Key Takeaways From This Weekend's Races

Camryn Benson (Lucas Lovejoy) competes at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival

Photo by: Stuart Kantor

This weekend saw two of the more entertaining and representative races of the season take place with the Texas A&M Invitational and the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival. Both races provide excellent cross-country courses that allow athletes to showcase their fitness at a stage of the season where things are starting to heat up. This year's racing was no different than last year's, with excellent individual and team performances shaping the season's outlook going forward.

There's a lot to unpack from this weekend, so let's analyze this weekend's racing and explore some key takeaways as the championship season continues to inch closer. 

Bridgeland Boys May Be Favorites For The State Title

Heading into the Texas A&M Invitational, the showdown between two of last year's podium finishers, Austin Vandegrift and Bridgeland, was an intriguing matchup to watch. The two teams went head-to-head twice last year, with Vandegrift grabbing second at the UIL State Championship while Bridgeland grabbed the second automatic qualifier for NXN ahead of Vandegrift at NXR South. While both teams lost their top finishers from the 2023 state meet, they returned solid squads this season who matched up against one another in College Station. 

Bridgeland got out to an early lead, coming through the 2k split with just 40 points compared to Vandegrift's 115. Both teams' top runners, Griffen Saacke and Kai McCullough, went through the split at the same time as expected. Miles Nutt sat sixth for Vandegrift, but Bridgeland had nine runners between Nutt and Vandegrift's third runner. Saacke went on to win the race for Bridgeland, running 14:53.70 and outkicking McCullough, who ran 14:54.80 to finish second. Bridgeland won the team race with just 46 points while Vandegrift was a distant second with 83, six points ahead of Keller in third. 

While it's still early, Bridgeland has dominated three of the state's preseason top five teams in back-to-back weeks. The Bears throttled The Woodlands College Park (preseason #4) and The Woodlands (preseason #5) at the Strake Jesuit Invitational before this weekend. The Bears won the low stick battle Saturday before putting 8 runners between Vandegrift's third and fourth runners. Bridgeland's combination of arguably the state's best runner through two races and supreme depth makes them a lethal threat for the state title, and as of right now, they appear to be the favorites. 

Noah Cooper (R) and Domenic San Miguel (L) compete at Lovejoy

Photo by: Stuart Kantor

Canyon Boys Are Legit, Regardless of Division

Moving up to McKinney, the Canyon boys proved once again why they're not only the class of the 4A division but one of the state's best teams as a whole. While Texas A&M may have seen a more competitive field, the talent in McKinney this weekend was deep and spread across multiple divisions, with teams like Prosper, Lucas Lovejoy, Boerne, and Frisco Wakeland all making up a good field on one of the best courses in the state. 

While the field was tight at the front, Noah Cooper narrowly edged out teammate Domenic San Miguel for the individual victory, giving Canyon a 1-2 finish. Cooper ran 15:10.40 while San Miguel ran 15:11.10, times that not only give Canyon the best duo in the 4A division but arguably the best 1-2 punch in the state. Their depth also played a nice role for them this weekend, with Ethan LaBue playing a crucial role as their #3 runner, outscoring several runners from Prosper and ultimately making the difference on the team side. 

Canyon likely won't face as steep competition in their own division this championship season. However, their performance at Lovejoy was an important one as it gave them the confidence that they can compete with some of the state's best teams in the 5A and 6A divisions. Cooper and San Miguel are as good a duo as any, and their continued consistency and presence at the front of races will keep Canyon in the conversation as one of the state's better teams this year. 

Laney Barnes competes at Texas A&M

Photo by: Jan Smits

Laney Barnes Emerges As A Top Contender in 6A

One of the bigger surprises this weekend for those who only follow cross-country racing in Texas would be the dominant showing of Laney Barnes at the Texas A&M Invitational. However, Barnes has been one of the most consistently successful runners in Virginia over her three-year career there. She qualified for multiple state championships on the track and the grass, and that success up north has clearly translated into success in the Lone Star State to start the year. 

Barnes won her season opener over 5000m at the Seven Lakes Showcase Invitational, where she ran 17:26.00. Coming into College Station, it was evident this would be a competitive field with the likes of Elin Latta and Rowan Saacke, to name a few. However, Barnes was patient throughout the first 2k of the race before pulling away in the final stint to win the race by eleven seconds in a time of 17:27.40.

Barnes's performance this weekend isn't just about winning the race; it's about who she beat to do it. Rowan Saacke is a state champion, and Elin Latta is one of the nation's best underclassmen. Barnes's run makes her the 14th fastest athlete in the 6A division based on time, although she's realistically within the top ten on pure pace. It's still early, but Laney Barnes looks to be yet another contender for the state title in a 6A division full of them. 

Lovejoy Girls Remain Elite

The Lucas Lovejoy girls came into the season ranked #2 in our preseason rankings. After finishing as runner-up to Smithson Valley after a string of successful seasons, 2025 aimed to be a year that could see Lovejoy recapture the state title. If Saturday was any indication, they're going to be right back in the fight as they came away with a dominant result, scoring just 42 points and finishing over 30 points ahead of second-place Highland Park. 

Camryn Benson led the way for Lovejoy, finishing third in a time of 18:16.70. Freshman Emily Armstrong also solidified her role as a key contributor on this team by finishing fifth in a time of 18:21.40. Lovejoy ultimately finished this race with five runners inside the top 19 and seven runners inside the top 22. They were able to run effectively at the front without compromising their split or depth, and that's the type of championship running that's going to take them back to the state title this fall. 

Overcoming a team like last year's Smithson Valley squad is going to be tough. But Lovejoy has started the season off exactly how they needed to if they're going to have a shot. They have the talent, depth, and experience to make a proper run at the state title in November.

Racing is Faster, More Competitive Than Ever

While our last takeaway from this weekend is broader than this weekend's racing, it's something important to note in the evolution of our sport. Athletes are running faster than ever, with times that would've previously won the state meet not even placing top-five at meets like the Texas A&M Invite. Furthermore, the year-to-year improvements we've seen on certain courses are staggering, further showcasing the evolution of our sport and its athletes. 

This year, five boys ran under the previous course record of 15:18.00 at the Texas A&M Invitational. The race's winner, Griffen Saacke, ran 25 seconds faster than the previous record, which was set by his teammate the year before. Runner-up Kai McCullough also broke the record by 24 seconds, and third-place finisher Ethan Locke still broke the record by 8 seconds. 

These improvements in time also provide better racing, with the finish from this weekend in College Station garnering attention on a national scale. Cross country is better than it's ever been in Texas, and this weekend's racing provides yet another example of the evolution of our sport and its athletes.