Lady Lions defend at 38th Hippensteel Invitational

By Anthony Collins

LPR Editor                             

The Lady Lions cross country team proudly defended their home course last Friday at Lockhart City Park, competing in the annual Hippensteel Cross-Country Open. The event drew more than 850 high school runners and 26 teams from across Texas, cementing its reputation as one of the premier early-season meets with programs traveling from the Valley, Upper Hill Country, and East Texas.

    In the girls varsity big school division had the Lady Lions fielding two runners. Sophomore Alicia Sanchez led the way, clocking 15:59 for a 53rd-place finish in a field of over 100 competitors. Close behind was junior Melanie Garcia, who finished 59th (16:23) after outkicking a Round Rock Westwood runner in the final stretch.

    The varsity b squad competed in the Varsity Small School division, finishing 10th overall. Sophomore Allison Trevino paced the group with a 16:06 (57th) finish, followed closely by sophomore Aliya Parra (16:08/59th). Senior Clarissa Martinez-Olvera (16:39/67th), sophomore Sofia Rodriguez (17:28/77th), and junior Katherine Silva Garcia (17:52/80th) rounded out the pack.

    “With this being our home meet, I created two varsity groups for our crowd,” explained Head Coach Reuben Ortiz. “We have the experience and depth, but each race offered a different challenge, so I split them accordingly.”

     The deepest race of the day was the junior varsity division, where the Lady Lions finished 7th as a team. Sophomore newcomer Alicia Rodriguez impressed with a 17:21 (23rd) finish. Juniors Zoie Ledesma (17:57/36th) and Kendra Mendoza (18:38/49th) provided strong support, while junior newcomer Sariah Johnson (19:08/58th) delivered a key performance as the team’s fifth runner.

    Sophomore Brianna Chavez Vasquez (19:15/60th) and sophomore Allie Forester (19:53/69th) finished close together. Also competing were Nevanna Rodriguez (21:25/82nd), senior Janae Torres (22:21/89th), sophomore Abigayle Stewart (22:54/93rd), and senior newcomer Yadira Ferretiz (23:42/98th).

    “Our girls really had to work out the nerves today,” said Ortiz. “I told them someone needed to step up, and Alicia Rodriguez stepped up huge. This is a great race for parents and the community to see their team compete at home.”

    Beyond the competition, Ortiz emphasized the event’s wider impact. “It takes a lot of time to set up a meet like this, but the economic benefit to the city makes it worth it, not to mention being a fun, free event,” he said. The team gave special thanks to Travis Hughes, Lockhart’s Parks and Recreation Director, for his role in preparing the course and supporting the event.

     Next up, the Lady Lions travel to Austin for the Austin ISD Invitational on Friday, September 5, where they’ll look to continue building on their early-season momentum.