RESULTS HERE

• Camryn Benson -8th - 4x ALL STATE honors!! (CCCAT ALL STATE)
• Emily Armstrong -15th (CCCAT ALL STATE)
• Bridget Bernal -22nd (CCCAT ALL STATE)
• Sofia Dominguez - 24th (CCCAT ALL STATE)
• Talia Orshalick - 41st
• Lily Fogle - 59th
• Cailee Horinek - 60th

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TOOK OUR TITLE BACK!! 🏆

Carly Littlefield

The 5A Girls Championship race saw a very crowded field at the front which pushed up team scores. Lovejoy prevailed 63-75 over Smithson Valley. This was the most points the Lovejoy girls have ever scored in winning state except for their 65 points in 2021 when they won by an even slimmer 6-point margin. Smithson Valley had been ranked #1 in the early part of the season, but Lovejoy leap-frogged them by mid September. Aledo (155 points) finished 3rd taking the last podium spot. #3 ranked Highland Park (165 points) finished 5th.

The varsity raced on this course about 6 weeks ago at the HOKA McNeil Invitational (all except Emily Armstrong). Today the 6 Lovejoy runners who raced at the McNeil averaged 8.7 seconds faster, so the McNeil experience was arguably quite beneficial.

Camryn Benson (8th overall in 18:15.6) had her best race of the season when Lovejoy needed it most. Freshman Emily Armstrong (8th in scoring in 18:35.6) did not let her first State experience overwhelm her and turned in a typically great run. Senior Bridget Bernal (11th in 18:50.8) can always be counted on in important races. Senior Sofia Dominguez (13th in 18:52.1) ran one of her best races.

And yet with these 4 strong performances, Lovejoy was trailing Smithson Valley 25-38 after each team's top-4 runners had finished. This is where Lovejoy's depth turns to its advantage. At State it's critical to have solid 5-6-7 runners as Lovejoy does. Junior Talia Orshalick (25th in 19:10.1) had her best race of the season (excepting Fall Fest) and clobbered SV's #5 runner who finished 50th. For good measure, junior Lily Fogle (36th in 19:32.4) and senior Cailee Horinek (37th in 19:35.1) also beat in SV's #5. Talia, Lily, and Cailee beat in the #5 runner of every other team. So Lovejoy's 12-point margin of victory is actually much stronger than it looks. SV had a slightly better top-5 average time than Lovejoy (18:43.0 vs 18:44.8) but Lovejoy's 1-5 split time was unbeatable (54.5 seconds vs 116.3 seconds).

[results] for 5A Girls Championship race

The 5A Boys Championship was equally strong — a serious crowd at the front of the race. Today 20 boys finished under 16 minutes, while last fall only 10 boys beat the 16-minute benchmark. The Lovejoy boys were ranked 10th in the latest (mid-October) polls, and that's where they finished today. #1 ranked Grapevine (63 points) is a perennial 5A powerhouse and they convincingly won the championship. The other two podium spots were taken by deserving teams: #2 ranked McAllen (114 points) and #4 ranked Weslaco East (129 points). There were no surprises. #3 ranked McKinney North (169 points) finished 5th.

As an aside, neither Grapevine nor McAllen qualified for the 2023 State XC Championships two years ago, and Weslaco East finished 13th.

Junior Tristan Arceneau (11th in 16:02.8) led for Lovejoy (as he did last fall at State). Senior Joey Reid (29th in 16:28.6) finished a great UIL career — this was Joey's 3rd State championship, and he has finished as Lovejoy's #3 or better in all 3 State championship races.

Senior Arjun Sharma (32nd in 16:31.0) had the guys' biggest improvement from the McNeil. Freshman Kipton DuBois (69th in 17:12.2) had another PR. Junior Carter Ewing (88th in 17:41.8) had another consistent performance. Except for District (and its oppressive heat), Carter has finished his 5K runs in an 8.1-second range from the McNeil onward.

Senior Adam Rogers (95th in 17:50.6) had the other notably improved time from the McNeil. Junior Reef Revell (104th in 18:12.5) was only 8.7 seconds off another PR. With a full and healthy summer of training to prepare for fall 2026 it will be exciting to see how Reef does.

Some may mistakenly look at the boys 10th place finish and consider it mediocre since there were only 16 teams in the race. But that's the wrong metric. For Fall 2025 the UIL Conference 5A had 253 high schools competing for the boys 5A championship. So our guys actually finished 10th out of 253 teams. That's quite extraordinary — top 4%. Not all school districts take cross country as seriously as Lovejoy, but that does not diminish our guys' accomplishment. A solid achievement that we all should be proud of.

[results] for 5A Boys Championship race

CLICK HERE for the meet photo album.

Runners of the Week

These two runners have worked so well together this season! They train stride for stride and lead our team each week with a big 1-2 punch and 2 low sticks which are very important in this sport. Camryn took the District title with Emily as runner-up, and Emily took the Regional title with Cam as runner-up! The best part is they are in an embrace at the finish line - either way! One of the most fun parts of this dynamic duo is it's a passing-of-the-torch of sorts as Camryn is our senior and Emily is our freshman. Next they will lead us into a State Championship next Friday in Round Rock!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!! 🏆

Carly Littlefield

The course at the Harold Patterson Complex in Arlington was new to Lovejoy and quite flat. Coach Kelly commented that the course was long (i.e., of greater distance than the stated 5K meters). The weather was hugely better than at District with the temperatures staying in the 70s while the wind blew consistently and strong (and almost too strong during the boys race). Lots of parents showed up to root for the Leopards, but the team contingent was smaller than in previous years.

