Regional Meet Day 1: All 3200m Results, Rain and All
Storms rolled through several regional sites on Friday, but the 3200m races were eventually completed across all four regions in both the 5A and 6A classifications. By the time the last heat cleared, a defending champion had been unseated, an athlete ran the fastest high school two-mile in recent Texas memory, and a runner who wasn’t supposed to win Region 4 walked away with a state bid anyway.
Here is a full accounting of what happened.
Boys 6A 3200m
Region 1 — Boys 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Caden Leonard | Carroll | 8:45.14 |
| 2 ✓ | Ruel Newberry | Denton Guyer | 8:46.62 |
| 3 ★ | Noah Garcia | El Paso Eastwood | 8:50.65 |
There is no other way to frame what happened in Region 1 on Friday night: one of the fastest high school 3200m races in Texas history was run in the rain. Caden Leonard of Carroll ran 8:45.14, a personal best by more than two seconds, breaking the 8:47.32 mark he had entered as. Ruel Newberry of Denton Guyer ran 8:46.62 — also under Leonard’s previous personal best. Two boys in the same heat, in the same rain, both under 8:47.
The previews described Leonard as the dominant story of 6A distance running for the past three seasons. Friday confirmed it and then raised the ceiling. An 8:45 at the high school level in Texas is not just a regional meet PR — it is a national-class performance — and the second fastest time in Texas High School History. Newberry going 8:46 in the same race suggests Leonard had genuine competition to push him, which makes the time even more meaningful.
Noah Garcia of El Paso Eastwood completes the picture with 8:50.65 to claim the wild-card spot — a 17-second PR from his 9:08.41 season best. Garcia ran the race of his career and still finished third. He goes to Austin anyway.
Region 2 — Boys 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Griffen Saacke | Bridgeland | 9:04.68 |
| 2 ✓ | Elton Martin | The Woodlands | 9:04.97 |
| 3 | Mason Reed | Forney | 9:23.47 |
The preview on Elton Martin noted a 60-second gap between his Area mark (10:07.24) and his season best (9:06.69) and said: expect 9:06, not 10:07. He ran 9:04.97. Griffen Saacke of Bridgeland matched him stride for stride and won in 9:04.68, with the two separated by less than a third of a second. Both Saacke and Martin are heading to Austin.
Region 3 — Boys 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Eli Mugambi | Humble Atascocita | 9:26.47 |
| 2 ✓ | Joaquin Miranda | Houston Cyp. Creek | 9:26.64 |
| 3 | Ryder Darcey | Katy | 9:28.07 |
Miranda entered with the faster season best (9:17.16 to Mugambi’s 9:24.89), but Mugambi ran him down in one of the closer finishes of the weekend — 9:26.47 to 9:26.64, separated by less than two tenths. Ryder Darcey of Katy ran 9:28.07 for third, under his 9:26.09 season best but not fast enough for the wild card.
Region 4 — Boys 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Andrew Esparza | Round Rock | 9:09.52 |
| 2 ✓ | Avinash Dewagan | Austin Vandegrift | 9:13.06 |
| 3 | Logan Martinez | San Antonio Reagan | 9:13.99 |
The preview called Region 4 the deepest 3200m regional in 6A, with four athletes carrying season bests under 9:18. It delivered. Esparza won in 9:09.52, Dewagan ran 9:13.06, and Martinez — seeded sixth by season best — ran 9:13.99 to hold off the rest of the field for third. Both Esparza and Dewagan are state bound.
Boys 5A 3200m
Region 1 — Boys 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Andrew DeYoung | Grapevine | 9:19.58 |
| 2 ✓ | Tyler Connelly | Aledo | 9:26.09 |
| 3 | Abdihafit Mohamed | Amarillo Palo Duro | 9:38.80 |
DeYoung wins Region 1 in 9:19.58, well under his 9:31.91 season best. Connelly — who entered with a 9:09.90 season best and a 36-second gap from his Area mark — ran 9:26.09. That’s not the 9:09 version of Connelly, but it was enough for second. Mohamed ran 9:38.80 for third, close to his season best.
Region 2 — Boys 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Andrew Malan | Frisco Lebanon Trail | 9:10.83 |
| 2 ✓ | Hayden Gaunt | Dallas Wilson | 9:11.76 |
| 3 ★ | Joshua Loera | North Mesquite | 9:12.17 |
Region 2 produced the defining Boys 5A race of the night. Malan won in 9:10.83, Gaunt ran 9:11.76, and Loera ran 9:12.17 — three athletes in 1.34 seconds, all well under their season bests. Loera’s 9:12 earns him the statewide wild card as the fastest third-place finisher across all four regions. All three are going to Austin.
Andrew Malan’s 9:10.83 is also his new personal best, improving on the 9:14.90 he’d run this season. He now heads to state as a legitimate title contender.
