PHOTO CREDIT: CHANCE KIRBY
CADEN LEONARD AND A WHOLE ROSTER ARE RUNNING WITH THE BEST
Leonard split a sub-4 1600m through the mile in a race with one of the fastest prep milers ever. Gutierrez is a sophomore and fifth nationally. Carroll keeps producing
On Apr 23, at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays in Portland, Caden Leonard ran the elite mile and finished second in 4:01.55. (He passed through 1600 meters in 3:59.94.) The athlete who finished first was Jackson Spencer of Herriman, Utah - the Gatorade national cross country athlete of the year, winner of the Brooks XC Championships, holder of the all-time high school 3200m record (8:31.50), and a BYU signee who ran 3:58.17 that night, ninth all-time (including conversions) in the high school mile.
That race in Portland was the latest entry in a season-long pursuit of sub-4. Leonard ran 4:00.07 indoors in February at the ASICS Sound Invite. He ran 4:01.02 to win the mile at the Texas Distance Festival in March. Then Portland.
What does not show up in those times is the full weight of what Leonard has done at Carroll - a number of consecutive UIL 6A cross country state titles; UIL State titles in both the 1600 and 3200 last spring; a second-place finish at Nike Indoor Nationals (8:49.46 in the 2 mile); and third at Nike Cross Nationals last December in 15:03.70. His journey at Carroll began with a 4:49 1600m at the middle school zone meet in 2022, and it will end when he heads to UNC in the fall.
Leonard was not alone at NXN last December. Kai Gutierrez was there too, running 15:22.70 for 12th as a sophomore. His 14:50.82 at the Texas Distance Festival on Mar 20 leads Texas and ranks fifth nationally in the 5000. Two years ago he was running 10:14 in the 3200 at a Carroll middle school meet. Last fall he finished fourth at UIL XC State in 14:56.50. This spring he ran 9:04.84 in the 3200 at Dragon Relays. Grant Norgart, a junior, sits 10th in Texas at 15:37.47 - right behind him in the Carroll depth chart and a reminder that the distance program's reach extends past its headliners.
Claudio Auns has spent this outdoor season chipping away at his 800m times. He opened in January at 1:58.36, cut to 1:55.00 in February, 1:53.51 at Dragon Relays, 1:52.92 at district, and 1:52.51 at UIL 6A Area on Apr 16 - a PR each time, now ninth in Texas. He was also at NXN last fall running the 5000 in 16:38.90 as part of the Carroll team. Gavin Folkerts sits 29th in Texas in the 800 at 1:53.50, with Grace McIlvain 10th on the women's side at 2:12.20, and Jaxon Glenn 47th in the boys 1600 at 4:19.23.
Megan Bergman was running a 6:44 mile as a freshman in August 2023. By last fall she was at 17:51.80 at district and 18:36.10 at UIL XC State. Her 18:44.64 at the Texas Distance Festival - the same afternoon Gutierrez ran 14:50.82 and Auns ran 4:15.44 - is her 5000 track PR and sits eighth in Texas. She has cut her 3200 from 11:37.65 in February to 11:13.44 at district. Kameron Dukes and Quinn Salstrand give Carroll two more women in the Texas top 15 in the 5000, at 19:21.08 and 19:35.49. Luna Gutierrez is 32nd in the 3200 at 10:55.12. Gavin Gooden is 46th in the 110 hurdles at 14.11.
Let's see what the rest of the season holds.
PHOTO CREDIT: CHANCE KIRBY
CADEN LEONARD AND A WHOLE ROSTER ARE RUNNING WITH THE BEST
Leonard split a sub-4 1600m through the mile in a race with one of the fastest prep milers ever. Gutierrez is a sophomore and fifth nationally. Carroll keeps producing
On Apr 23, at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays in Portland, Caden Leonard ran the elite mile and finished second in 4:01.55. (He passed through 1600 meters in 3:59.94.) The athlete who finished first was Jackson Spencer of Herriman, Utah - the Gatorade national cross country athlete of the year, winner of the Brooks XC Championships, holder of the all-time high school 3200m record (8:31.50), and a BYU signee who ran 3:58.17 that night, ninth all-time (including conversions) in the high school mile.
That race in Portland was the latest entry in a season-long pursuit of sub-4. Leonard ran 4:00.07 indoors in February at the ASICS Sound Invite. He ran 4:01.02 to win the mile at the Texas Distance Festival in March. Then Portland.