The 5A Girls Championship race was another runaway for Lovejoy as the Lady Leopards took 4 of the top 10 finishes (and accompanying medals), and 6 of the top 20 finishes. Wakeland and HP each had two top-10 finishers, but were still no match for Lovejoy. The Leopards won by a score of 31-78-88-150 over HP, Wakeland, and Frisco Reedy (the 4th State qualifier). McKinney North finished 5th and has no individual State qualifiers. Melissa finished 10th, but has two individual State qualifiers.

Lovejoy's top-5 average time of 18:47.68 was a far cry better than at District (19:18.9), and noticeably better than what Smithson Valley (19:31.0) posted in winning their Region IV Championship race, which occurred almost simultaneously in Corpus Christi. Lovejoy's 1-5 split time of 73.07 seconds was solid considering how fast the leaders ran the course. Smithson Valley's 1-5 split time this morning was 110.9 seconds.

Super Frosh Emily Armstrong (1st overall, Region Champion, in 18:14.24) had a PR. Camryn Benson (2nd in 18:32.46) gave Lovejoy a very strong 1-2 punch to start the scoring. Sofia Dominguez (6th in 18:51.57) had one of her best races and was closely followed in by Bridget Bernal (7th in 18:52.80).

Now if you were looking for a weak spot in Lovejoy's race it could only be the 34.5 seconds it took before Lovejoy's scoring pack came in after Bridget. Not much to worry about. Cailee Horninek (15th in 19:27.31) was supposed to be Lovejoy's #7 for Region and State, but she keeps scoring in the top 5 for Lovejoy. To complete Lovejoy's race were Talia Orshalick (19th in 19:39.98) who may be Coach Littlefield's most consistent runner, and Lily Fogle (26th in 19:59.24) who put all of Lovejoy's runners in the top 16% of the field — quite an accomplishment for a Region championship.

Region II is quite competitive for the girls: #1 ranked Lovejoy has to compete against #3 ranked HP and #6 ranked Wakeland. Similarly in Region IV, #2 ranked Smithson Valley has to compete against #9 ranked Boerne Champion and #10 ranked New Braunfels. Lovejoy (31 points) had a more convincing win than Smithson Valley (49 points). The two will go head-to-head at State, so we'll see.

[results] for 5A Girls Championship race

The 5A Boys Championship race offered a lot more spice. Dallas Wilson (#6 ranked) won the team championship by a mere 18 points over ... Lovejoy! The Leopards had a major bounce back from District and came close to winning Region. Following Lovejoy were Wakeland and McKinney North. Scoring was close with the top 4 teams ringing in at 88-106-114-128.

Lebanon Trail's Andrew Malan won Individual Region Championship, but oh-so hot on his heels (a mere 3.60 seconds back) were Tristan Arceneau (2nd overall in 15:55.33) and Joey Reid (3rd in 15:55.39). Malan ran as an individual qualifier meaning Tristan and Joey secured the top 1 and 2 points in team scoring.

Then came Lovejoy's race of the day: Arjun Sharma (8th in 16:22.30). A critical performance. With 3 runners finishing in the top 10, the Leopards had an excellent start to their scoring.

At Lovejoy, it's unusual for a freshman boy to run varsity in the UIL championship races. But today freshman Kipton DuBois (43rd in 17:25.45) entered the fray and led in the scoring pack with a PR. Carter Ewing (52nd in 17:38.69) was back in his normal scoring range and secured Lovejoy's 2nd place finish and trip to State.

For good measure, Adams Rogers (54th in 17:45.82) and Reef Revell (57th in 17:48.17) had Lovejoy's #6 and #7 runners in well before any other team.

The guys' top-5 average time of 16:39.43 was the best, but Dallas Wilson had a 48.6-second 1-5 split time that trumped Lovejoy's average.

The Lovejoy boys have faced UIL's toughest 5A competition at District with 3 top-ranked teams in District 9-5A. No other District has more than one top-10 team. Similarly, Region II has 4 top-10 teams while the other three Regions have only two top-10 teams each. Iron sharpens iron.

[results] for 5A Girls Championship race

CLICK HERE for the meet photo album.

The Boys also had an amazing day and had their best race of the season! They are the Regional Runner-Up and will also compete at state!

• Tristan Arceneau - Regional Runner-Up - All Region Team
• Joey Reid - 3rd - All Region Team
• Arjun Sharma - 9th - All Region Team
• Kipton DuBois - 48th
• Carter Ewing - 58th
• Adam Rogers - 60th
• Reef Revell - 63rd

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

This year XCTF won:

• 🏃 Miss Athlete - Camryn Benson (XCTF has won this award the last 4 years in a row!!!)
• 👩🏼‍🎓 Miss Graduate Profile - Margaret Meehlhause (this is the 2nd year XCTF has captured this award)
• 👑 QUEEN - Bridget Bernal (XCTF has won the crown the last 4 of 5 years!!)
• ❤️ Junior Princess - Kenzie Rogers (VB/Track!)
• 🖤 Sophomore Duchess - Kate Roberts

So proud of our HUGE group representing our program in the parade! Special shoutout to our 2 moms — Heather Horinek and Amy Barney for driving their trucks and letting the girls decorate and ride in them!!

