As has been the case over the last decade and beyond, Stratford was the best cross country program at the District championship races last week. Our Varsity girls and boys, JV girls and freshman boys won team titles, and our JV boys were District runners-up.

In all five races contested on the day, the medal awarded to the individual District Champion was handed to a Stratford runner, and 18 Spartans in total won medals by finishing in the top-10.

This was the fifth year in a row that both our Varsity girls and boys have been crowned District Champions. And looking all the way back to 2011 (my research stopped there), the girls have been District Champions 11 times and the boys 10. On each of the three years during that period that either of our teams didn’t win District, they earned second place.

Varsity Girls

Junior Niamh Collins separated from the pack early and cruised to the individual title on the hilly and challenging Spring Creek Park course. This was Collins’s first District title in cross country, adding to her District and Regional Championship wins in the 800 meters last spring in track. Niamh seems to be getting stronger and stronger each week, and the confidence she is gaining should serve her well heading into Regionals.

Junior Allie Weinhardt and senior Siena Yoder broke away from the masses not too long into the race and served as the chase pack in pursuit of Collins. No one caught them and they crossed the finish line second and third respectively. That made it a podium sweep for the Spartan girls.

Also earning valuable points for the team and receiving top-10 medals were senior Maggie Pearce in sixth, and junior Anastasia Sciretti in seventh.

Although outside the top five in team scoring, freshman Josie Heim finished ninth overall and received a top-10 medal, and junior Amelia Bommer wasn’t far behind in 14th. It was an impressive showing by all of our Varsity girls to make the top 15.

This was the third consecutive year that a Stratford girl on the current team has won the individual District title. Prior to Collins winning this year, Sciretti was champion in 2021, and Weinhardt in 2020.

Yoder and Pearce, the two seniors on this team, have been incredible leaders and performers since joining the program as freshman, and they left their marks at District one final time. Their senior leadership, combined with the talent, depth, and experience of this team under Coach Drayton makes this girls group a legitimate contender for one of the four spots up for grabs at Regionals and a return trip to the State Meet (they were 2nd place at Regionals in 2021).

Team results : Stratford (20), Memorial (50), Jersey Village (90), Cy-Fair (98), Spring Woods (142), Cypress Creek (166), Cypress Ridge (179). Note: Memorial and Jersey Village also qualified for Regionals by finishing top three.

Individual results - 47 finishers:

Niamh Collins DISTRICT CHAMPION

Allie Weinhardt 2nd

Siena Yoder 3rd

Maggie Pearce 6th

Anastasia Sciretti 7th

Josie Heim 9th

Amelia Bommer 14th

Varsity Boys

Junior David Kalwahali is on a mission to pick up where former Stratford standout, Emanuel Galdino, left off after graduating last season and joining the cross country and track teams at Iowa State. Kalwahali has had impressive results during the regular season and has his sights set on big things in the post season. On Tuesday, he got out to an early lead and never looked back on his way to a wide margin of victory. Like Collins on the girls side, this was David’s first District Championship in cross country after finishing third in district last season and 40th at Regionals. He was also a Regional qualifier in the 3200 meters during track season last spring.

Sophomore Ben Pearce has had an outstanding year and has been one of our most consistent performers each week. Despite being only a sophomore, his grit and toughness showed up again at District as he battled with Brian Jones from Memorial over the final twists and turns, and out-kicked him on the uphill finishing stretch to take second place. This is Ben’s second year on Varsity, and he is in good form heading into Regionals. At last year’s Regional meet, he was the second fastest freshman in the standings.

Junior Daylan Rushing was coming off his best race of the year at Nike South a few weeks back, and that confidence helped him remain patient throughout most of the District race. As the competitors ahead of him were slowing in the latter stages, he picked up steam and passed a cluster of runners during the difficult final half-mile to nab fifth place overall and a top-10 medal. Daylan was 14th in the 2021 district meet.

Justin Kaimann, the lone senior on the boys Varsity, has been consistent all season and had an outstanding District race. After announcing last week that he had committed to run cross country and track at University of South Carolina - Aiken, he proceeded to take seventh overall and earn a top-10 medal in the final District meet of his high school career. Justin’s leadership has been a difference maker on the team this season.

Junior Jonathan Lumpkin was only one spot away from earning a medal by finishing 11th overall and earning points for the team as the fifth Stratford runner in the standings. Jona Morford, also a junior, was right behind Lumpkin and finished 12th overall. Both of these guys are running really well and playing big roles in the team’s success.

Sophomore Sam Jordan has been solid during his first year on Varsity and has gained valuable racing experience. He was 31st overall in his first Varsity District race and has a bright future ahead of him.

Despite losing five (out of seven) runners from the team that finished sixth at Regionals last year, this is a close-knit, special group of young men. They are making great strides under Coach Markert’s leadership, and are excited to go to battle together again one week from now.

Team results: Stratford (26), Memorial (43), Jersey Village (61), Cypress Creek (95), Cy-Fair (157), Cypress Ridge (171), Spring Woods (181). Note: Memorial and Jersey Village also qualified for Regionals.

Individual results - 47 finishers:

David Kalwahali DISTRICT CHAMPION

Ben Pearce 2nd

Daylan Rushing 5th

Justin Kaimann 7th

Jonathan Lumpkin 11th

Jona Morford 12th

Sam Jordan 31st

Sub Varsity

Our sub-Varsity teams had an outstanding year and wrapped up the season in style by taking home a couple of District team titles, a runner-up team title, and a whole bunch of individual medals.

JV Girls - DISTRICT CHAMPS

Team results: Stratford (22), Memorial (53), Jersey Village (54), Cypress Creek (107), Northbrook (119)

Individual results - 45 finishers:

Laura Gonzalez - DISTRICT CHAMPION

Elise Nault 4th

Angelina Salel 5th

Emily Hopkins 10th

Tara Cvetkovic 12th

Lauren Long 30th

Amanda Gonzalez 39th

JV Boys - DISTRICT RUNNER UP

Team results: Jersey Village (35), Stratford (45), Cy-Fair (74), Memorial (78), Cypress Ridge(140)

Individual results - 60 finishers:

Andrew Hopkins - DISTRICT CHAMPION

Day’vonne Singleton 2nd

Jake Rodriguez 3rd

Ethan Shuck 10th

Nathan Yoder 29th

Matthew Dial 46th

Freshman Boys - DISTRICT CHAMPS

Team results: Stratford (42), Cy-Fair (52), Memorial (64), Spring Woods (97), Cypress Week (99)

Individual results - 42 finishers:

Owen Duggan - DISTRICT CHAMPION

Eli Roberts 4th

Gabe Wylie 6th

Liam Osbon 12th

Nathan Zoboroski 23rd

Dash Leonard 26th

Kaleb Bernat 29th

Charles Keen 32nd

Diego Ruiz 36th

The season continues for our Varsity teams at the UIL 6A - Region 3 Cross Country Meet at Kate Barr Park in Huntsville on Monday morning, October 24th. The girls race will start at 10:15 am and the boys at 10:45. Please congratulate and wish our runners luck as you see them at school and around the community over the course of next week.

LET'S GO SPARTANS!!