Region 3 — Boys 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Jaxon Asbill | Dayton | 9:11.92 |
| 2 ✓ | Matthew Morales | Georgetown High | 9:18.84 |
| 3 | Zachary Mangum | Georgetown High | 9:19.73 |
Asbill wins in 9:11.92 — right in line with his 9:04.75 season best form, if not fully extended. Morales ran a big personal best at 9:18.84, well under his 9:21.78 season best. Georgetown placed 2-3 with Mangum running 9:19.73. The wild card went to Loera (R2) at 9:12.17, which means Morales and Mangum’s times — while excellent — fell just short.
Region 4 — Boys 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Shawn Edwards | Boerne Champion | 9:21.72 |
| 2 ✓ | Alexander Nava | Weslaco East | 9:22.38 |
| 3 | Trey Llanes | CC Veterans Memorial | 9:22.56 |
The Region 4 result is the most surprising of the Boys 5A night. Shawn Edwards of Boerne Champion entered with a 9:38.96 season best — the same as his Area mark — and won in 9:21.72. That is a 17-second personal best from an athlete who had shown nothing close to that time before Friday. Edwards heads to Austin as the Region 4 champion. Nava ran 9:22.38 and Llanes 9:22.56, with just 84 hundredths separating all three.
Girls 6A 3200m
Region 1 — Girls 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Macy Wingard | Denton Braswell | 10:08.34 |
| 2 ✓ | Luna Gutierrez | Carroll | 10:36.86 |
| 3 ★ | Emily Orr | El Paso Franklin | 10:38.05 |
Macy Wingard ran 10:08.34 on a rainy night to essentially match her 10:08.04 personal best. She ran it alone, at the front, in the rain. She wins Region 1 in dominant fashion and heads to Austin as the clear 6A state title favorite.
Luna Gutierrez of Carroll ran 10:36.86 — a 19-second personal best from her 10:55.12 season best — for second. Emily Orr of El Paso Franklin ran 10:38.05, also a personal best, to claim the statewide wild card at 15 hundredths faster than Gutierrez. The margin between second and third in this regional — 1.19 seconds — will get a lot of attention when the state heat sheets come out.
Region 2 — Girls 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Rowan Saacke | Bridgeland | 10:31.01 |
| 2 ✓ | Hope Smith | Bridgeland | 10:33.12 |
| 3 | Naomi Weller | The Woodlands | 10:51.56 |
Rowan Saacke, the defending Girls 6A 3200m state champion, runs 10:31.01 and advances to defend her title. Her Bridgeland teammate Hope Smith ran 10:33.12 — well under her 10:35.10 season best — making it a 1-2 for Bridgeland. They go to Austin together.
The wild card went to Emily Orr (Region 1, 10:38.05) rather than Weller (10:51.56), so Naomi Weller’s season ends here despite a strong run. The Bridgeland program now has both its women’s 3200m qualifiers heading to Austin alongside Griffen Saacke on the boys’ side.
Region 3 — Girls 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Kate Rogers | Katy Cinco Ranch | 10:53.48 |
| 2 ✓ | Vienna Fish | Katy | 10:55.60 |
| 3 | Sophia Hamdani | Houston Bellaire | 11:08.23 |
Rogers and Fish go 1-2 for Katy ISD, both running close to their season bests. Hamdani ran 11:08.23, under her 11:10.22 personal best, but the wild card went elsewhere.
Region 4 — Girls 6A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Sophia Lopez | Round Rock Stony Point | 10:46.79 |
| 2 ✓ | Mia Kellogg | San Antonio Churchill | 10:50.39 |
| 3 | Kallie Van Prooyen | San Antonio Churchill | 10:50.49 |
Lopez wins Region 4 in 10:46.79, a big PR from her 11:04.27 season best, completing the first leg of her triple-qualifier weekend. Mia Kellogg and Kallie Van Prooyen of Churchill ran 10:50.39 and 10:50.49 — ten hundredths apart — to go 2-3. Kellogg gets the auto qualifier; Van Prooyen, the regional champion entering on paper, misses the wild card. Churchill’s two qualifiers had a tough draw.
Girls 5A 3200m
Region 1 — Girls 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Molly Garrison | Aledo | 10:52.24 |
| 2 ✓ | Madison Carroll | White Settlement Brewer | 11:00.01 |
| 3 | Holland Gladchuk | Aledo | 11:07.44 |
Molly Garrison of Aledo ran 10:52.24 — a 34-second personal best from her 11:26.26 season best — to win Region 1 in a time no one in the field had shown before Friday night. Madison Carroll of White Settlement Brewer also ran a substantial PR at 11:00.01. Aledo’s Holland Gladchuk finished third at 11:07.44 but the wild card went to Haylee Hughes in Region 3. Aledo places both its qualifiers in Austin.
Region 2 — Girls 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Lily Schmidt | Frisco Wakeland | 10:43.65 |
| 2 ✓ | Julia Seelman | Frisco Reedy | 10:47.58 |
| 3 | Camryn Benson | Lucas Lovejoy | 10:51.84 |
The Region 2 result is one of the more unexpected outcomes of the Girls 5A night. Lily Schmidt of Frisco Wakeland won in 10:43.65, a 13-second personal best. Julia Seelman of Frisco Reedy — who entered at 11:14.51 — ran 10:47.58, a 27-second personal best, to claim the second auto-qualifier spot ahead of Camryn Benson. Benson (Lucas Lovejoy, 10:51.84) had the fastest entering personal best in the region at 10:38.54 and ran 10:51 — a solid time — but Seelman’s breakthrough moved her out of the top two. Benson’s season ends here.