Runners of the Week

• Mia Binnings has been one of the most improved athletes I've ever coached. She has come so far over the last 4 years, and she had another solid, strong race at District. She races with no fear - just gets out there and attacks every step of the way! She will continue to train for the next month in hopes of a big PR at the fast A&M course in November!
• Rosslyn Vaughan is only a sophomore and has a lot of potential for the next 2 years. She had an outstanding District race - working her way up into the 10th spot by the finish! She raced really smart and with so much confidence as she steadily moved up throughout the race.
• Kaylee Martin is a senior who has been a staple on the team for 4 years. She ran one of her strongest races this season at District last Tuesday. She has been a member of our State Champion team, and she knows what it takes to perform at a high level. She is a strong teammate who always puts her team first. She is helpful, caring, and passionate about our program!
• Harper Jaynes ran absolutely outstanding from start to finish on Tuesday! She took off fast and never looked back on her way to the individual JV District title! This senior has also been a team frontrunner who has raced at the State Championship. She is one of the best training partners out there who can hit whatever pace is given for that workout. She is tough and resilient and makes everyone around her level up in every way whether it's in the classroom or on the course.

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!! 🏆

Carly Littlefield

The weather was a different matter. The first race went off at 9:15 am with a temperature of about 77°F and humidity of 60%. By the time the JV boys finished around 11:10 am, the temp had risen to 86°F. Then add in full sun and almost no wind, and the running conditions could not have been worse. So despite the friendlier course layout, a typical varsity boy had a 15-second slower time from what he would normally run at Myers Park.

The Lady Leopards dominated their races starting with the Varsity Girls Championship which they won handily by a score of 18-65-83 over McKinney North and Melissa. Walnut Grove was expected to finish 3rd, but the Cardinals beat them out.

Coach Littlefield had wanted a perfect score, but two Melissa runners mixed in with Lovejoy's scoring pack. And those were the only two runners who beat in a Lovejoy runner as all 7 of the Leopards finished in the top 9 overall.

As expected, the individual championship was between senior Camryn Benson (1st in 18:28.8) and freshman Emily Armstrong (2nd in 18:51.6) with Cam winning by 22.8 seconds. Talia Orshalick (3rd in 19:36.3) has been especially strong this fall and she led in the scoring pack today.

Senior Cailee Horinek (5th in 19:47.9) was in duel with sophomore Leila Bailey (9th in 20:16.9) to see who would take the girls 7th spot at Region. By coming in #4 for Lovejoy, Cailee made her case. Bridget Bernal is expected back for Region, although her teammates showed they may not fully need her until State.

Sofia Dominguez (7th in 19:49.9) and Lily Fogle (8th in 19:55.1) closed out a solid race for the girls — all earned top-10 medals for their efforts. An analysis over the summer projected a strong season for the girls, but the question lingered on whether they could retake the State crown. After today's meet, they look ready to do so, but must go prove it at Region and State.

[results] for the District Varsity Girls Championship race

The Varsity Boys Championship saw its closest race since 2007 when Lovejoy began its 18-year reign as District Champions. Back then they bested Wakeland and Frisco Liberty by a score of 44-48-55. Today the tables were turned as the Leopards relinquished their District crown by finishing 3rd behind McKinney North and Walnut Grove by a very close score of 38-40-46. Numerically this was the closest District race ever for Lovejoy's varsity boys.

The race plan was for junior Tristan Arceneau (1st overall in 15:56.7) and senior Joey Reid (2nd in 16:12.9) to finish ahead of everyone, and then get Lovejoy's scoring pack in as quickly as possible. Tristan and Joey succeeded above expectations. Today's unpleasant weather conditions were well-worth enduring just to see those two run today — a brilliant effort. But there was a 71.0-second gap between Joey and Arjun Sharma (13th in 17:23.9) who led in the scoring pack. All 6 of McKinney North's runners finished ahead of Lovejoy's pack.

Senior Adam Rogers (14th in 17:42.4) had one of his best races of the season, especially considering the weather. Junior Reef Revell (16th in 18:06.4) showed solid improvement in only his second race back. Carter Ewing (17th in 18:14.9) was right behind Reef. Freshman Haden Snider (26th in 19:30.9) had an off day, but has been tasked with a huge role this season which he has borne courageously.

From an analytical perspective, Lovejoy's Class of 2025 graduated 16 core boys from the team — Lovejoy's best ever — and filling that void is not doable in a single season. But the guys were oh-so-close today. McKinney North has been up and coming for a few years and earned the victory. While North's Coach Drueckhammer may have won District Coach of the Year honors, it is Coach Jessica Richards who has built North's XC program.

[results] for the District Varsity Boys Championship race

The JV Girls Championship was as big a Lovejoy whitewash as the Leopards have ever inflicted at District, except for in 2008 when Lovejoy was the only school to bring a JV girls squad to the District Championships. Today's field of runners was also lopsided in Lovejoy's favor: roughly half (25) of all the finishers (60) were Leopards.

Coach Littlefield had also wanted a perfect score from her JV girls and she got it in spades: the first 12 finishers were Lovejoy and 21 of the top 25 were Lovejoy. Rather overwhelming. Note that 14 of the girls graduate this coming May, so next fall will present a coaching challenge for Coach Littlefield.

Harper Jaynes (1st in 20:07.2) led from the get go and set a very strong pace for the rest of the Leopards. Kennedy Johns (2nd in 20:48.8) had one of her best races despite the conditions, and led in a scoring pack of 7 more Lovejoy runners over a span of only 42.1 seconds. It was just a blur of black at the finish line.

Kaylee Martin (3rd in 20:58.6), Madison Simpson (4th in 21:03.2), and Lily Stabile (5th in 21:16.4) locked down Lovejoy's perfect score (15 points). Morgan Suder (6th in 21:20.0) and Tatum Novicke (7th in 21:28.8) added points to the other teams' scores and gave Lovejoy its 15-67-72 lopsided victory over Walnut Grove and McKinney North.

