UIL State Recap: Eva Cragnolino Wins, Lovejoy Back Atop

Eva Cragnolino crosses the finish line with a smile in winning the 5A girls state title

The race for the highest championship of the day on the girls' side, the 5A Girls state title, kicked off just after 9:30 this morning. 

The story heading into this race was the same as it's been all year, with the main storyline revolving around the close team battle between defending champions Smithson Valley and longstanding powerhouse Lucas Lovejoy. With both teams winning their respective regions with 40 points or less, we were set for a good one this morning. 

On the individual side, there were several names prevailing as contenders heading into Friday, with Molly Garrison, Emily Armstrong, Camryn Benson, and many others sticking out as big names to watch. 

The first mile of this race very much mirrored what we're used to seeing in a collegiate championship environment, as a huge pack came through the mile mark together with no definitive leader. While this was, of course, noted as important on the individual side, its implications for what was expected to be a tight team race were far greater. 

Lucas Lovejoy came through in the lead with 69 points, while Smithson Valley trailed just six points behind with 75. Lovejoy's lead at the mile mark was largely thanks to the performance of their fifth runner, who sat inside the top twenty, while Smithson Valley's sat in 45th. 

Aledo followed the prevailing two contenders in third with 113 points, while Highland Park held fourth with 132 points. 

The race remained tight as we came through the 3200m split with eight girls coming through between 11:18 and 11:20. Eva Cragnolino held the lead by about half a second, while a gaggle of contenders followed alongside. 

Importantly, on the team side, Smithson Valley jumped Lovejoy for the lead, coming through the 3200m split with 68 points while Lovejoy fell back to 74 points. While not definitively representative given the packed nature of this race, the change of order between the teams, particularly with their individuals in the top ten, was noteworthy. 

As the race began to come down to the wire over the final mile, Cragnolino ultimately pulled away, taking the state title in a time of 17:46.70. 

2025 UIL 5A Girls Cross Country State Championships

Molly Garrison moved up from fourth at the 3200m split to take the silver in a time of 17:53.20. While Haylee Hughes narrowly claimed third just 0.2 seconds ahead of Lilly Koenig, who moved up to finish fourth for Smithson Valley, a crucial improvement for their team's hopes. 

The most anticipated result of the day, the battle for the team title, was as close as predicted, with the result being decided over the final mile. Ultimately, Lucas Lovejoy rode a strong final mile to victory, winning the title with 61 points while Smithson Valley followed in second with 71 points, likely making this one of the closest races we'll see this weekend. 

Also rounded out the podium in third with 146 points thanks to a strong presence in the top 30, while Grapevine, Highland Park, and Frisco Wakeland finished 4th-6th, separated by just three points. 

Lucas Lovejoy's fifth runner carried the load for the Leopards, finishing 26th in the team places, while Smithson Valley finished 46th. 

This race was as good as advertised, both on the individual and the team side. Lucas Lovejoy reclaims their title after falling off the top step last year, while the overall margin of just eight points is likely one of, if not the tightest, we'll see all weekend.