For Emma and Casey Goetz, cross country has always been about more than times, places and championships. The Tyler Grace Community sisters have spent countless miles training and competing alongside one another, and as the 2026 season gets underway, both are establishing themselves among the top runners in TAPPS - while also beginning their final cross country season together as teammates.
Emma, a senior and two-time TAPPS individual state champion, opened the season by showing she may be better than ever. She won the open 5K at the Tyler Legacy Invitational in a personal-best 17:41, cutting 34 seconds from her time a year ago and finishing 26 seconds ahead of runner-up Amy Vazquez of Tyler. Younger sister Casey, meanwhile, continued to carve out an identity of her own. The junior clocked a personal-best 12:15 for two miles, the fastest time of the afternoon and a mark that currently places her No. 2 in TAPPS.
For Emma, this fall represents one final opportunity to add to an already impressive high school cross country career. For Casey, it is another step toward becoming one of TAPPS' premier runners - and a glimpse of what awaits when she becomes the older sister leading Grace next fall. But before then, the Goetz sisters have one more season of workouts, meets, road trips and championship aspirations to experience together.
We caught up with Emma and Casey via Zoom to talk about their fast starts, their goals for the 2026 season, the competitiveness that comes with being sisters and what it means to know that, after years of running side by side, this will be their final cross country season together at Tyler Grace Community.
For Emma and Casey Goetz, cross country has always been about more than times, places and championships. The Tyler Grace Community sisters have spent countless miles training and competing alongside one another, and as the 2026 season gets underway, both are establishing themselves among the top runners in TAPPS - while also beginning their final cross country season together as teammates.
Emma, a senior and two-time TAPPS individual state champion, opened the season by showing she may be better than ever. She won the open 5K at the Tyler Legacy Invitational in a personal-best 17:41, cutting 34 seconds from her time a year ago and finishing 26 seconds ahead of runner-up Amy Vazquez of Tyler. Younger sister Casey, meanwhile, continued to carve out an identity of her own. The junior clocked a personal-best 12:15 for two miles, the fastest time of the afternoon and a mark that currently places her No. 2 in TAPPS.
For Emma, this fall represents one final opportunity to add to an already impressive high school cross country career. For Casey, it is another step toward becoming one of TAPPS' premier runners - and a glimpse of what awaits when she becomes the older sister leading Grace next fall. But before then, the Goetz sisters have one more season of workouts, meets, road trips and championship aspirations to experience together.