Lady Lions finish third at Shiner Invite
By Anthony Collins
LPR Editor
Dayana Delgado take part in the Shiner Comanche Invitational. Photos courtesy of LISD.
The Lockhart Lady Lions cross-country team got exactly the kind of test it was looking for at the Shiner Comanche Invitational, battling wet and sloppy conditions while getting one final tune-up before the district meet. Recent rains forced the cancellation of some divisions, but Lockhart’s races went on as scheduled. The Lady Lions responded with a strong varsity performance, finishing third as a team with 50 points, just two points behind runner-up Victoria East with 48. Senior Addison Harrod once again set the pace for Lockhart, earning a spot on the medal podium with a third-place finish in the 5K race. Harrod completed the course in 22:07. Fellow senior Dayana Delgado continued to solidify herself as the Lady Lions’ No. 2 runner, placing ninth overall in 24:13, while junior Aliya Parra delivered one of the team’s biggest performances of the day, finishing right behind Delgado in 10th place with a time of 24:44.
Lockhart’s depth proved to be one of its biggest strengths, with the next group of runners finishing within just over a minute of one another. Freshman Daneli Cedillo placed 13th in 25:37, followed by junior Alicia Rodriguez in 15th at 25:45, junior Pyper Bornemann in 16th at 26:10, senior Melanie Garcia in 17th at 26:17, junior Sofia Rodriguez in 18th at 26:26 and sophomore Maci Lockhart in 19th at 26:42. That pack was able to separate itself from several Victoria West runners and gave the Lady Lions valuable points. Freshman Sariah Barron rounded out the varsity squad with a 21st-place finish in 28:05. “I’ve told our ladies that our strongest asset is our depth,” Lady Lions head coach Reuben Ortiz said. “Each one of these ladies knows they are important to our success, and to accomplish that, they have to understand they just have to flat-out race. Today, our No. 8 runner finished as our No. 3, which shows our depth, but it also shows they understand they each have no limits.” Ortiz said Shiner was selected because the course gave the Lady Lions a preview of what to expect when the postseason begins. “This race was picked because of its similarity to the district course they will see in two weeks,” Ortiz said.
In the junior varsity division, senior Katherine Silva Garcia led Lockhart over the two-mile course, finishing 19th with a time of 16:43. Freshman Aurora Casillas followed closely behind in 22nd place at 16:58. Senior Kendra Mendoza finished 32nd in 17:41 after battling with a Needville runner. In contrast, freshman Sophia Morgan placed 34th in 17:58 while going stride-for-stride with a Victoria East competitor. Sophomore Soleil Ledesma gave the Lady Lions an important fifth scoring runner, finishing 38th in 18:38. Seniors Alahni Herrera, 39th in 18:58, and Alondra Hernandez, 47th in 20:31, served as pushers, while junior Ruth Arriago Martinez rounded out the squad in 50th place with a time of 23:03. “This race was picked because of its similarity to the district course, fairly flat with a big hill,” Ortiz said. “We missed a few key runners out there, but overall they all raced very well. This was a huge prep meet for our team.”
Lockhart will now take a week off from competition to recover and prepare for its biggest race of the season. The district meet is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, at Starke Park in Seguin, with free admission. The Lady Lions currently sit in a tight battle for fifth in the district standings, chasing San Antonio MacArthur in fourth and Seguin in third. Smithson Valley and New Braunfels, both state-ranked programs, hold the top two spots. Eight teams will compete in both the varsity and junior varsity divisions, with the top three varsity teams advancing to the regional meet.
