Huntress, Cragnolino Claim Elusive 5A Cross Country Titles for AISD
It was a historic day for the Austin Independent School District (AISD) , as two of its runners, Eva Cragnolino of Austin LASA and Colby Huntress of Austin Anderson, claimed state cross country titles in less than an hour at Old Settlers Park. Remarkably, this marked the first time an AISD runner had won a state title in almost 40 years.
Cragnolino’s Record-Breaking Victory
The girls’ race began at a solid clip, with the expected front-runners hitting the first mile in 5:35. By the two-mile mark (11:18/5:43), the field began to stretch out, with a lead group of about eight girls establishing a small gap.
Cragnolino, a Washington commit and the defending 5A 3200 Meter Champion, began to separate herself with roughly 800 meters remaining, trailed by a small chase group that included Molly Garrison (Aledo), Haylee Hughes (Lake Creek), and Lilly Koenig (Smithson Valley). In the end, it was Cragnolino’s powerful kick that sealed her victory and secured her place in the record books. Her winning time of 17:47.1 made her the first girl from AISD to win the title since Larah Treadwell of Austin High in 1986.
Huntress Makes History for AISD Boys
Following Cragnolino’s triumph, it was Colby Huntress’s turn to shine. The boys’ race started quickly with a 4:45 pace that spread the field early. By the second mile, a group of seven had clearly broken away.
Aiden Fitzgerald of Friendswood led for most of the race, running alongside Tyler Connelly (Aledo), Nathan Salinas (Sharyland), and Andrew Malan (Lebannon Trail). Huntress, last year’s 800 Meter runner-up, strategically monitored the pace and stayed within striking distance.
With about 1000 meters left, Huntress and Connelly surged away from the main pack, with Jaxon Asbill close behind. Connelly attempted to break free, but Huntress held firm. After crossing the final bridge, Huntress unleashed his signature kick , dropping Connelly on the final straight before the uphill turn. Huntress raced to the finish in 15:06.8 , gapping the others by approximately four seconds. His win holds a special place in history: it was the first state title for an AISD boy according to UIL Records.
The finish was thrilling, as Asbill dug deep to pass Connelly, securing the silver medal in 15:10.3, just ahead of Connelly’s 15:10.8. Overall, Region 3 had a dominant showing on the podium with Huntress (1st), Asbill (2nd), Fitzgerald (4th), and Zachary Mangum of Georgetown (6th).
A Shared Secret to Success
Interestingly, both Huntress and Cragnolino share a common bond in their training. They both train with legendary Austin-area coach Paul Carrozza and his Born To Run Club.
Prediction Results
The Top-5 predictions were pretty spot on. The top-5 were the top-5 and three of the 6-10 were in the 6-10 range.
Aiden Fitzgerald Friendswood –> 4th
Colby Huntress Austin Anderson –> 1st
Jaxon Asbill Dayton –> 2nd
Tyler Connelly Aledo –> 3rd
Nathan Salinas Mission Sharyland –> 5th
Juan Gallegos Grapevine –> 10th
Matthew Morales Georgetown –> 35th
Andrew Malan Frisco Lebanon Trail –> 7th
Aaron Nava Weslaco East –> 17th
Alexander Nava Weslaco East –> 9th
In the team results, Grapevine dominated as expected, but McAllen ran a great team race to grab second over Weslaco East. I was also impressed by Aledo and McKinney North.