[results] for the District JV Girls Championship race

The JV Boys Championship saw an almost perfect score for McKinney North (18 points), but Lovejoy freshman Will Murphy (3rd overall in 18:34.7) broke up North's pack. Lovejoy had 22 finishers in the race and only one of them is a senior. Combine that with Lovejoy taking 4 of the 10 spots on the Freshman All-District Team, and the boys' future looks great.

Freshman Kipton DuBois (8th in 18:54.6) led in the scoring pack which included sophomore Bryce Morales (10th in 19:04.0), freshman Declan Keating (13th in 19:29.1), and junior Aiden Oye (14th in 19:36.2). The Leopards comfortably placed 2nd ahead of Walnut Grove with the top 3 teams scoring 18-48-87.

Sherman High School should be noted for bringing a rather full team to District this year. A high school XC program requires critical mass to succeed at District, and Sherman now has that. In a couple seasons they should become a serious challenger at the District Championships. Walnut Grove is already the size of a 6A high school, but UIL only realigns the districts every 2 years based on school size. So Walnut Grove is in its last season as a 5A school.

[results] for the District JV Boys Championship race

CLICK HERE for the meet photo album.

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

District and Beyond

Lovejoy is hosting the District Championship on Tuesday 10/7/25 at LHS.

This is a crucial meet this year for the boys program. Our boys program has never lost a District Championship at the Varsity or JV level. Our runners are going to have to bring their A game this year to defend that streak at both levels. McKinney North has a strong team this year for both Varsity and JV. Walnut Grove also has a strong team and has been state ranked two times this year. Our boys district might be the most competitive district in the state of Texas this year.

This is our last week of training before the District Championship. We will have four morning practices this week. Monday will be in the morning, because Coach Littlefield and I will bus the WSMS runners to their meet Monday afternoon. Our main workouts will be Tuesday and Friday this week to ensure we are fully rested and charged for those workouts. Thursday we will run with the WSMS runners for our Big Bro / Lil Bro program.

All runners will compete in the District Championship on October 7th. After this meet, runners who have run 18:30 or faster this season will continue to train for the Nike South Regional Meet on 11.24.25 in College Station, TX. Runners who do not race at NXR will do one additional time trial the week of 10.13.25 on the track. After that those runners not advancing to NXR will take one full off from running. The week after taking one full week off, runners will run 3 days that week. After that we will ease back into easy running building a strong base for the track and field season.

Homecoming Parade

We are excited for your students to participate in the Lovejoy Homecoming Parade on Monday, October 6 at 6:00 PM at Heritage Ranch. Please see the Homecoming Parade Flyer for complete details, including attire, code of conduct, transportation, safety expectations, and the full parade order.

Lovejoy Boys Cross Country will wear our Black Lovejoy XC Team Shirt and walk as a group in the parade.

Permission Form Required: Every student participating in the parade must have a signed permission form on file before participating. Please make sure your child returns this signed form no later than Friday, October 3rd.

Logan Kelly
cell: 903-821-8399

Emily Armstrong

Great TX.MileSplit article on freshman Emily!

Emily Armstrong (Lucas Lovejoy)

Lovejoy freshman Emily Armstrong wasted no time turning middle-school promise into varsity impact. After sweeping her 2023 JH races (12:44 and 13:17 for 3200m), she opened 2025 by lopping more than a minute off that best with an 11:21 two-mile win at the Rock Hill XC Opener. Two weeks later, she proved it wasn't a soft opener-Armstrong jumped straight into Texas' brightest lights, clocking 18:18 for 7th at the Coach T - Marcus Invitational, then returning with an 18:21.40 for 5th at the stacked Lovejoy XC Fall Festival. Three races, three statement finishes, and a clear pattern: she handles pace, traffic, and pressure like an upperclassman.
For a program chasing another UIL 5A team title, Armstrong's value is enormous. She gives the No. 1-ranked Lovejoy lineup a freshman low-stick with week-to-week reliability and late-race bite-exactly the kind of scorer that tightens 1-5 spreads at regionals and state. If her trajectory from 11:21/18:18 form continues into October, Armstrong won't just be a future star; she'll be a present-tense difference-maker on the podium.

Runners of the Week

• Leila Bailey came to OSU with something to prove, and she did! She ran her strongest race of the year and came up huge running in our #5 spot for the team! She ran only 7 seconds off of Talia ... which is a very big deal. She has set high goals for this season and her high school career, and as she gets stronger I am certain that she is going to be one of those runners that will do BIG things in the future!! She is a worker, she is reflective on her training and racing, and she is eager to ask questions on how to improve. She is an impressive young woman who is ALL IN!
• Kara Ryan is only a freshman and brand new to the sport, but she has so much potential. Unfortunately she has battled some hip pain that has caused us to have to pull back on some training ... yet she was able to go out Friday and run in the #1 spot for the Varsity group and run the fastest time for the team at Celina! Once she gets accustomed to the mileage and training ... I firmly believe she will be a top runner for us. She has a natural talent to run, and when the gun goes off in a race ... she COMPETES!
• Amelie Casier is another freshman with a lot of talent. She really loves to sprint and hurdle ... but she's starting to figure this distance thing out. She had a great race at Celina and ran the #2 spot behind Lily Stabile to lead the JV group to the win over Liberty by only a 4 point margin. The girls who nominated her said that she set a goal to earn a medal and race well - and then she did just that. She is one who has A LOT of untapped potential! She will get to showcase her speed once we hit the track this year!
• Grace Peay is a senior who is a difference maker wherever she goes. She is active in our school through STUCO and other leadership roles, and she is a calm and kind presence on our team. She has been with us all 4 years and is someone that everyone looks up to as a kind and solid human. She does a great job leading her group in training and holding others accountable to the work and staying positive — even on the hardest days and earliest mornings. She ran in the #3 spot for the winning JV team at Celina!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

Harper Jaynes

A special shoutout to Harper Jaynes on this awesome achievement! I recently did a grade check and all of our girls are doing great things in the classroom! I am beyond proud of their dedication to being the BEST they can in every aspect of their lives!

