McALLEN — McAllen High’s girls cross country team felt like it was the best team in the Valley last season. The Bulldogs were one of two RGV teams to make it to the UIL state cross country championships last year, finishing ninth in the Class 5A overall team standings.

Still, one thing was missing from the Bulldogs 2023 resume – a district championship.

One year after finishing as the District 31-5A runner-up, the Bulldogs made sure to take what they felt was theirs Thursday, dominating the competition en route to the district crown at SpringFest Park in McAllen.

McAllen High finished as the overall team champion with 21 points, over 50 points ahead of the next closest team.

“It feels really great,” McAllen High senior Dana Rojas Vasquez said. “Last year, we just weren’t prepared. When things like that happen, we didn’t deserve it. We didn’t deserve it last year. We worked really hard to get here. We came together as a team, and I think we’re prepared to go to state and maybe compete for the title. I think it means a lot to us to get here and win after last year. We just knew we were the best team in the Valley. We just didn’t perform that day. Today was about competing and giving our best.”

Rojas Vasquez paced the way for the Bulldogs on Wednesday, cruising to her second straight individual 31-5A title with a personal best time of 17 minutes, 18.8 seconds.

Her time was over 30 seconds faster than the next competitor and marked the sixth time she’s broken the sub-18 barrier in her career.

“It was a great race honestly,” Rojas Vasquez said. “It was a fast course, and I think my team did really good. I think we all hit PRs. I’m just grateful to God for everything to this point. This is where I started my freshman year. I ran here for my first district meet and I got 13th place. So, now being a district champ, it feels really great to finish my senior season here.”

Fellow Bulldogs distance runner Kenzi Ramirez followed Rojas Vasquez to the finish line, coming in second with a personal best time of 17:51.5.

Ramirez’s sub-18 time made her just the seventh RGV female athlete to break the barrier according to RGV track and field historian Carlos Vela.

Sophia Simpson, Samara Gully and Aileen Rivera each added top 10 finishes for the Bulldogs on Thursday, coming in fifth (18:40.5), sixth (19:01.1) and seventh (19:13.5), respectively.

Lily Mendez and Ava Barreda also competed for the Bulldogs, finishing 17th and 20th with times of 20:23.2 and 20:34.3, respectively. Only the top five runners for each team count towards the overall scores.

“I think this meet is going to give us a lot of confidence going into regionals and getting to state,” Rojas Vasquez said. “Like I said, we support each other not only on the track but also outside the track. We know we’re a great team, but we know we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have to stay focused and get to our goals.”

The Bulldogs were equally dominant in the boys division, with all seven of their runners finishing in the top 15, including five inside the top 10. No other boys team had more than two.

Solomon Lazo and Jacksen Ahlman led McHi to their second-straight district title, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Lazo clocked in at 15:39.8 and Ahlman came in at 15:42.1.

Aidan De Leon, Jack Gurwitz and Sergio Echavarria finished in seventh, eighth and 10th, respectively, with Sean Smith and Joseph Rodriguez adding 11th and 13th place finishes.

While the Bulldogs claimed the team title, the individual champion came from Sharyland High, with senior Nathan Salinas taking home the crown with a time of 15:17.8.

The district title marked the first of his career, while also coming after an injury his junior season.

“It feels great,” Salinas said. “The course was a little muddy, but I prevailed. I was just trying to run today more tactically and not burn out. I had done that in a couple of my races. I made a move with about 1.7 miles to go and just held on. I just felt like I had a lot to give in that last mile. I didn’t want to surge for placement in the beginning, so I just kept my cool.”

Over at the District 30-5A meet, a pair of RGV athletes swept the individual titles, while Laredo Nixon took home both the boys and girls team championships.

La Joya Palmview’s Dolores Ramirez won the 30-5A girls title with ease, finishing roughly 15 seconds faster than the next runner. Ramirez clocked in at 17:57.4, with four Laredo Nixon runners following.

Palmview finished second in the team standings behind Ramirez’s performance, earning a spot in the Region IV Cross Country Championships in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Mission High’s Josue Cisneros took home the boys crown with a time of 15:44.0, while teammate Ryan Aguirre added another top five finish, coming in fourth with a time of 16:08.2.

The Mission High duo helped the Eagles to a second-place finish in the team standings, securing a spot the regional meet.

The Region IV Cross Country Championships are slated for Oct. 21-22 at the Duggan Track and Soccer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

The top three teams and 10 individuals from each district meet advance to the regional meet.

For a look at results from all the RGV’s district cross country meets, click here.

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LA FERIA —La Feria’s boys and girls’ cross country programs have been the standard of excellence over the past several years. The Lionettes have strung off seven straight team district titles since 2017, while the Lions have won four straight since 2020.

Both programs continued to establish themselves as the premier cross country programs in the RGV, with La Feria sweeping the District 32-4A team and individual titles Wednesday at La Feria High School.