Region 3 — Girls 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Morgan Nelsen | Hendrickson | 10:39.67 |
| 2 ✓ | Eva Cragnolino | Austin LASA | 10:42.67 |
| 3 ★ | Haylee Hughes | Lake Creek | 10:50.01 |
The defending Girls 5A 3200m state champion, Eva Cragnolino of Austin LASA, came to Region 3 and finished second. Morgan Nelsen of Hendrickson ran 10:39.67 to beat her, with Cragnolino running 10:42.67 — well under her 10:50.83 season best, but not enough to hold off Nelsen. Both advance to Austin, where they will almost certainly meet again.
Haylee Hughes of Lake Creek ran 10:50.01 to claim the statewide wild card as the fastest third-place finisher across all four regions. She earned it.
Region 4 — Girls 5A 3200m
| Place | Athlete | School | Regionals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ✓ | Lilly Koenig | Smithson Valley | 10:47.82 |
| 2 ✓ | Jessica De Leon | Harlingen South | 10:50.66 |
| 3 | Ava Tannehill | Leander | 10:56.00 |
Lilly Koenig of Smithson Valley settled in and took Region 4 comfortably in 10:47.82 — a 10-second season best, but still 16 seconds slower than her PR, showing there’s more where that came from. The surprise was Harlingen South’s Jessica De Leon, who ran a 16-second PR of 10:50.66 to shock the rest of the field and claim the second auto qualifier.
Ava Tannehill of Leander ran a five-second PR of 10:56.00, but it just wasn’t enough.
State Qualifiers — 3200m Summary
Boys 6A
| Athlete | School | Regional Time |
|---|---|---|
| Caden Leonard ✓ | Carroll | 8:45.14 |
| Ruel Newberry ✓ | Denton Guyer | 8:46.62 |
| Noah Garcia ★ | El Paso Eastwood | 8:50.65 |
| Griffen Saacke ✓ | Bridgeland | 9:04.68 |
| Elton Martin ✓ | The Woodlands | 9:04.97 |
| Andrew Esparza ✓ | Round Rock | 9:09.52 |
| Avinash Dewagan ✓ | Austin Vandegrift | 9:13.06 |
| Eli Mugambi ✓ | Humble Atascocita | 9:26.47 |
| Joaquin Miranda ✓ | Houston Cyp. Creek | 9:26.64 |
Girls 6A
| Athlete | School | Regional Time |
|---|---|---|
| Macy Wingard ✓ | Denton Braswell | 10:08.34 |
| Rowan Saacke ✓ | Bridgeland | 10:31.01 |
| Hope Smith ✓ | Bridgeland | 10:33.12 |
| Luna Gutierrez ✓ | Carroll | 10:36.86 |
| Emily Orr ★ | El Paso Franklin | 10:38.05 |
| Sophia Lopez ✓ | Round Rock Stony Point | 10:46.79 |
| Mia Kellogg ✓ | San Antonio Churchill | 10:50.39 |
| Kate Rogers ✓ | Katy Cinco Ranch | 10:53.48 |
| Vienna Fish ✓ | Katy | 10:55.60 |
Boys 5A
| Athlete | School | Regional Time |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Malan ✓ | Frisco Lebanon Trail | 9:10.83 |
| Hayden Gaunt ✓ | Dallas Wilson | 9:11.76 |
| Jaxon Asbill ✓ | Dayton | 9:11.92 |
| Joshua Loera ★ | North Mesquite | 9:12.17 |
| Matthew Morales ✓ | Georgetown High | 9:18.84 |
| Andrew DeYoung ✓ | Grapevine | 9:19.58 |
| Shawn Edwards ✓ | Boerne Champion | 9:21.72 |
| Alexander Nava ✓ | Weslaco East | 9:22.38 |
| Tyler Connelly ✓ | Aledo | 9:26.09 |
Girls 5A
| Athlete | School | Regional Time |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Nelsen ✓ | Hendrickson | 10:39.67 |
| Eva Cragnolino ✓ | Austin LASA | 10:42.67 |
| Lily Schmidt ✓ | Frisco Wakeland | 10:43.65 |
| Julia Seelman ✓ | Frisco Reedy | 10:47.58 |
| Lilly Koenig ✓ | Smithson Valley | 10:47.82 |
| Haylee Hughes ★ | Lake Creek | 10:50.01 |
| Jessica De Leon ✓ | Harlingen South | 10:50.66 |
| Molly Garrison ✓ | Aledo | 10:52.24 |
| Madison Carroll ✓ | White Settlement Brewer | 11:00.01 |
✓ Auto qualifier · ★ Wild card
The 800m and 1600m are scheduled for Saturday, except in Webster where the whole day, save for the 3200s was a wash. For the first time in memory, finals will run on a Sunday. TDP will have full results and state qualifiers as they become available.