GAMES
RANKINGS
George Ranch sophomore Sophia Nguyen.
2022 CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: Longhorns’ Nguyen one to watch after stellar freshman year
Fast forward about six years and Sophia is already one of the top distance runners in the Greater Houston area as a sophomore.
Nguyen had a spectacular freshman campaign last year at George Ranch, finishing 27th at the UIL Class 6A cross country state meet with a personal record of 18:34.40 and placing third in the 1600-meter (5:13.91) and 3200-meter (11:27.02) runs at the regional track and field meet in the spring.
Nguyen’s finish at the state cross country meet was sixth-best among all Greater Houston women area runners, regardless of class.
In four cross country meets leading up to the postseason last fall, Nguyen finished no worse than sixth and was runner-up twice. It was her first year running 5K competitions.
“I didn’t really go into last year with a lot of expectations, being my freshman year,” Nguyen said. “But now I have more expectations from that. I really want to consistently be under 19 (minutes) and drop times from last year.”
Nguyen, an avid swimmer, started running cross country in the seventh grade.
“I like competing and being able to get better each time,” she said. “I went into seventh grade thinking I could be pretty good at it, and I’ve used that to be the best I can be.”
Nguyen said the biggest adjustments for her last year was the quality and quantity of competition and the distance, building up from 2K runs to the 5K state meet.
Nguyen credited her PR at state to good racing strategy, starting off slower than she generally does and picking up pace in the middle of the race instead of slowing down. She worked on her form this offseason, particularly in keeping her arms and shoulders still and more even.
Nguyen has emerged as the top runner on a Longhorns girls cross country team that enters 2022 having won 11 straight district championships.
“Sophia is naturally a competitor and that’s something that cannot be coached,” George Ranch girls cross country/track coach Alicia Dutch said. “She has the heart of a champion. She is one to cheer on her teammates upon her finishing her race, never complains about a workout and always says, ‘Coach, I trust you’ when we are strategizing collectively on what is needed to keep her growing in the sport.”
Nguyen has been swimming since she was five years old, though only for a club team, First Colony Swim Team. She said swimming and running complement each other.
“When I’m not swimming, I’m running, and when I’m not running, I’m swimming,” Nguyen said. “I’m always getting some sort of distance training. They’re definitely very similar.”
Nguyen is excited to see what this season has in store. She’s learned to feed off the strong anxiety she has before races and use that as fuel. Her confidence is sky high.
“She’s very intrinsically motivated, so everything she does and everything everybody sees is herself,” Melissa said. “She’s the one who wants to do better and be better. She has that drive.”
Nguyen yearns for the destination while respecting the journey.
“If I push myself harder now, I can feel better when I finish,” Nguyen said of her mindset during races. “It’s the thought of success.”
George Ranch sophomore Sophia Nguyen.VYPE Media
Other Greater Houston area runners in Class 6A and Class 5A to keep an eye on this cross country season:
BOYS
>> Carter Gordy, Lake Creek, sr.: Finished 12th at the Class 5A state meet last year with a time of 15:33.7.
>> Pablo Lesarri, The Woodlands, sr.: Finished 15th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 15:33.2.
>> Adrian Hahn Vadstein, Cinco Ranch, sr.: Finished 19th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 15:39.7
>> Colby Hornbeck, The Woodlands College Park, sr.: Finished 25th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 15:50.5.
>> Reese Vannerson, Strake Jesuit, sr.: Finished 26that the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 15:50.6.
GIRLS
>> Kathryn Koonts, Klein, jr.: Finished 5th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 17:46.5.
>> Penelope Gracey, The Woodlands, jr.: Finished 9th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 18:07.1.
>> Felicity Hamilton, Klein Cain, jr.: Finished 11th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 18:11.0.
>> Maddy Hunter, Katy, jr.: Finished 24th at the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 18:31.2.
>> Lydia Butler, Klein Oak, soph.: Finished 25that the Class 6A state meet last year with a time of 18:32.1.
