Wylie East’s Lady Raiders continued their recent surge in cross country by capturing the District 9-6A title on Thursday, Oct. 8. The victory marks the third district championship in four years and guarantees the team a place at the upcoming Region II-6A meet.
Girls race highlights
Junior Evangeline Williams led the pack with a strong second‑place finish in 19:22.1, helping the Raiders amass a low 39‑point total. The top four runners stayed tightly grouped throughout the race, edging out fellow qualifiers Sachse (42 points) and Wylie (48 points). Freshman Olivia Jeffcoats placed fifth in 20:07.86, junior Isabelle Price was sixth in 20:27, and junior Reagan Tolar finished eighth in 20:36. Rounding out the scoring five were junior Renata Saucedo (19th, 21:56.14) and freshman Olivia Preston (26th, 24:03.94).
Head coach Luke Scribner praised the depth of the squad, noting, “We’re still missing one of our top five, but they ran well. The top four ran together. We kind of held Evangeline back a little today. But overall, I was excited how they competed.”
Freshman breakthrough
Freshman Eliana Williams added to the team’s momentum after a standout 18:32 performance at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival. She won the District 9-6A title with a time of 19:12.78, describing the race as “one of the most fun that I have ever run.” Williams credited her parents for helping her stay calm despite nerves.
Williams will join her Lady Pirates teammates—Alice Hall (ninth, 20:44), Alexis Lee (11th, 20:59), Vanessa Vazquez (13th, 21:01), Sarah Barbe (14th, 21:04), Alyssa Prinz (16th, 21:12) and Emerson Pierce (18th, 21:50)—at the regional meet, where Wylie placed third with 48 points.
Boys team earns regional berth
On the boys side, senior Michael Price anchored the effort with a third‑place finish in 16:23, securing another regional berth for the Raiders. Sophomore Tyson Em followed with a solid sixth place in 16:43.73. Freshman Carson Clark was 13th in 17:25.82, junior Jaden Parish 14th in 17:26.25, junior Keller Trussell 17th in 17:50.01, sophomore Isaac Pretus 21st in 18:03.89, and sophomore Holden Ring 24th in 18:37.8.
Wylie’s depth shone through as freshman Johnathan Tesfaye led the Pirates with a seventh‑place finish in 17:04.41. Senior Jaron Savage (eighth, 17:05.42) and junior Karter Kekuna (ninth, 17:08.19) also broke the top ten. Additional strong performances came from sophomore Luke Boruk (12th, 17:24.07), junior Aiden Harlow (15th, 17:30.47) and junior Lincoln Shumard (16th, 17:33.12).
Both the Lady Raiders and the Pirates will represent Wylie East at the Region II-6A meet, continuing a tradition of strong cross country performance that reflects the dedication of athletes, coaches, and families throughout the community.
Original reporting: Wylie News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