Runners of the Week

• Lily Stabile is a freshman who got her 2nd JV win this season on Thursday in Denton. She got out aggressive and held the lead throughout. She has so much potential and will be someone to keep your eye on for the next 3 years as she adjusts to the training and continues to get stronger each week! She has a natural talent to run, and she is a fierce competitor!
• Tatum Novicke is a senior who is an extremely talented runner. She ran her freshman year (and in middle school) and then focused on basketball her sophomore and junior years ... but now she is back! She has done some impressive things on the court, and I am very proud of her for coming back to join us for her senior year. She is a great all-around athlete who brings a fiery competitive edge wherever she goes!
• Morgan Suder is a junior who decided to join us this year, and boy are we glad she did! She is a soccer player and a very talented and tough runner. This was her first 5k of the season, and she proved that she has what it takes to be a standout! Like Lily, she has done a great job adjusting to the tough training, and she continues to get better and better. She is quiet, but ultra competitive and works so hard to be the best she can. She brings a gentle strength to the team that many girls recognize and admire.
• Madison Simpson is a runner who brings so much to our team! She is a great leader, a hard worker, and always has a smile on her face! She ran in the #1 spot for the silver team on Saturday, leading the Leopards to the win. She is consistent in her training and racing and will be one of the girls who will take the reins of the team her junior year! She is such a focused athlete, and she is improving rapidly!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

Down at the McNeil the Leopards ran in the Gold and Silver races which teams must qualify for in order to enter. So nothing but top-flight competition there. Lovejoy last ran at the McNeil in 2022.

The girls ran a single JV squad (with 21 runners) at the Braswell meet while the boys ran two squads competing in both the varsity and JV races. The reverse occurred at the McNeil where the girls competed in both the Gold and Silver races while the boys only ran in the Gold race. The girls went 3 for 3 in winning all of their races and by comfortable margins. The boys fared less well as their pack running has been more seperated than desired. The weather was clear and sunny in both venues, although a bit sweaty with limited wind.

In the Braswell Varsity Boys race, the guys finished in relative pairs, but were not close enough together for the team to get a top-10 finish. Competition-wise, no team scored under 100 points and only 5 of the 23 teams scored under 200 points. Surprisingly brutal for what was supposed to be a Thursday JV meet.

The first pair in were freshmen Kipton DuBois (17:33.67) and Will Murphy (17:36.42). Then Declan Keating (17:59.7) and Dylan Welch (18:04.5) came in. Next were Aiden Oye (18:19.28) and Evan Wheeler (18:24.20). Lovejoy's #7 was Carson Koerner (18:39.51). And not far behind Carson was Jake Clinton (18:47.38).

[results] for the Braswell Varsity Boys race

In the Braswell JV Girls race, a crowded field of 373 finishers saw Lovejoy clobber the other schools with a meet-low 39 points. Denton Guyer took 2nd place with 95 points. Not a close race. Lovejoy's order of finish was 1-3-4-11-20 (21-36).

Lily Stabile (19:52.85), Morgan Suder (20:11.27), and Tatum Novicke (20:20.63) rushed the finish line to start Lovejoy's scoring at an incredibly low 6 points. There was about a 1.5-minute wait before Michaela Martin (21:18.02), Paige Spencer (21:43.66) and Lily Sanders (21:44.03) locked down the win.

[results] for the Braswell JV Girls race

In the Braswell JV Boys race, the guys squeezed off a top-10 finish in 9th place amongst the 28 teams. Promising.

Freshman Max Reinhard (18:48.72) was well out front for Lovejoy. Connor Katerberg (19:07.43) was the chaser, while Miles McDonald (19:37.78) led in the scoring pack that included Aiden Martin (19:43.47) and Bryce Moore (19:53.17).

[results] for the Braswell JV Boys race

The McNeil Gold Girls race kicked off Saturday's competitions and started promptly at 7:30 am. Lovejoy's 80-point score comfortably beat out CCCAT #7 ranked 6A San Antonio Johnson (147 points), #10 ranked 6A Marcus (168 points), 6A Austin Bowie (221 points), 6A San Antonio Reagan (222 points), etc. Amongst the noteworthy 5A competitors were #9 ranked Boerne Champion (228 points, 6th place), #3-ranked Highland Park (252 points, 8th place), #6 ranked Grapevine (269 points, 10th place), and 5th ranked A&M Consolidated (297 points, 13th place).

With Emily Armstrong not competing this weekend, Camryn Benson (18:32.3) was out front by herself. The girls were roughly spaced in 20-second increments. Bridget Bernal (18:51.9), then Sofia Dominguez (19:03.3), then Talia Orshalick (19:22.2), and finally Lily Fogle (19:34.3) completed the scoring. And close behind Lily were Cailee Horinek (19:44.0) and Harper Jaynes (19:47.9). All finished in the top 35% of the field. Split time of 1:02.0 should get better.

