As we prepare for the championship season beginning this upcoming week, we want to shed light on some of the top young talent that has been making noise this season. Over the past couple of weeks, we noted freshman and sophomore class girls and boys who have had some admirable performances.
Earlier this week, we covered some underclassmen boys having incredible overall 2025 seasons. Now, it's time to cover some underclassmen girls having outstanding seasons and who should have some say-so in the championship season.
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Elin Latta - South Texas Heat Christian (2028)
Sophomore Elin Latta leads the way for Texas underclassmen, currently holding the seventh fastest time overall in the state. Latta ran her season's best time at the Nike South Invitational, where she ran 17:17.30 to take home the victory in a field that's continually competitive year after year. Outside of her most recent victory at Nike South, Latta has continued to build upon an incredible freshman track season.
She opened her season at the SA Friday Night Lights meet, where she ran 10:20.09 over 3200m to take home the win. Next, she won the SA Patriots Invitational in a time of 17:30.60 before finishing second at the Texas A&M Invitational in a time of 17:38.58.
Latta had one of the best freshman track seasons we've seen in a long time, and her performance on the grass has only reinforced her potential. With sustained improvement, Latta could become one of the state's best by season's end.
Evangeline Williams - Wylie East (2028)
Wylie East's Evangeline Williams has quickly become one of the state's top underclassmen, despite racing sparingly so far this season. She's quickly shown an ability to race with the best at two of the state's biggest and most competitive meets. Not only has she shown this, but she's also proven she can run fast across two very different courses, making her an intriguing name to watch going forward.
Williams opened up her season at the Southlake XC Invite, where she ran a personal best of 17:36.40 to take home third place. Her second and most recent race of the season came at the Hoka McNeil Invitational, where she came away with a close victory in a time of 17:59.00, winning the race by just 4.6 seconds.
While Williams's season has been brief to this point, she's made the most out of her racing opportunities. She's consistently fast and competitive, two things that could help her make noise in a crowded 6A division.
Taylor Synnott - St. John's Houston (2028)
Taylor Synnott marks another sophomore having an impressive 2025 season. She currently holds the tenth-fastest overall time in the state, along with the second-fastest time for underclassmen. Her best performance of the year and personal best came at the Waxahachie Woodhouse Invitational, where she clocked 17:34.20 and took home second place to begin the season.
Synott followed up her second-place finish at Waxahachie by finishing in the top ten at the Texas A&M Invitational in a time of 18:31.47. Most recently, she finished seventh at the Hoka McNeil Invitational in a time of 18:27.60. Just yesterday, the SPC star won the St. John's Maverick Ramble with an improved 18:24 to continue her cut-down heading into the SPC championship season.
Synott currently sits as the second fastest underclassman in the state and the fastest TAPPS underclassman. She's continually in the mix at some of the state's most competitive meets and should continue to do so.
Iris Latta - South Texas Heat Christian (2028)
Iris Latta marks the second Latta sister on this list and the fourth fastest underclassman in the state. Like Elin, Iris ran her fastest time of the season and personal best at the Nike South Invitational, running 17:38.00 for fifth place. Outside of her performance last weekend, Latta has been an incredibly consistent producer across several competitive meets.
She opened up her season at the SA Patriots Invitational, where she ran 18:01.50 to finish second place. Latta then clocked her first sub-18 performance of the season at the Texas A&M Invitational, where she ran 17:39.48 to finish third. She also ran 10:41.75 over 3200m at the SA Friday Night Lights meet, where she finished second.
Latta has been consistent over the most competitive races of her season, something that speaks to her maturity as a runner. This will play a key role in her development going forward, something that looks to be trending upward.
Brooke Fricke - Home School Athletic (2028)
Brooke Fricke marks the fourth non-UIL runner out of the five covered so far. Much like some runners on this list and several on yesterday's, Fricke's best performance of the year came at the Waxahachie Woodhouse Invitational where she ran 17:46.40. After opening her season here, Fricke has continued to showcase her talents at several high-profile meets.
Her second race of the season came at the much-covered Coach T Marcus Invitational, where she ran 18:13.00 to finish fifth in a tightly contested field. Fricke's third and most recent race of the season came at the Nike South Invitational, running 18:29.20 to finish 23rd.
Fricke's season started fast on a fast course and has remained competitive. She's continually at the state's most competitive meets each week, something that will only help her improve as time goes on.
Kylie Vega - El Paso Eastwood (2029)
El Paso Eastwood's Kylie Vega marks the sole freshman entry on this list. Vega currently sits as the fastest freshman in the state and the 38th fastest overall regardless of division. She's raced a lot more than others on this list, with her best performance of the season coming recently at Desert Twilight, where she ran 18:03.20 for her personal best.
Outside of her performance at Desert Twilight, Vega has had three other notable performances. The first of these came at the Canutillo XC Invitational, where she ran 18:17.57 for second place. Her second notable run came at the Omohondro Twilight meet, running 18:26.45 to finish third. Lastly, Vega's 18:11.06 run at the Cathedral/Loretto Invitational marked her second victory of the season.
Vega has had the best freshman season in Texas so far, and she's continuing to trend upwards. This much racing experience will only help her development as time goes on, making her an exciting name to watch for the future.