Girls 3A
A Champion Moves Up, a New Race Begins
The balance of power in SPC Girls 3A is about to change.
Defending champion John Cooper leaves the classification after assembling one of the youngest championship teams in recent conference history. Three freshmen and two sophomores comprised the Dragons' scoring five in 2025, and every runner from that championship roster returns-even though they'll now test themselves against 4A competition.
John Cooper dominated last year's championship with just 28 points after finishing runner-up with 55 points in 2024. Sophomore Raya Al Aghbar led the charge with a runner-up finish behind Awty International senior Farrah Al-Fahl, while freshmen Isabelle FitzSullivan (4th), Joy Liang (8th), and Gabrielle FitzSullivan (9th) joined sophomore Kareena Gill (5th) to place all five scoring runners inside the top nine. The depth continues with Lexi FitzSullivan, Savannah Brents, and Sofia Espitia all returning.
Their departure leaves the 3A championship wide open.
St. Andrew's Episcopal appears poised to lead the chase. The Highlanders return rising junior Marina Obregon De La Mora, who finished third overall, but must replace three graduating top-13 finishers in Sophia Kleberg, Sofia Rinaldo, and Trevi Reed. After winning the team title in 2024 before yielding to John Cooper last fall, St. Andrew's Episcopal will be looking to reclaim the crown.
Awty International may have the greatest opportunity to climb the standings despite graduating individual champion Farrah Al-Fahl. The Rams return every other scorer from last year's squad, including Aanya Gautam (15th), Emma Ahuja (17th), Sae Janin (18th), Katherine Gell (19th), Eglantine Leleu-Eponville (23rd), and Maya Fahl (24th). That veteran lineup gives Awty International plenty of reason to believe it can improve upon last year's 70-point finish.
2025 Team Results
John Cooper - 28
St. Andrew's Episcopal - 65
Awty International - 70
Trinity Valley - 93
Episcopal School of Dallas - 105
Fort Worth Country Day - 151
Boys 3A
Three Programs, One Trophy
With John Cooper moving to 4A, the race for the SPC Boys 3A championship suddenly becomes one of the most intriguing battles of the season.
Defending champion St. Andrew's Episcopal enters seeking a third consecutive conference title, but the Highlanders no longer have the luxury of overwhelming depth. Their hopes rest on a tight pack led by returning top-12 finishers Milo Amoroso (10th), Henry Flake (11th), and Cyrus Shoghi (12th).
Awty International may have the conference's biggest star.
Felipe Beltran returns after capturing the 2025 individual championship and anchors a Rams squad that welcomes back virtually its entire varsity lineup, including Keizo Dreyfus-Ishigami (14th), Gabriel Rioufol (19th), Gabriel Giard (21st), Phineas Carnell Simon (22nd), Raphael Lemenager-Maitre (29th), and Isaiah Vargheese (36th). If Beltran can once again separate himself at the front, Awty has the depth to challenge for the team title.
Cistercian may be equally dangerous.
The Hawks return individual bronze medalist Will Oliver, now a senior, along with six other experienced runners led by Vin McColm (16th), Anderson Lee (17th), Rishi Gopal (24th), Ian Tran (32nd), John McHugh (38th), Zac Vaid-Shaikh (44th), and Caedmon Hendricks (54th).
Expect St. Andrew's, Awty International, and Cistercian to spend the fall locked in one of SPC's closest championship races.
2025 Team Results
St. Andrew's Episcopal - 40
John Cooper - 60
Cistercian - 67
Awty International - 70
Fort Worth Country Day - 107
Trinity Valley - 186
Episcopal School of Dallas - 189
St. Andrew's Episcopal 3A Team Champions - picture by Stuart Kantor
Girls 4A
Can Anyone Stop the Knights?
Five consecutive championships have established Houston Episcopal as the conference standard.
A sixth, however, may prove to be the most difficult yet.
The Knights graduated Georgia Bass, last year's runner-up, leaving rising junior Cecilia Bass (4th) to assume the role of team leader. Episcopal also returns Meg Billipp (7th), Ashley Conoscenti (10th), Amelia Davis (12th), and Bella Fiore, while Ryann Miller will need to make a significant leap after placing 42nd a season ago if the Knights hope to continue their dynasty.
Standing in their way is perhaps the conference's most dominant individual.
Houston St. John's senior Taylor Synnott enters the season pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive SPC individual championship while attempting to lift the Mavericks from consecutive runner-up finishes to the top of the team podium. With Georgia Bass graduated, Synnott begins the season as the overwhelming favorite after defeating last year's top returning challenger by more than a minute.
That challenger is Duchesne Academy's Mina Poizat, who returns after finishing third overall. The Falcons also bring back Lainey Davis (8th), Whitley Caserio (19th), Carolyn Raun (31st), Maria Calatayud-Lizarraga (34th), Grace Goodwin (39th), and Emily Parker (50th), giving Duchesne enough experience to remain firmly in the championship conversation.
If Houston Episcopal is to extend its reign, it will have to withstand serious challenges from both Houston St. John's and Duchesne Academy throughout the fall.
2025 Team Results
Houston Episcopal
Houston St. John's
Duchesne Academy
St. Stephen's Episcopal
Greenhill
Kinkaid
Houston Christian
Boys 4A
The Heavyweights Collide
No SPC race promises more drama than Boys 4A.
Houston St. John's enters as the two-time defending champion, but the road to a third consecutive title runs through two hungry challengers that return nearly every key contributor.
The Mavericks graduated three top-nine finishers in Andrew Wasserman, Henry Caputo, and Horatio Wilcox, yet still field one of the conference's deepest lineups. Returning are Asher Gurr (4th), Nicholas Laskaris (11th), Samuel Caruso (14th), Brian Duffy (15th), Jackson Hickok (23rd), Bennett Thomas (32nd), and additional experienced depth capable of keeping St. John's atop the standings.
St. Stephen's Episcopal boasts the conference's biggest weapon.
Defending individual champion Oscar Whiteley Bermeo returns after winning last season by an astonishing 36 seconds over the top returning runner. If he repeats that performance, the Spartans immediately erase valuable team points before the race truly begins. St. Stephen's also returns Jason Craw (19th), Leon Lacatusu (24th), James Benardete (42nd), Andrew Mayer (45th), Jaden Ranson-Hudson (57th), Joshua Goldenberg (61st), and Oliver McDaniel-Chang (63rd), giving the Spartans an experienced supporting cast.
Then there is Dallas St Marks.
The Lions return their top seven runners-and nine of last year's 10 competitors-graduating only Ailesh Sadruddin. Jackson Bailey (6th), Nicholas Cho (8th), William Cho (13th), Lawson Boutros (16th), Ward Beasley (22nd), Jack Bourne (26th), and Payton Elder (29th) provide perhaps the conference's greatest combination of experience and continuity.
Last year's margin between first and second was 26 points. The margin between second and third was only five.
With nearly every major contributor returning, expect that gap to shrink considerably. The race for the 2026 SPC Boys 4A championship has all the ingredients of a classic.
2025 Team Results
Houston St. John's - 34
St. Stephen's Episcopal - 60
Dallas St Marks - 65
Houston Episcopal - 92
Kinkaid - 128
Greenhill - 147
Houston Christian - 210