[results] for the McNeil Girls Gold race

The McNeil Gold Boys race had some unexpected results. Unranked 6A Round Rock won the race with 143 points. And then 4A La Feria took 2nd place with 184 points. Those were the only two teams under 200 points. While Lovejoy (404 points) defeated ranked 5A teams College Station and Borne Champion, the Leopards came in behind #1 ranked Grapevine (253 points) and #5 ranked Welasco East (254 points).

Tristan Arceneau (14th in scoring in 15:55.2) and Joey Reid (19th in 5:59.6) traded places a few times during the race to see who would be Lovejoy's #1 today. Arjun Sharma (16:39.3) got his first taste of the State course today — only Tristan and Joey have raced here before. Carter Ewing (17:36.4) and Adam Rogers (17:57.6) closed out the scoring. Freshman Haden Snyder (18:33.0) and sophomore Bryce Morales (18:59.9) made their first weekend road trip with the varsity. But that's the point of competing at the McNeil — exposure, experience.

[results] for the McNeil Boys Gold race

The McNeil Girls Silver race closed out a very long week for Lovejoy XC and with quite a bang. The Lady Leopards won their 3rd championship trophy/plaque in as many days. None of the Lovejoy girls finished in the top 15, but once they started scoring they came in quickly. The team scores were high because of the highl level of competition: Lovejoy (142 points) was the only team under 200 points.

Madison Simpson (20:21.7) ran upfront with Leila Bailey (20:42.1) before separating from the pack. Kennedy Johns (20:44.3) was nipping at Leila's heels at the finish. Mia Binnings (20:55.7) and Kaylee Martin (21:04.6) finished the scoring. Dani Sassine (22:18.0) had a solid race, but Kate Roberts (DNF) was pulled in the second half of the race.

[results] for the McNeil Girls Silver race

CLICK HERE for the Braswell meet photo album

CLICK HERE for the McNeil meet photo album

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

The weather was mixed: typically cooler September temperatures (the first race started at 74°F), but between the early morning's high humidity and a lack of wind, the first four races were rather sweaty. A breeze kicked up by the fifth race providing some welcome relief.

The Varsity Girls Elite race had Lovejoy (42 points) winning convincingly over 5A Highland Park (74 points), 5A A&M Consolidated (124 pts), and 6A Prosper (127 points). More importantly the Lady Leopards top-5 average time of 18:41.2 is one of the best over the past 5 years. The 1-5 split time was a respectable 53.7 seconds.

While CCCAT has ranked the Lovejoy girls at #2, CCCAT has ranked A&M Consolidated at #3, Highland Park at #4, and Wakeland at #6. Competition-wise, this race resembled a Region Championship and Lovejoy won it handily.

Senior Camryn Benson (3rd in scoring in 18:16.70) finished a few seconds ahead of freshman Emily Armstrong (4th in 18:21.40). This was Cam's last go-around on the Myers course (District will be run at LHS this year), and Emily's first full 5K on the Myers course. Senior Bridget Bernal (7th in 18:37.6) also had a top-10 finish and has also run her last at Myers. Having Emily in the lineup is like having Sara Morefield back.

Junior Talia Orshalick (13th in 19:00.1) improved by 31.3 seconds over her time at Fall Fest last year. Senior Sofia Dominguez (15th in 19:40.4) was (as usual) close to Talia and closed out the scoring. Talia and Sofia tend to flip-flop positions from meet to meet.

And even closer to Sofia were Lily Fogle (17th in 19:14.60) with a 107.8-second improvement at Myers, and Cailee Horinek (18th in 19:16.5) with a 42.4-second improvement. So that's all of Lovejoy's scorers (including their #6 AND #7 spoilers) in the top 20.

Sophomore Leila Bailey (19:38.3) had a 104.3-second improvement today. And finally Harper Jaynes (19:49.4) finished 37th overall in a field of 138 elite varsity runners. Very solid showing by the top girls.

[results] for Varsity Girls Elite race

The Varsity Boys Elite race saw Lovejoy (153 points) finish 4th behind CCCAT #1 ranked 4A Canyon (125 points), 6A Prosper (142 points), and #8 ranked 5A McKinney North (152 points). The Leopards dropped their 1-5 split time down to 90.0 seconds — a major 60-second improvement over their Coach T split time. The top-5 average was 16:28.1. The boys are confident they can make up the 1-point difference with McKinney North by District.

This race was highly competitive with no teams scoring less than 100 points and only 5 teams scoring between 100 and 200 points. A real barn burner.

Tristan Arceneau (8th in scoring in 15:43.8) and Joey Reid (11th in 15:52.1) led for the Leopards. Always better to have two hammers upfront instead of one. Arjun Sharma (21st in 16:17.1) has been playing the role of the chaser this season — a bridge between the hammers and the scoring pack.

Carter Ewing (16:53.7) led in a stretched out scoring pack with Adam Rogers (17:13.8) and Haden Snyder (17:33.7) behind him. This was Adam's best outing this fall and by far his best on the Myers course ever (his last go at it). This was Haden's first 5K at Myers. "The hills at Myers Park are hard."

[results] for Varsity Boys Elite race

The Varsity Girls race was won by CCCAT's #5 ranked 6A team The Woodlands (57 points) which skipped the elite races and ran in the open varsity races instead. Still, Lovejoy (65 points) finished only 8 points back. Wakeland (121 points) and the other 17 teams were not competitive with The Woodlands and Lovejoy. This was the girls largest field of the day with 193 finishers.

The Lovejoy girls nailed down a fantastic 28.2-seconds 1-5 split time with a cavalcade of finishers: Kennedy Johns (8th in 20:20.8), Madison Simpson (9th in 20:27.1), Mia Binnings (14th in 20:34.7), Lily Stabile (16th in 20:42.6), and Kaylee Martin (19th in 20:49.0). All top-20 finishes.

