Congratulations to the Lady Scots Cross Country Team as they competed very well at the UIL Class 5A State Championships on Friday, October 31st. The team placed 5th with 165 points. There were 16 teams and 149 runners in the race. In the State of Texas, there are 252 schools in Class 5A.

The team was led by junior Ryan Sontag who placed 28th (16th in team scoring) with a time of 18:55.2 – a new State Meet personal record. Sophomore Finley Heckler was close behind as she placed 32nd (18th in team scoring) with a time of 19:00.7 – a new State Meet personal record. The other team members were sophomore Paisley Bassett, seniors Presley Pate and captain Maddie Heckler, and juniors Claire Deeken and Annie Cooper. Bassett and Pate set new personal State Meet records with a time of 19:26.4 and 19:51.6, respectively. Senior captain Maddie Heckler also ran her season best with a time of 19:53.5.

The alternates were senior captain Julia Berlin, sophomore Irene Cooper, senior Campbell Dean, senior Addie Perritt, freshman Stella Pruett, junior Campbell Ragan, and senior Ava Thropp. The senior team captains were Julia Berlin, Gracie Golden, Maddie Heckler, Kate Lipscomb, and Bess Prather.

The team raced very well and represented Highland Park with pride. The coaches are so proud of everyone! The slogan for the season was Run Your Heart Out, and the team definitely did this. Thank you for being so much fun to coach!

Go Scots!