Now that the district championships have concluded, we know who the qualifiers for each regional championship will be. The next step to the 2025 UIL Cross Country State Championships takes us to Lubbock, Arlington, Huntsville, and Corpus Christi.
The Region 3-5A Championships will take place in Huntsville, Texas, hosted by Sam Houston State University. It is always a competitive meet as it's one of the regions that encompasses different metropolitan areas in the state.
Here is our view of how the region could play out.
Ranked No. 5 in the CCCAT UIL 5A poll, College Station A&M Consolidated looks every bit a Region III title threat-and it starts with their low-stick, Rowen Skinner. She's been automatic all fall: wins at BFND 4K (14:13), Brenham (17:42), Kingwood Park (17:55.3), and District 17-5A (17:52), plus a high-end fourth at the HOKA McNeil Invite (18:16.3). That resume says she isn't just the Tigers' frontrunner, she's among the region's best closers and pace-setters.
The late-season surge from Elizabeth Gregory (18:56.8 at Kingwood Park, 18:54.4 at district) gives Consol a reliable No. 2, and when Hayden Helms (19:30.7) runs up near that duo, the Tigers suddenly has three inside the front pack.
At district, the Tigers won with 34 points and a 19:33 team average, but the 2:33 1-5 split leaves real headroom. Tightening that gap is the difference between podium potential and punching the ticket to Round Rock. The blueprint is already there: replicate the Kingwood Park pattern with Skinner up front, Gregory right behind, Helms glued within striking distance, and leverage the close proximity of Gracie Pike (20:04.1) and Rebecca Moran (20:10.2). If the 3-5 group compresses even 20-30 seconds, Consol's balance of a true low-stick and improving depth is capable of winning Region 3-5A and carrying momentum into state.
Montgomery looks built for October; they showed a region-ready formula at District 17-5A: pack, pack, pack. The Bears finished runner-up with a 19:48 team average and a tight front four that arrived like a bulk order at Costco. Rory Klemach (19:19.10, 4th), Avery Bradford (19:33.20, 5th), Cecilia Paterno (19:36.10, 6th), and Ava Harvey (19:45.40, 7th)-just 26 seconds apart.
That kind of density travels, especially on the rolling loops in Huntsville. Their No. 5 was a shade over a minute behind the fourth runner (consistent with the team's 1:30 1-5 split), which is still a winning recipe if the pack keeps pressing up.
And there's upside: Klemach has already shown she can mix with lead groups, 18:44 at Nike South, so if she pullss that quartet a few seconds faster and No. 5 closes the gap, Montgomery's balance and depth give them a very real shot to punch a top-four ticket at Region 3 and keep the season rolling to Round Rock.
Georgetown looked the part of a Region 3 contender at District 23-5A, winning with 25 points behind a front four that punched early and often.
Sophomore Lilly Johnston (18:41.20) set the tone with a strong runner-up finish behind Hendrickson's Morgan Nelsen, and senior Melia Flowers (19:26.10) and sophomores Kaitlyn Hamilton (19:41.10) and Clair Creal (19:41.50) stacked 2-3-4-5 for a commanding cushion by two miles. Junior Peighton Kriegh (20:38.00) closed the scoring and kept the Eagles' team average at 19:37, good evidence that this lineup travels well.
If you're nitpicking, Georgetown's 1:56 1-5 spread is the one red flag. It's not fatal, but it's the difference between winning the region and fighting for the last podium spot. The upside is that the gap is compressible: Kriegh has hovered near 20:30 on similar courses, and any 20-25-second trim brings the spread closer to the 1:20-1:30 range typical of regional champions. Meanwhile, Johnston is trending like a top-10 individual at region; if she nudges a few seconds closer to 18:30 and Flowers holds sub-19:30 shape, Georgetown's front-end scoring stays elite even against the heavy hitters.
Coach Braun's groups typically sharpen well in late October, and this roster has the resume and the coaching to do the same again.
Georgetown East View looked exactly like a regional qualifying squad at District 23-5A: five scorers across the line in 6-7-8-9-10, a paper-thin 0:16 1-5 split, and a 20:04 team average. That combination of tight packing with consecutive placements plays exceptionally well at region, where fields are deeper and chaotic in the middle. When your top five live in the same zip code, you minimize volatility from surges, tangles, and late fades. The Patriots' district result says they can manufacture points by volume, not just by star power.
The obvious trade-off is the absence of a true low-stick. Against Region 3's top squads, a team with a frontrunner in the 18:10-18:30 range can "steal" single-digit points that East View currently can't. But that's not a dealbreaker for top four.
In a 5A regional with 24 teams on the line, the middle third of the race (2-4K) is where pack teams make their living. If Jolie Brown (19:53.70), Isabella Johnson (20:01.50), Anaiah Williams (20:08.10), Ainsley Boff (20:08.80), and Danika Murrell (20:10.40) can move together and pass in bunches, a conservative first mile followed by a disciplined tempo through 3K sets them up to convert dozens of mid-pack athletes into scoring gains.
Teams To Lookout For: Friendswood, College Station, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill
Now that the district championships have concluded, we know who the qualifiers for each regional championship will be. The next step to the 2025 UIL Cross Country State Championships takes us to Lubbock, Arlington, Huntsville, and Corpus Christi.
The Region 3-5A Championships will take place in Huntsville, Texas, hosted by Sam Houston State University. It is always a competitive meet as it's one of the regions that encompasses different metropolitan areas in the state.
Here is our view of how the region could play out.