Kate Roberts (21st in 21:05.3) and Tatum Novicke (23rd in 21:13.5) were close behind as Lovejoy's #6 and #7. Kate literally limped in, and Tatum was facing the Myers beast for the first time in a few years.

[results] for Varsity Girls race

The Varsity Boys race saw Oklahoma's #2 ranked 5A team from Bishop McGuinness (34 points) win while running its #1 varsity. Very close behind was #5 ranked 4A Sanger (35 points) also running its #1 varsity. And then came Dallas St. Marks (95 points) running its #1 varsity. And then came #3 ranked 6A The Woodlands (148 points).

It can be hard to judge how your team does in these pre-UIL championship meets because the level of competition can vary widely. This was yet another race for the Lovejoy boys where they ran into some oversized opponents that are not representative of what they will face at District. But the Leopards did finish behind McKinney North (178 points). That's the only real challenge to take away from this race. Lovejoy handled all the other 5A teams just fine.

Bryce Morales (18:11.3) was close to a sub-18-minute time. We'll see what he does at the McNeil next weekend when he runs with the elite varsity. Freshmen Kipton DuBois (18:25.3) and Declan Keating (18:44.8) got their first taste of a Myers 5K. Dylan Welch (18:58.0) and Carson Koerner (19:15.5) finished off Lovejoy scoring and secured the 6th place finish (quite good considering the competition).

[results] for Varsity Boys race

In the Elite JV Girls race, 6A The Woodlands (18 points) ran away with the victory. Lovejoy (64 points) finished 2nd and bested all the other 5A and 6A teams.

Lovejoy's #1 to #5 runners all had top-20 scoring finishes: Michaela Martin (22:38.8), Chloe Long (22:50.4), freshman Camryn Barney (22:55.3), Lily Sanders (23:06.8), and Paige Spencer (23:34.0). Solid finishes by Lily and Paige are what gave Lovejoy its 4-point edge over Wakeland in the scoring.

[results] for Elite JV Girls race

In the Elite JV Boys race Lovejoy's #3 squad ran into several other teams #2 squads. And after the graduation of the Lovejoy 2025 seniors in May, our guys squads are somewhat leaner this fall.

Connor Katerberg (20:19.2), Andrew Herrera (20:36.1), and Miles McDonald (20:54.1) all broke the 21-minute mark. The guys fought hard in this race — lots of intense battles with opposing runners while coming down the chute. A Lovejoy worthy performance despite the placement.

[results] for Elite JV Boys race

CLICK HERE for the meet photo album.

Runners of the Week

• Talia Orshalick is a special athlete. She is one of the most driven young women I've ever coached. If she puts her mind to something ... it is going to happen. She showed this her Sophomore year running incredible in the 300 hurdles all year and working her way to a 57 in the 400. Her performance at the state track meet in May was one of the best I've ever seen. She is now showing that same grit and determination in Cross ... and it really makes our team very strong. She refuses to give less than her best, and she works diligently to be the best for herself and especially her team. She had the best Cross Country race of her career so far on Saturday going 19 flat on a tough course. She got out fast and held on for a strong finish for her team!
• Kennedy Johns is a junior who has come so far in the past few years! She is also an amazing hurdler for us, and she has the grit and work ethic to put that speed and talent onto the course as well. She had a breakout race on Saturday ... starting conservative but working up throughout the race and finishing strong! She was running really well in July and had a setback with some foot pain issues ... but she's on the comeback! She balances varsity cheer with Cross and has done an awesome job! She is a worker!!
• Paige Spencer finally got to race in a meet for the first time in a while! She has battled some serious injuries for a year now, so we have taken it very slow on her return ... but she came out with some fire on Saturday!!! She finished in the 5th spot for us in JV and only ran 30 seconds off of her PR. She is a naturally great runner, and I look for her to keep improving and show up big at District!! One of the most notable things about Paige is that throughout her injury ... she has shown up to EVERY PRACTICE and helped take times for the team and encourage them. She has been a huge help for me, and I appreciate her commitment to the program!
• McKenzie Archibeck is a freshman who is a standout high jumper ... come watch her this track season!! I am so proud of her for taking the leap into cross country. She is an absolutely amazing young woman who is kind and sweet. She is quiet, but fierce! She also plays basketball and manages to make it all work. She — along with several from our sprint group — ran her first 5k on Saturday. She did awesome! She is patient and tough. You never hear her complain or show fear or doubt. She just works!!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

All Smiles Running with Our Baby Sis's on Thursday!

LLI Golf Tournament

We are still needing representation of Lovejoy Cross Country and Track & Field at the upcoming LLI Golf Tournament, which directly benefits all Lovejoy athletic programs. There are spots available for both teams and sponsors, and we would love for our program to be represented. Please consider joining or supporting if you are able.

