INDEX:
* Grapevine's (TX) Trey Leathers competing at the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational.
McNeil
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When: September 24-25
Where: Old Settlers Park -- Round Rock, Texas
The Hoka One One McNeil Elite Invitational is the pre-state meet for the majority of Texas teams. Because of this, it is generally one of the biggest races in Texas each year.
It will be one of only a handful of meets where all of the state's best come to run. Many teams and individuals who have hopes of being on the starting line at Old Settlers Park come November will be competing this weekend.
Looking at the boys race first, we have MileSplit50 No. 3 Grapevine (TX) and MileSplit50 No. 25 Southlake Carroll (TX) set to race each other for the first time this season. Although both schools are less than a 15-minute drive from each other, the programs have yet to run head-to-head this season.
The last time the guys from Grapevine ran their varsity squad was at the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational on September 11. The team won that meet impressively, beating Milesplit50 No. 21 ranked The Woodlands. Grapevine scored 41 points, had a 46-second 1-5 split and sported a 15:28 five-man team average.
Southlake Carroll competed just last weekend out in Norco, California at the Woodbridge XC Classic. The team came back to Texas with a fourth-place finish.
This will more than likely be the only time we see Grapevine and Southlake face-off until The Nike South Region meet. Southlake is in the larger UIL Class 6A classification, while Grapevine is in Class 5A.
Individually, keep an eye out for a battle between Grapevine's low stick Walker St. John and Austin Vandergrift's (TX) Kevin Sanchez.
St. John is ranked No. 17 on the MileSplit50 individual rankings. In his only race of the season so far, he posted a 14:57.90 5K to win the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational. That race was speed rated a 188 by TullyRunners.
Sanchez has already had quite the season, winning the Southlake Carroll XC Invite, the FEAST Patriot 19th Annual Invitational, and the Cedar Park XC Invitational. Most recently he competed at The Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, where he finished fifth and was the first non-Newbury Park athlete in the boys sweepstakes race.
One other individual to look out for in the boys race is Wylie High's (TX) Nathanael Berhane; he could be in line for a top 10 finish. The junior finished fourth at the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational in 15:10.20.
Much like the boys race, the girls race will feature several ranked teams and individuals as well. There will be three MileSplit50 ranked teams competing this weekend in Round Rock: No. 9 ranked Lucas Lovejoy Leopards; No. 17 ranked Southlake Carroll (TX); and No. 24 ranked Austin Vandegrift.
The ladies from Lovejoy have two big wins to their resumes already this year. The program won its home opener -- the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival -- as well as the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational. The team is led by junior Amy Morefield, who took the individual win at Garmin and was second at the Fall Festival.
The Southlake Dragons and the Vandegrift Vipers will both be a week removed from the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, where the teams finished fifth and sixth, respectively. We may not see them compete with full varsity squads.
Individually, the girls race will feature several top Texas athletes, including Cedar Park's (TX) Isabel Conde De Frankenberg and Prosper's (TX) Aubrey O'Connell and Shewaye Johnson.
Frankenberg had her best race of the season at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, where she placed fourth in the loaded sweepstakes race. O'Connell and Johnson will look to help led Prosper to a podium finish.
