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Colleyville Heritage cross country coach Lindy Lombard has been waiting for Jaden Thompson to have a breakout performance, and the MacArthur Invitational was just that.
The freshman distance runner won the meet with a time of 19:34.93, and Lombard said she was quite pleased with Thompson's effort.
Boys Top 5
Austin Dalquist, Keller: Won the Marcus II Invitational with a time of 15:55.60.
Sawyer Stratton, FW Country Day: Won the Ram Rambler Invitational with a time of 16:48.40.
Mark Gonzalez, L.D. Bell: Finished second at MacArthur Invitational with a time of 16:25.42.
Rafael Posada, FW Western Hills: Finished second at the Cougar Invitational with a time of 15:03.32.
Colby Caldwell, Aledo: Finished third at the Cougar Invitational with a time of 15:20.57.
Girls Top 5
Olivia Olguin, Arlington Martin: Won the Western Hills Cougar Invitational with a time of 17:51.81.
Darian Trammell, Arlington Bowie: Finished second at MacArthur Invitational with a time of 19:40.56.
Jessica Prickett, Burleson: Finished third at the Marcus II Invitational with a time of 17:46.40.
Tamerah Gorham, Arlington Lamar: Finished third at MacArthur Invitational with time of 20:09.25.
Maddy Stripling, FW Country Day: Finished third at Ram Ramble Invitational with time of 20:48.90.
"Jaden actually had her break out meet the previous week at the Ken Garland Invitational, when she finished as our top runner," Lombard said. "When we got to MacArthur, there is a really tight turn at the start, and she just attacked it and came around the corner and she was out in front.
"She's just an aggressive kid and very competitive, and if she is with you in the end, she is going to out-sprint you every time."
Thompson finished 13th at the Ken Garland Invitational the previous week with a time of 19:50.06, and shaved more than 15 seconds off her time from that run at the MacArthur meet.
Lombard said that as soon as the Ken Garland Invitational started, she could see that Thompson was in for a good race.
"You could tell when she first came out that she had a lot of upside to her, because she had the conditioning going in," Lombard said. "We knew that once she had the mileage under her belt, that she was going to become a really great runner for us."
Thompson is also a soccer player, and Lombard said that she believes that only fuels the freshman's competitive spirit.
"She is one of the most competitive kids I have ever coached," Lombard said. "She really has a fighter's mentality, where if things are even, she's going to get you.
"It's something that we try to teach at Colleyville Heritage, but it is something that comes very naturally to Jaden. She absolutely hates to lose."
With her performance at the MacArthur Invitational, Thompson can draw comparisons to former Colleyville Heritage distance runner Aly Nielson, who finished second at state in her sophomore year in 2009.
Lombard said she believes Thompson is capable of achieving a lot in the sport of cross country, including a trip to the state meet, just like her predecessor.
"With Jaden, anything is possible," Lombard said. "With her mentality, her approach to it is very unique, and you just don't see a lot of kids with that type of attitude coming into the sport."
Colleyville Heritage boys win meet
Not to be outdone by the girls team, the Colleyville Heritage Boys team won the MacArthur Invitational this past weekend with a time of 17:02.39, more than 13 seconds ahead of second place L.D. Bell.
David Strome led the way for the Panthers team with a time of 16:30.00 and third place finish, while teammate Connor Donovan was sixth overall at the meet with a time of 16:42.25.
Boswell girls first at Ram Ramble
The Boswell girls cross country team took first place at the third annual Ram Ramble this past weekend in Fort Worth and claimed the top individual prize as well.
Penny Taylor won the meet with a time of 19:48.50, while Katie Hess was second with a time of 20:02.50 for the Lady Pioneers.
Ashlan Grantham and Morgan Rhines were fourth and fifth overall for Boswell, finishing with times of 21:20.20 and 21:35.40.
Southlake Carroll tops in state
The Southlake Carroll boys and girls cross country teams are still at the top of the heap according to the Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas most recent polls on Sept. 21, as both squads are ranked first in the state in the 5A division.
Keller Timber Creek is currently ranked eighth on the boys side, while the Justin Northwest girls are at number 10 in their poll in the 5A division.
At the 4A level, the Boswell boys team are ranked seventh overall in the state.
Legacy girls take Western Hills meet
The Mansfield Legacy girls cross country team won the Western Hills Cougar Invitational this past weekend with an average time of 19:13.87 in the 3-mile run.
Legacy had four runners finish in the top 10 of the meet.
Maria Castillo finished second at the Invitational, with a time of 17:55.66, while Tiffany Miller finished right on her heels in third place with a time of 18:23.04.
Stephanie Gutierrez was ninth overall at the meet, with a time of 19:50.81, and Ashley Felan finished 10th overall with a time of 19:54.44.
The Legacy boys also won the meet as a team, and Jeffery Weisheit won and individual championship with a time of 14:48.61.
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