“I’ve been here multiple times,” La Feria senior Cierra Garcia said. “My mom came to this school and ran at this school. I know how this school and running have come along. That’s why I’m here, doing what my parents did. It pushed me to be here as well. Being able to continue this tradition and keep it going, it is amazing.”

“We’ve cemented a legacy already,” La Feria junior Armando Morales said. “We just want to keep going. We want to be known as the best team in the Valley to ever do it. We want to win everything so we’re able to cement ourselves as the best.”

Leading the pack for the Lionettes this season is senior Cierra Garcia, a four-year letter winner for La Feria.

Garcia, who finished in the top five at the district meet during each of her last three years, cruised to her first career district title, finishing over 30 seconds faster than the next competitor.

The senior distance runner clocked in at 12 minutes during the 2-mile run, making her the seventh straight individual district champion for the Lionettes.

“It feels great (winning the district title),” Garcia said. “I know as soon as last year’s runners left; I had big shoes to fill in. I knew when I came in this year, I had to give my hardest. I didn’t want to disappoint and if I did, I knew I had to work harder. It felt nice to be able to fulfill that dream that my coach has that is still going on to this day.”

Garcia was one of four La Feria girls runners to finish in the top five, with Mia Cerda (12:36.8) and Ximena Garcia (12:45.8) coming in second and third, respectively, while Emma Elizondo came in fifth (13:31.3)

Hannah Miranda rounded out the Lionettes top five runners, coming in 11th overall with a time of 14:14.5.

La Feria finished the meet with 22 total points, nearly 40 points away from the next closest team. Hidalgo finished second in the overall standings with 61 points, followed by Grulla in third with 87 points.

La Feria’s boys team followed up the girls with an impressive showing of its own, with their junior trio of Anthony Morales, Armando Morales and Nathan Salinas claiming the top three spots.

Anthony (16:02.1) and Armando (16:12.5), who were running their first race in over a month due to injury, cruised to first and second place, respectively, with Salinas coming in third (16:34.0).

“It really motivates me running with them (Anthony and Armando),” Salinas said. “It is hard for me to pace myself. So, when I go out the first mile I always go to fast and burn out. When these guys are here, it is really easy to pace myself and do good. We’ve been running with each other since eighth grade year. They’ve always been the faster ones, but I’m slowly bridging that gap.”

The individual title by Anthony marked the second of his career, also winning it in 2022. His brother, Armando, claimed the individual crown in 2023.

“It sucks being injured and stuff like that, but it really motivated us,” Anthony said. “It made us hungrier for the postseason. Our mental state, we were down and stuff, but we know we’d be back and go from there.”

All seven of the Lions runners finished in the top 25 during the district meet, with Andrew Cantu coming in seventh (17:49.1), Estefano De Leon coming in 10th (18:21.0), Jake Vela coming in 12th (18:49.2) and Eahden Bocanegra (19:27.8) coming in 24th.

The Lions finished with 23 points overall to claim their fifth straight district title. Hidalgo came in second in the overall standings with 56 points, followed by Port Isabel with 60 points.

Over in District 32-5A, Weslaco East pulled off a sweep of their own, with both the boys and girls teams lifting the overall team championships at the end of the meet.

In the girls division, a trio of Weslaco East runners finished in the top 10 to carry the Wildcats to the team championship, highlighted by a second-place finish by senior Andrea Quintero (19:41.1). Mattie Castillo (19:58.9) and Tea Martinez (20:06.7) came in third and fourth, respectively, with Gloria Gonzalez finishing ninth with a time of 21:13.2.

The Wildcats finished with 32 points to claim the team championship. Harlingen South came in second with 42 points, highlighted by Jessica De Leon’s first-place finish. Edcouch-Elsa finished third with 76 points.

In the boys division, Weslaco East racked up 34 total points en route to the team championship, with their top five runners all finishing inside the top 15.

Siblings Aaron and Alexander Nava led the Wildcats to the team title, coming in second and third, respectively. Adrianno Gonzalez added a sixth-place finish, with Octavian De La Serna and Aron Martinez coming in 11th and 12th, respectively.

Donna High secured a spot at the Region IV Cross Country Championships in two weeks with a second place finish in the team standings, earning 56 points in the win. Meanwhile, Edcouch-Elsa junior Juan Manuel Aguinaga Jr. earned his second straight individual district title to help the Yellow Jackets finish third in the team standings and earn a spot at the regional meet.

The top three teams from each district meet and top 10 individual earn spots at Region IV Cross Country Championships slated for Oct. 21-22 at the Dugan Track and Soccer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

For a full look at results from all of the RGV’s district meets, click here.

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DONNA — McAllen High senior Dana Rojas Vazquez has enjoyed a decorated cross country career since first stepping onto the course as a freshman.

