GAMES
RANKINGS
The 2023 All-VYPE Girls Cross Country Team presented by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Another year on the trails is in the books, and it was surely one to remember.
The Houston competitors were a force to be reckoned with, as dozens of representatives made their mark in their respective state meets.
In the private school sector, Episcopal was as dominant as ever. After six of their runners finished in the top-20 -- including the first and second-place winners -- the Knights would go on to win their third-consecutive SPC-4A championship. Additionally, the St. Agnes Tigers took bronze in the TAPPS-6A competition.
Moving on to the public school scene, The Woodlands featured three racers who ended up in the top-40 out of over 150 competitors, which earned the Highlanders a third-place finish in the Class 6A meet. Shortly after, Kingwood would take the No. 5 overall spot.
With all that in mind, it's time to announce the 2023 All-VYPE Girls Cross Country team presented by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.
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All-VYPE Private School Team
First-Team
Olivia Kiefer, Episcopal
Averi Garrity, St. John XXIII
Theodora Popovic, St. John’s
Sophie Da Silva, St. Agnes
Julianne Carr, LPCA
McKayla Childs, Houston Christian
Georgia “Gigi” Bass, Episcopal
Zoe Calimani, TWCA
Maya Bernal, Kinkaid
Mackenna Bessler, Bay Area Christian
Second-Team
Ryleigh Leo, St. Agnes
Tori Walton, Kinkaid
Tahira King, John Cooper School
Rebekah Gerard, Houston Christian
Shepherd Gregg, Episcopal
Marin Goebel, St. Agnes
Hayes Watson, LPCA
Maddy Billip, Kinkaid
Milla Signorelli, John Cooper School
Megan Groeschel, Concordia Lutheran
Third-Team
Sarah Wheeler, St. Pius X
Elaina Formica, TWCA
Asher Luengas, Episcopal
Sarah Haglin, LPCA
Madeline Lara, St. Agnes
Alexis Seymour, John Cooper School
Palmer Popov, Episcopal
Kate Holden, Incarnate Word Academy
Bentley Shoulders, Concordia Lutheran
Julie Arrazolo, Logos Prep
Honorable Mention
Sidney Arnold, FBCA
Mia Fulton, Lutheran South
Sara Griffin, Second Baptist
Calleigh Richardson, St. John XXIII
Lydia Ward, Lutheran South
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All-VYPE Public School Team
First-Team
Felicity Hamilton, Klein Cain
Lily Fawcett, Bridgeland
Stoya Laydevant, The Woodlands
Claudia Klander, Mayde Creek
Alexis Garza, Tomball Memorial
Julia Shimel, Kingwood
Jamie Klander, Mayde Creek
Naomi Weller, The Woodlands
Maddy Hunter, Katy
Valerie Haros, Magnolia West
Second-Team
Liliana Campos, Oak Ridge
Laney Nash, Tomball
Haley Hill, Bridgeland
Marian Mann, Klein
Lexi Cooper, The Woodlands
Clara Dye, Kingwood
Naimh Collins, Stratford
Elina Bailey, Kingwood Park
Rowan Saacke, Clear Falls
Eliana Contreras, Kingwood
Honorable Mention
Penelope Rios, La Porte
Kaitlyn Gale, Clear Falls
Summer Cali, Atascocita
Brooke Marshall, Lake Creek
Mary Van Dyke, Kingwood
Rebecca Wylie, Klein Cain
Bissinatt Abdelasis, Alief Elsik
THE PERFORMER: TWCA captain Calimani playing her own tune
TWCA HAS HAD A LEGENDARY CROSS-COUNTRY PROGRAM BUILT BY COACH TOM EARLE. THE ALL-STATE NAMES DATE BACK DECADES.
Setting the pace for the Warriors since her freshman year, Zoe Calimani enters her senior season.
The captain led her team to the TAPPS-5A State Meet in 2022, in which the team placed seventh overall. Calimani played a huge role in the team’s finish as she placed eighth individually out of nearly 150 runners.
“My teammates are definitely my biggest inspiration,” said Calimani. “Furthermore, being a captain on this team helps
to motivate me because I’ve been given the responsibility of setting an example for them. It’s my teammates who drive me to be better.”
2023-24 TWCA Cross Country Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
When she’s not on the trails or the track oval, the senior Warrior quite literally plays her own tune to unwind.
“I happen to be a pianist, along with being a distance runner, which I think helps me to be somewhat distinct,” Calimani said. “I’ve been playing the piano for 10 years now. I found that it helps to balance my life, especially since I’m often in the spotlight with cross country and track.
“I find that playing the piano is like my quiet place. I mostly play classical music, but it allows me to be alone for a period and relax.”
It won’t be long before Calimani graduates, so, what might her future hold?
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“I know it’s funny to say, but I still see myself running,” she laughed. “I just love to run, it keeps me healthy and I feel like there’s such a great community around the sport. If I get the opportunity to run in college, even if it’s not competitive, I’m more than likely going to take it.
“Career-wise, I want to go into medicine or maybe in the field of pediatric nursing. It can be a difficult field to get into, but it’s an aspiration of mine.”
If she has the determination to run several miles in the brutal Texas heat on a daily basis, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to assume that Calimani is capable of making anything a reality.