East
Bernard held off Holliday and Eustace to win the 2025 UIL 3A Girls Cross
Country title. Holliday placed three runners among the top-10 scorers, but East
Bernard put five runners across the finish line before Holliday's fourth finished. Eustace managed the same feat as East Bernard and
finished in third place. East Bernard should still be very good in 2026, but with
Lorena dropping down from 4A to 3A it will make a repeat quite difficult.
Top Teams
East Bernard - They could be set up
for a few years with six runners returning from last season and five of them
are underclassmen. Samantha Fryer gives them a runner who could vie for an
individual State title.
Eustace - A solid top four runners put
them in the conversation among the top teams in 3A. They lost their top runner
to graduation, but with their top five returners underclassmen, the future
appears to be bright even if they don't reach the podium again this year.
Holliday - State champion Kenli
Atwood graduated, but Sarah Spears is waiting in the wings to go for the next
individual title. Avy Mauldin gives them the top 1-2 punch in the State and
they return six total runners from last year.
Lorena - They finished 10th in 4A
last year and return their top seven runners this year. Jaylah Fish immediately
becomes a State title contender. After Fish, they have the deepest lineup in
the State with their 2-7 runners having only a 48-second split on the State
meet course.
Wall - They should be a prime
contender for a spot on the podium. They return all seven runners from last
year's State meet, and they posted a 1-5 split of 38 seconds.
Best of the Rest
Cole - Returns all seven runners
from last year's 10th place finish.
Lytle - Elyse Cortinas and Kaycee Galindo lead a quality program that took fifth place in 2025.
Poth - Brooklyn Albert graduated,
but this team still has plenty of firepower.
Valley View - They return all seven
runners from last year and have a stud at the top in Brooklyn Bewley. Could
easily move into a team competing for a podium finish this year.
Whitesboro - They already have a
strong group that has proven they can run in a tight pack.
Top Returning Seniors
Alexys Cheney, Cole, 33rd
in 2025
Chaska Downs, Hamilton, 3x State
qualifier, 11th in 2025, 6th in 2024, 24th in
2023
Melina Espinoza, McGregor, 3x State
qualifier, 41st in 2025, 18th in 2024, 16th in
2023
Micah Hayman, Nacogdoches Central
Heights, 2x State qualifier, 35th in 2025, 78th in 2024
Kate Hesse, Brownfield, 3x State
qualifier, 31st in 2025, 7th in 2024, 53rd in
2023
Jaylah Fish, Lorena, 3x State
qualifier, 12th in 2025, 11th in 2024, 20th in
2023
McKenzie Lopez, Wall, 2x State
qualifier, 17th in 2025, 13th in 2024
Sky Phariss, Clyde, 3x State
qualifier, 8th in 2025, 14th in 2024, 39th in
2023
Katelyn Poth, Poth, 3x State
qualifier, 20th in 2025, 33rd in 2024, 48th in
2023
Sarah Spears, Holliday, 3x State
qualifier, 3rd in 2025, 8th in 2024, 30th in
2023
Top Returning Juniors
Payton Conn, Franklin, 2x State
qualifier, 5th in 2025, 37th in 2024
Caroline Finley, Randolph, 18th
in 2025
Samantha Fryer, East Bernard, 2x
State qualifier, 7th in 2025, 10th in 2024
Kezia Henderson, Eustace, 19th
in 2025
Avy Mauldin, Holliday, 2x State
qualifier, 14th in 2025, 15th in 2024
Top Returning Sophomores
Brooklyn Bewley, Valley View, 12th
in 2025
Leslie Bobbitt, Blue Ridge, 38th
in 2025
Kynlee Kocurek, East Bernard, 30th
in 2025
Addison Owen, McGregor, 22nd
in 2025
Taryn Stoltz, Paradise, 29th in 2025