Wylie East freshman Eliana Williams delivered a dominant performance at the Region II-6A cross‑country meet on Monday morning, winning the girls championship with a time of 17:49.3 at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex. The victory not only highlighted Williams’ personal talent but also helped the Lady Raiders secure the automatic team berth for the state meet.
Williams’ rise to the top
Williams entered the regional meet with confidence built from a busy summer racing for Team Quest Track Club, including appearances at the Junior Olympics. “It means a lot,” she said after crossing the finish line. “I thought I would get top 5. I was just running. I was trying to stay with the top group. At the halfway mark, I just kind of took off a little and went around them.”
Her winning time of 17:49.3 placed her well ahead of the field, and the performance continues a string of recent achievements. Earlier this month she shattered Wylie’s 5K school record with an 18:32 run at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and she captured the District 9‑6A title in 19:12.78.
Team success and state qualification
The Lady Raiders finished fourth overall with 203 points, edging out fifth‑place Klein Oak (206 points) by three points to claim the final automatic team spot for the state meet. Junior Evangeline Williams, who placed seventh at last year’s state competition, battled an injury earlier in the season but still delivered a solid performance.
Wylie East’s top five finishers were:
- Eliana Williams – 4th, 18:09.7
- Olivia Jeffcoats (freshman) – 31st, 19:06.6
- Isabelle Price (junior) – 55th, 19:42.7
- Amiya Runsewe (junior) – 67th, 19:50.0
- Reagan Tolar (junior) – 90th, 20:19.7
Additional team members placed further back, contributing to the low point total that secured the berth.
Coach Scribner’s outlook
Head coach Luke Scribner praised the team’s preparation and summer work ethic. “They had a good summer and prepared a lot because they had the goal of getting back to state. If we can put it together at state, we can finish in the top 10,” he said.
Wylie East will also be represented in the boys race by senior Michael Price, who earned the final individual qualifying spot among runners from non‑qualifying teams after a review of the results. Price finished 21st overall with a time of 15:44.9.
Looking ahead
The state meet is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, with the girls race set for 8:15 a.m. Williams, now heading to her first state competition, expressed a desire to finish among the top finishers. “It made me want to work harder and do more for the school,” she said.
Wylie East’s back‑to‑back regional success underscores the growing strength of the program and offers a hopeful outlook for the upcoming state championships.
Original reporting: Wylie News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
