Coastal Bend Runners Qualify for UIL Cross Country State Championships in Round Rock

High school runners from the Corpus Christi area have punched their tickets to the UIL State Cross Country Championships after strong showings at the Region IV meet, held at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Athletes from all six area high schools took part over two days of racing, with weather that ranged from blue skies to a heavy downpour.

In the 5A girls race, two Corpus Christi Independent School District seniors advanced. Elaina Lucido of Corpus Christi Carroll placed 9th among 178 runners, while Payton Catt of Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial finished 17th in the same field.

The Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial boys team also earned a trip to state by taking third place overall. Senior Trey Llanes led the squad with a 7th-place finish among 182 runners. Junior Jax Haller was 22nd, junior Eli Alba 29th, and senior Jared Hernandez 35th. Junior Reece Lebrecht placed 58th, senior Noah Nunez 101st, and freshman Wyatt Alstrup 134th. Separately, Calhoun Cason, a senior at Corpus Christi Ray, advanced as an individual after finishing 14th.

The 5A championship will be run at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock on November 7, 2026. The girls race is set for 8:15 a.m., followed by the boys race at 8:45 a.m.

Other Coastal Bend divisions will be represented as well. In 2A, Agua Dulce's Ethan Cadena won the Region IV individual title, and both the Port Aransas boys and girls teams claimed regional team championships. Those runners will compete at state on Nov. 6, with the girls starting at 9:30 a.m. and the boys at 10:10 a.m.

Port Aransas also produced the 2A Region IV girls champion in Leah DePiper, and her teammate Autumn Lafayette finished third. The Skidmore-Tynan girls placed third as a team and qualified for state for the third consecutive year, led by Sarah Pena in fourth place overall. Miranda Brooke Garcia of Ben Bolt finished sixth to earn her own berth.

In 4A, the Tuloso-Midway boys team advanced to state. Colton Anderwald placed second at the regional meet and Devon Alaniz was third. They are scheduled to run at state on Nov. 6 at 11:25 a.m.

Also in 4A, Robstown's Bianca Bosquez broke her own school record, lowering the mark of 11:29 she set last year to a new time of 11:09. In 3A, two West Oso girls, the Torres sisters, earned spots at the state meet.