Runners of the Week

• Payton Jurist is a freshman who is totally new to the sport. I met her during middle school track last year and immediately noticed she had something special. She WANTS to get better. She WANTS to compete. She has a strong work ethic and a great attitude! She has been a great addition to the team and has been improving rapidly. I am eager to watch her continue to grow in this sport!
• Lily Sanders has been a staple in our program for 5 years. She ALWAYS shows up for practice and anything our team is doing and she strives to be the best runner and person she can be. She is a great teammate who deeply cares about carrying on the legacy and culture of our team. Lovejoy Cross Country is important to her, and it shows in everything she does. This season, she has set higher goals, and she has been training hard to reach them. She had an incredible threshold on Friday, proving that her hard work and dedication is paying off.
• Cailee Horinek is one of the most talented and dedicated athletes in the entire program. She can do it all. She is fast, she can jump, she is one of our top 4x4 legs, she is an outstanding mid-distance runner, and she is one of our top XC gals. She has impressed her teammates this week as she was nominated by many for this accolade. I agree with them. One runner said, "she is such a hard worker and always gives her best effort. She is one of the toughest runners on our team!" That says it all right there! Watching Cailee grow the past 4 years has been so awesome. She ran a 56 last year on the track, and yesterday ... she showed her range by having an OUTSTANDING 4-mile threshold. When she puts it all together in a 5k ... she will be dangerous!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

• Emily Armstrong — only a freshman — but EXTREMELY COACHABLE and completely FEARLESS. She has been looking strong and comfortable for the past 2 weeks of practice, so I was eager to see what she could do when she had a race on her hands. She did not disappoint. I asked her to get out with the lead pack (minus the leader, Easterwood) and just go for it and see where she landed. She did just that taking an early spot in the top 5. She came through the woods about 10-15 seconds behind an Aledo girl. I told her "the girl in orange is the only 5A girl in front of you — go get her!" With just over 800 meters to go ... she did go catch and beat her! This competitive edge from a freshman adds a big boost to our veteran line-up who has state experience.
• Bridget Bernal has been working HARD. She's increased weekly mileage just a bit and has been cross-training 2-3 times a week. Coming off of an 8th place finish at the state track meet, she has proven that she is going to be a strong competitor in class 5A this season. She also got a great, aggressive start and had her typical unbelievable finish. She is so solid and dependable — you know when she steps on the line she will give everything she has every time and finish either where you expect or better. She is ultra competitive and has big goals for this season.
• Sofia Dominguez is off to a great start this season. She had some really amazing and fast races on the track at the end of the season, and she has also been busting her tail this summer. She is fit and she is fast. When she is on — there is nothing she can't do — she gets this look on her face, and you know she's about to run fast. Saturday she ran this race very tactically sound — she knows what works for her, and she executed it to perfection. She ran in our #3 spot and was only 27 seconds behind Emily and 17 seconds behind Bridget. This is an amazing gap for 1-3 and will make us tough to beat.

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

• Chloe Long is one of our fearless senior leaders who makes the team tick. She has been a huge asset to our track and cross country team and to me as a coach. She is a great communicator and has a strong voice. She cares for others when needed, and she also holds people accountable when needed. She is so reliable when it comes to practices and meets; she can be counted on to be consistent in her attitude and effort at all times. She is also a great cheerleader for the team — another person who thinks ahead and is thoughtful toward her team. I have loved watching her growth the past 3 years!
• Camryn Barney is just a freshman, but she has a strong presence about her already! She will be one to watch for the next 3 years. Camryn is a competitor. She is tough. She is feisty. Cross Country is completely new to her this year, but I foresee greatness in her future. She is all-in with XCTF, and I am excited to see her thrive over this year!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

In recent years Lovejoy XC has enjoyed a very deep team (both boys and girls). But with the recent graduations of some of the team's best runners in its history, that depth is being challenged. Last fall Coach Logan needed all of the boys' depth to win State. And Coach Littlefield's girls earned 2nd place at State. Both the boys and girls have a solid set of top-4 runners this fall, but it will once again come down to the 5-6-7 runners to decide how well Lovejoy succeeds. And who will those runners be? Stay tuned.

At last night's XC reunion (first one ever), the boys amazing record of 18 consecutive District Championships was celebrated. For the first time in many years that record will be seriously challenged this fall. McKinney North is the biggest threat, but don't forget about Walnut Grove. The girls are looking to retake the State Championship, but have little room for setbacks. Both boys and girls need to stay focussed and healthy. That said, this is shaping up to be another great season for Lovejoy XC.

The girls top-5 runners averaged 5.5 seconds faster than the top-5 from last August (the girls earned 2nd at State last fall), but were 11.2 seconds slower than the top-5 from 2 years ago (those girls handily won State). The girls' top-10 finishers today were a top-heavy mix of 5 seniors, 2 juniors, 1 sophomore, and 2 freshmen. Experience helps at State.

For the four girls teams (orange, pink, blue, and purple) it was the orange pink team that prevailed. Overall the results were quite competitive.

[girls results]

For the boys last August, 11 of the top 14 finishers were seniors and the top-5 runners averaged 9:48.8. Today the top-5 average was 10:04.8. The difference of 16.0 seconds for a 2-mile race compares with the 5K State Championship where Lovejoy's 1st place top-5 averaged 16 seconds better than 2nd place Boerne, 20 seconds faster than 3rd place Wakeland, and 21 seconds faster than 4th place Grapevine. To get back on the podium this fall the Lovejoy guys will have to pick up the pace.

The younger Lovejoy boys turned in impressive times: 12 of the top 18 times belonged to 7 freshmen and 5 sophomores. The future continues to look bright.

Of the boys 4 teams, the red team won out.

[boys results]

CLICK HERE for the online photo album.

NOTE: The parent meeting has been moved to August 11th at 6:00 PM via zoom. We will get a link out prior to the meeting.

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.
TAKIN' OUR TITLE BACK!!

Carly Littlefield

Congrats to one of our runners, Kennedie Hummel, for her fourth place finish in Diving at the AAU National Championships!

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.

Carly Littlefield

CLICK HERE for the Mountain Challenge results.

CLICK HERE for the camp photos taken by Coach Müller.

Logan Kelly
cell: 903-821-8399

STRONGER. FASTER. TOUGHER.
CHAMPION MINDSET.

Carly Littlefield