Ready to Run: GCCISD eye strong fall on XC course
In the scorching heat of a Texas August, it is not uncommon to see runners keeping pace in a group on a dirt course around a high school.
These summer runs are the building blocks for a hopeful run to a district championship and beyond come November.
Baytown Lee, Baytown Sterling and Goose Creek Memorial have all been through this rigorous training and now with the season on the horizon here is a preview of each group.
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The Lee GandersBy Bradley Collier
BAYTOWN LEE
Let's start with the guys, and that conversation begins with Derek Salinas. He is the Ganders' top returning runner. Last season, Salinas got hurt a week before the district meet, making him hungry for a run at that title this year. Also back is three- year runner Noel Chavez and up-and-comers Arturo Fernandez, Cesar Gonzales and Santiago Valadez.
Heading into 2019, the most improved runner is Uriel Santillan, who was also the District 22-5A Goalkeeper of the Year for the soccer team last spring. An early start in the summer will help their success, coach Jay Langlois said.
The girls are bringing back some solid runners as well. The top Gander will be Sarah Salinas, who is the sister of Derek. Also back are Johanna McKay, Evany Flores, Gaby Leija and Diana Luna.
According to coach Crystal Aguero, summer training with an emphasis on strength and endurance, along with staying healthy, will be their keys to success this year. Aguero went on to say that she revamped their strength and conditioning program to be ready for the mileage build-up over the summer.
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Goose Creek Memorial PatriotsBy Bradley Collier
GOOSE CREEK MEMORIAL
The Patriots girls' cross country team is ready to continue its building process.
Coming off the successes of the 2018 season, coach Roman Huizar said the biggest key for them is building off of last year's momentum and revamping their goals.
"The way to make that happen is for them to expect more from themselves and to stay as healthy as possible," Huizar said. "I want to make sure there is a good combination of mixing up our running workouts and making sure the runners are taking care of themselves and recovering properly."
The top returning runners for Goose Creek Memorial includes Vanessa Mendoza, Tania Rodriguez, Ariana Lopez, Monique Macias and Gloria Medina.
For the boys' team, the challenge heading into 2019 is replacing four seniors off last year's team. Unfortunately, three of them were the Patriots' top runners.
"The returners and our new runners will have to step up and improve their times if we want to improve upon last year's second-place district finish," Huizar said.
Heading into 2019, Gerardo Caltzontzin returns after finishing 16th at the district meet with a time of 18:01. Osvaldo Santos (20th – 19:00) and Alejandro Alonso (21st – 19:10) also return this year. An up- and-coming runner is Gabriel Lopez, who took 11th place at the junior varsity district meet a year ago.
"There are a couple of runners coming off track season," Huizar said. "Most of the runners will not only be preparing for the upcoming cross country season, but they will also participate in the preseason soccer workouts. This will offer a cross-training of sports on the field and in the weight room."
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The Sterling RaidersBy Bradley Collier
BAYTOWN STERLING
The Rangers cross country program is bringing back experience this fall.
For the boys, Leonardo Cantu will lead the group after a Top 30 finish at the District 21-6A varsity meet. He also serves as a captain. Luis Mendoza registered a Top 35 finish and Khafre Williams is considered the most improved athlete by coach Ron McDowell. An up-and-comer to watch is Chandler Beck, who was a Top 10 finisher at the District 21-6A freshman meet. Another runner to watch is Brandon Broussard, who finished 17th overall in the freshman meet.
For the girls, it will be a youth movement in the varsity locker room.
Neida Rodriguez is the lone runner coming back that ran at the District 21-6A varsity meet last season. Rodriguez registered a Top 35 finish. The rest all finished in the Top 30 of the District 21-6A junior varsity meet. Graciella Torres led the pack with a 17th place finish, followed by Top 25 finishes by Alyssa Williams and Michelle Landry. Naomy De Jesus finished in the Top 30.
"The biggest key to success is to keep everyone healthy and peaking in October," McDowell said. "We have a more comprehensive weight training regiment and have tried to focus on improving our flexibility."