina to the state meet year after year.
They were 11th in 2023 and ninth in 2024, but they graduated two scoring position runners for this year's team. Tatum Cross and Josephine Johannessen have both moved on, and Corinne Bomberger, Ava Samuel, and company will be tasked to carry the Bobcats into the new season.
Henlee Hanson and Emma Miller will be experienced freshmen this year. Bomberger and Samuel ran within three seconds of one another, and that type of tight runner will be important to maintain.
9. Lorena
The Lorena Leopards placed 12th at the 2024 state meet. They scored 248 points, and the hopes of cutting into that score are affected by the graduation of two scoring runners.
With Avery Heard and Hannah Figueroa gone, Lorena will rely on Erica Deters, Lexie Sykora, and Carter Jackson to provide a punch in the middle of the lineup.
Jaylah Fish will be a junior this year and is the low stick runner for the team. An all-state finish by Fish will be a good start for the Leopards.
8. Huffman Hargrave
Huffman Hargrave placed 13th in 2023 and 10th in 2024. The Falcons have found a way to be an impactful program over the years.
With only one graduation from the 2024 season, this figures to be a team that will again be in the mix.
Senior Celeste Cantu is the top returner; she was 16th in Round Rock and is a sub-12-minute runner. Payton Miller is a sophomore this year, and her 12:05 PR at the state meet almost gives Huffman Hargrave two sub-12-minute runners.
The key for this team will be making a dent in the gap between the top two and the other three scorers. Hayley Briggs, Brinley Morace, and Khloe Cuevas were only separated by 20 seconds, but were significantly behind Cantu and Miller.
7. Fredericksburg
The Fredericksburg Billies are a staple in the UIL 4A girls' cross country scene. They were second in 2023 and sixth last year.
Attrition has heavily impacted the team after their runner-up finish in 2023. It hit big time again and will affect the 2025 season. They graduated three runners, including two scorers, from the state meet.
With their top two runners coming back, that will be a good start. Rilyn Grona placed fourth last year and is back for her senior year. Abbi Brown will be a junior and the number two runner, with Maggie Dietel as the number three runner this fall.
With a talent like Grona, expect Coach Aldrich to put the pieces together as he usually does.
6. Sanger
The Sanger girls placed sixth in 2023, followed by an eighth-place finish in 2024. The Indians graduated two runners from last year's team in number six runner Abril Aguilar and seventh runner Brianna Deloney.
Gracie Grahl, Farah Hughey, and Ashton Grahl all have lots of experience at the state meet. It paid off last year, but the addition of Tatum Cochran and Niki Boone, who were freshmen last year, helped propel the team.
With that core and dynamic coming back for 2025, Sanger will be a serious challenger again.
5. Davenport
The Davenport Wolves have been a really good team since the school's inception about five years ago. Coach Burgess has developed the team into a running hotbed.
With fifth-place finishes in both the last two seasons, the 2025 squad will be in a familiar place and might even make a climb.
There were minimal losses from last year's team, with only one graduation. That attrition comes in the form of their third finisher at the state meet, Caitlyn Long.
In similar fashion, sophomore Audrey Orgill was the Wolves' fourth runner, only three seconds behind Long, and should easily fill that third position.
Contributions from Olivia Bounds and Julianna Gonzalez will ensure this team has experienced depth. If they can close the gap time, this team can push for the podium when November rolls around.
In regard to the depth, early signs show incoming freshman Kendall Johnston might become another piece. Johnston ran a 5:43 at the Davenport Twilight Mile in what appeared to be a perfectly executed group running exercise.
4. Salado
The Salado girls have been getting it done the last couple of years. They placed third at both the 2023 and 2024 state championships.
Can they replicate things or improve this fall?
It will be a challenge as they graduated three girls from last year, including two scorers. Zoie Adcox, Anna Redelsheimer, and Penelope Anderson are going to be important losses, but the Salado program seems to plug and keep going.
Last year, gifts of talented freshmen stimulated the team and allowed them to remain as challengers. McCall Boyd and Annalee Bryant finished eighth and 12th at state, and injected a strong 1-2 punch in Round Rock.
If the Salado Eagles get another talented class, they could reclaim a spot on the awards podium for yet another year.
3. Dumas
After not advancing in 2024, Dumas had a prosperous 2024 season. They battled the top two teams on this list and even caught a victory or two over them during the season.
At the state meet, they managed to finish in fourth place, but were well off the podium based on scores and a good distance behind district rivals Canyon and Randall.
Emily Gross was a big part of Dumas' success. She had an 11:02 on record and ran 11:29 at the state meet in sixth place. Other expected contributors for 2025 will Genesis Loya, Yadelyn Gavirio, Julie Lusk, Emmalee McDonald, and Izabellah Martinez.
Only Berkley Funderburg graduated from the fourth-place team last season, and if Dumas can bridge the gap on this team, they could podium this year.
2. Canyon Randall
The Randall Raiders continue to be a dominant program despite having another one of the best teams down the road and a new school in the district.
The team finished runner-up in 2024, a year after winning the 2023 state title and their third in 2022. With another exceptional season ahead coming up, look for another season-long battle with Dumas and Canyon, with Randall having the tools to fare really well.
Juniors Nayomi Granados and Brooke French have both finished second and third in each of the past two years, with only fellow district runner Addyson Bristow able to beat them.
The duo should again be counted on, as should fellow classmate Rebel Rea, who was their third runner last season. Aspen Turman was the 11th-place overall state meet finisher in 2023 and was the team's fifth runner last year.
Despite the four outstanding returners, Randall will have to account for the vacated four and six team positions from last year.
Look for that help to come from senior Yareli Ramos and incoming talent from the middle school.
1. Canyon
The defending UIL 4A champion Eagles graduated one of the program's most important runners of all time. That is a huge statement, but the role Avery Brown played while at Canyon can not be understated.
Brown finished fifth last year and was the team's second scorer. They also graduated their fifth runner, Kate Shepherd.
They start as our top team thanks to all-state senior and back-to-back defending individual state champ Addyson Bristow. Not only will she be 4As' best runner again, but she should be one of the best in the state.
Crickette Morris and Michaela Sharber are going to be huge again this year. They finished 13th and 14th at state last year as Canyon's third and fourth runners, but they both also ran under 12 minutes.
Sophomore Reese Wilson and junior Ella Martinez were big parts of the team, but they're expected to be even more important.
As with Randall, Coach Baca has benefited from having really talented freshmen enter the program over the years. This year could see the same, with more talented youth added to the team.