During her first three years, the Bulldogs distance runner has qualified for the regional meet three times, won a district title and finished in the top 25 at the UIL state meet. Rojas Vazquez is also one of six RGV female runners to break the sub-18 minute mark in the 5,000-meter run, hitting the mark for the first time last year.

Rojas Vazquez continued to add to her lengthy resume Saturday, clocking in at 17 minutes, 52.5 seconds during the RGVCCCA Meet of Champions Elite Girls 5K for her first individual title during the event of her career.

Rojas Vazquez’s sub-18 time marked the fifth time in her career she’s broken the barrier, three of which have come this season.

“I feel really great,” Rojas Vazquez said. “It didn’t go as I expected because, well, I had some issues last week. I feel great that the Valley makes these kinds of events so we can have competition against each other before the district, regional and state meet. … Obviously I’m thankful to God for this opportunity and for being healthy because last year I couldn’t really participate as much as I wanted to. I just feel really great.”

Rojas Vazquez led a sea of purple and gold to the finish line during the Elite Girls 5K, with four of the top 10 spots belonging to the Bulldogs on Saturday.

Senior Kenzi Ramirez followed Rojas Vazquez to the finish line, coming in second with a time of 18:03.8. Freshman Sophia Simpson and junior Samara Gully rounded out the Bulldogs top 10 finishers, coming in sixth (18:57.6) and eighth (19:19.2), respectively.

A 19th place finish by junior Aileen Rivera capped a dominant day for McHi on Saturday, bringing the Bulldogs point total to 36 for the overall team championship. La Joya Palmview was the next closest team in the overall team standings, coming in second with 103 points behind a third place run by sophomore Dolores Ramirez. Edinburg High finished third with 116 points.

“We expect to make it to state as we did last year,” Rojas Vazquez said. “When we made it last year, expectations were kind of low from other schools. I think we really expect to make it again this year. We’ve put in a lot of effort in what we’re doing. We’ve shown we want to be a part of this and get to state … To be a part of this, it is incredible. I think it is something we expect to do. It’s not if we’re going to do, but how we’re going to get there.”

Rojas Vazquez and the Bulldogs weren’t the only ones delivering dominant showings during the Meet of Champions.

In the Elite Boys division, Harlingen High senior Zachary Lamar recorded a personal best time of 15:28.9 en route to his first career Meet of Champions victory.

Lamar made a push down the final mile to jump into the front of the pack and never looked back, cruising comfortably to first place. La Feria’s Nathan Salinas finished in second behind Lamar in a time of 15:34.1, with McAllen Memorial’s Roehl Rodriguez coming in third with a time of 15:36.6.

“It means so much to me,” Lamar said. “I’ve been making the team since I was a sophomore. I was third team that year. Junior year I was second team. Now I’m first team and first place. My mindset going in was to keep an open mind. I don’t know who was going to be here exactly or how others were going to feel. I just kept an open mind. I caught up to the lead pack a little past the second mile and I felt really good so I just kept putting on the gas until eventually nobody was behind me.”

Lamar was joined by teammate Ubaldo Flores in the top 10 during the race, with the senior finishing eight in 15:48.7 to help the Cardinals edge the Weslaco East Wildcats by three points for the overall team championship.

Jesse Cantu (22nd), Jaylen Bravo (25th) and Azariah Garzoria (36th) rounded out the Cardinals’ top five finishers, compiling a score of 90 points for the win. Weslaco East came in second with 93 points, highlighted by freshman Alexander Nava’s eighth place finish.

“This win is massive,” Lamar said. “It’s the last race for everyone before the end of the normal season and getting into district and regionals. This is a big confidence booster for me. To come here and win it and know I can place high, it gives me confidence for the regional meet and maybe state meet as well.”

For a full look at the meet’s results, click here.

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High school cross country season is reaching its peak after over a month of grueling competition, with teams gearing up for the annual Rio Grande Valley Cross Country Coaches Association’s Meet of Champions this Saturday at Donna North High School.

The biggest meet in the Valley is loaded with competition once again this year, with over 60 of the RGV’s teams set to compete during the event/

Teams will be split into four different divisions during the meet, with the Elite Girls 5K kicking things off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday followed by the Elite Boys 5K at 8 a.m.

The elite division features the best of the best in the Rio Grande Valley, including several teams ranked in the latest Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas’ latest state polls.

Among that group are two girls teams, with McAllen High ranked sixth in the 5A poll and La Feria coming in at No. 9 in the 4A poll. On the boys’ side, McAllen High and Weslaco East are both ranked in the 5A boys poll, coming in at No. 4 and No. 10, respectively, while La Feria and Progreso earned the No. 2 and No. 10 spot in the Class 4A and Class 3A polls respectively.

Those not competing in the elite divisions will follow those races in their respective classifications, with 5A/6A girls racing at 8:30 a.m. and 5A/6A boys scheduled for 9 p.m. Following those races, the meet will move to a rolling start, beginning with sub-5A/JV girls, followed by sub-5A/JV boys, freshman girls and freshman boys, respectively.

For a full list of the teams and athletes set to compete during this weekend’s RGVCCCA Meet of Champions, click here.

For a look at the RGV’s top 20 times this season heading into the meet, click here.

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Check out the top reported times boys and girls times from across the Rio Grande Valley heading into this weekend’s RGVCCCA’s Meet of Champions. For updates or corrections, email [email protected].

Top RGV HS Boys XC Times (5K)
Rank	Name	Grade	School	Time	Meet
1	Anthony Morales	11	La Feria	15:00.30	Friday Night Lights Invitational
2	Armando Morales	11	La Feria	15:10.50	Friday Night Lights Invitational
3	Nathan Salinas	11	Sharyland High	15:25.10	Donna ISD Invitational
4	Nathan Salinas	11	La Feria	15:36.00	Friday Night Lights Invitational
5	Roehl Rodriguez	12	McAllen Memorial	15:53.90	Friday Night Lights Invitational
6	Zachary Lamar	12	Harlingen High	15:53.90	Friday Night Lights Invitational
7	Adrianno Gonzalez	12	Weslaco East	15:59.40	Friday Night Lights Invitational
8	Solomon Lazo	12	McAllen High	16:01.40	Sharyland ISD Invitational
9	Josue Cisneros	12	Mission High	16:01.70	Mission Veterans XC Invitational
10	Thomas Tamayo	11	Los Fresnos	16:06.50	Sharyland ISD Invitational
11	Steven Guillen	11	Edinburg High	16:09.80	Friday Night Lights Invitational
12	Juan Manuel Aguinaga	11	Edcouch-Elsa	16:11.10	SA Patriots XC Invitaional
13	Rosbel Barrera	12	Hidalgo	16:16.30	Edinburg North RGV Classic
14	David Zuniga	12	Sharyland Pioner	16:17.40	Sharyland ISD Invitational
15	Angel Hernandez	11	McAllen Memorial	16:17.80	SA Patriots XC Invitaional
16	Ubaldo Flores	12	Harlingen High	16:19.70	Friday Night Lights Invitational
17	Aidan De Leon	9	McAllen High	16:20.00	Sharyland ISD Invitational
18	Jose Ventura	12	Lasara	16:20.37	Lasara XC Meet
19	Jack Gurwitz	11	McAllen High	16:24.40	Sharyland ISD Invitational
20	Joshua Rodriguez	12	Weslaco High	16:24.90	Friday Night Lights Invitational

 

Top RGV HS Girls XC Times (5K)
Rank	Name	Grade	School	Time	Meet
1	Dana Rojas Vazquez	12	McAllen High	17:42.50	Friday Night Lights Invitational
2	Genesis Ramirez	10	La Joya Palmview	18:28.50	Mission Veterans XC Invitational
3	Dolores Ramirez	10	La Joya Palmview	18:34.10	Mercedes XC Invitational
4	Kenzi Ramirez	12	McAllen High	18:39.70	SA Patriots XC Invitational
5	Sofia Lauren Garza	10	Sharyland High	18:58.53	Mercedes XC Invitational
6	Yazmin Guerra	12	PSJA Southwest	19:11.37	La Maquina Invitational
7	Andrea Quintero	11	Weslaco East	19:18.74	La Maquina Invitational
8	Dana Rodriguez	10	Edinburg Vela	19:23.90	Edinburg North RGV Classic
9	Sophia Simpson	9	McAllen High	19:27.30	SA Patriots XC Invitational
10	Juliana Garcia	11	Harlingen High	19:42.40	Friday Night Lights Invitational
11	Kaycei Salazar	12	La Villa	19:50.62	Pete Martinez Invitational
12	Sofia Holmes	10	Brownsville Hanna	19:54.90	Harlingen CISD XC Invitational
13	Fernanda Espinosa	10	Sharyland High	19:55.46	La Maquina Invitational
14	Cierra Garcia	12	La Feria	20:01.90	Friday Night Lights Invitational
15	Annette Soria	11	Mission Veterans	20:07.00	Sharyland ISD Invitational
16	Jessica De Leon	11	Harlingen South	20:07.10	McNeil XC Invitataional
17	Jacqueline Garcia	11	McAllen Rowe	20:07.40	Mission Veterans XC Invitational
18	Asante Stewart	12	La Joya Palmview	20:12.00	Mission Veterans XC Invitational
19	Aamarie Ebarb	12	Weslaco High	20:12.10	Donna ISD Invitational
20	Aileen Rivera	10	McAllen High	20:12.20	Friday Night Lights Invitational

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