Boys Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Boys Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH — All of those 5 a.m. training runs at Norbuck Park to beat the summer heat helped the Highland Park capture the Class 5A girls team title over a loaded field at the UIL Region II Cross Country Championships Tuesday morning at Rolling Hills Park.

“It is a special group of kids, and I knew we were capable if we could stay healthy,’’ said Susan Bailey, the head coach since 2013 who is in her 22nd year with the program.

The top four teams and top 10 individuals not already on an advancing team qualify for the state meet set for Nov. 6-7 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

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Highland Park placed four runners in the top 11 and scored 43 points to unseat six-time defending regional champion Lovejoy by nine points. Lovejoy won the girls state title in 2025.

“This region was already tough and it got tougher after realignment,” said Bailey.

 Leading the way for Highland Park was sophomore Adelaide Wortman who placed second individually with a time of 17 minutes, 56.9 seconds on the 5K course.

“All our girls are so supportive,” said Wortman, the champion of District 12-5A. ‘It is like a little community.”

Finishing almost simultaneously with Wortman in third was senior Ryan Sontag, orally committed to Monmouth for lacrosse.

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Highland Park possesses 14 cross country state titles, the most recent in 2012.

Lovejoy’s top performer was Emily Armstrong in fourth position. The sophomore was regional individual champion last year.

Melissa and Grapevine finished third and fourth for the final two team qualifying spots.

Pride of DISD

Woodrow Wilson backed up its 2025 Region II boys team championship with another title, despite this year’s field including defending state champion Grapevine.

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In a tight finish, coach Denzel Coipel’s Woodrow Wilson team finished with 75 points, five better than runner-up Grapevine.

“It was harder this time,’’ said Coipel, who did not learn of Grapevine’s move from Region I until well into the season. ‘Last year Lovejoy was our main competition. We have a hard-working team that is very tight together.’

Junior State Slusher had the highest finish for Woodrow Wilson at third overall in 15:13.6, and freshman Tucker Mauck was seventh with a 15:31.8.

Woodrow Wilson hopes to improve on its sixth-place finish at state last year.

“Our seniors are fantastic leaders, and we have some great coaches,’’ said Mauck. ‘Our older guys help  me calm down before a race with their advice.’’

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Grapevine did not have a runner finish in the top 10, but all five were bunched in the top 21. Lovejoy was third with 98 points and Midlothian Heritage earned the final state berth.

Tristan Arceneau of Lucas Lovejoy High School approaches the finish line in first place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Tristan Arceneau of Lucas Lovejoy High School approaches the finish line in first place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News

Strong finish

Lovejoy senior Tristan Arceneau admits he isn’t known for his finishing kick, but he found one at the right time to become the 5A Region II boys individual champion.

Arceneau’s time of 14:58.3 was three seconds faster than silver medalist Joshua Loera of North Mesquite.

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“I felt so comfortable today, and I seem to be peaking at the right time,” said Arceneau, who won the District 9-5A meet earlier this month and finished runner-up at regional last year.

Until the last half-mile, Arceneau said it felt like nobody wanted the lead. He and Loera finally broke from the pack and Arceneau was able to finish strong.

Girls Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the starting line at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Girls Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the starting line at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsFrom left, Talia Orshalick of Lucas Lovejoy High School, and Diem Casselberry and Addison Hanshaw of Melissa High School, Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

From left, Talia Orshalick of Lucas Lovejoy High School, and Diem Casselberry and Addison Hanshaw of Melissa High School, Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsBronwyn Vaughan of Lucas Lovejoy High School, one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Bronwyn Vaughan of Lucas Lovejoy High School, one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsEmmy Burns from Melissa High School, one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Emmy Burns from Melissa High School, one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsSanaa Dattan of Frisco High School, one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Sanaa Dattan of Frisco High School, one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsGirls Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Girls Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsHannah Velez of Colleyville Heritage High School, one of the Class 5A runners competes in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Hannah Velez of Colleyville Heritage High School, one of the Class 5A runners competes in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsSpectators cheer as Class 5A runners compete in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Spectators cheer as Class 5A runners compete in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsAmy Vazquez from Tyler High School crosses the finish line in first place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Amy Vazquez from Tyler High School crosses the finish line in first place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsAdelaide Wortman, and Ryan Sontag, both from Highland Park High School cross the finish line in second and third place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Adelaide Wortman, and Ryan Sontag, both from Highland Park High School cross the finish line in second and third place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsAddison Hanshaw from Melissa High School as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Addison Hanshaw from Melissa High School as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsKyrah Porter of Birdville High School is one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Kyrah Porter of Birdville High School is one of the Class 5A runners competing in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsKyrah Porter of Birdville High School crosses the finish line as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Kyrah Porter of Birdville High School crosses the finish line as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsZander Radziwon of Liberty Hill High School finished in fourth place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Zander Radziwon of Liberty Hill High School finished in fourth place as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsWill Murphy of Lucas Lovejoy High School races to the finish line as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Will Murphy of Lucas Lovejoy High School races to the finish line as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsLawson Boutros of Highland Park High School runs as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Lawson Boutros of Highland Park High School runs as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsLandon Schroeder of Colleyville Heritage High School, as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Landon Schroeder of Colleyville Heritage High School, as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsMiguel Mata of McKinney North High School approaches the finish line as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Miguel Mata of McKinney North High School approaches the finish line as Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning NewsBoys Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Boys Class 5A runners competed in the Region II cross country meet at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News

Region I

Dallas dominance

Dallas-area schools dominated the Class 5A Region I cross country meet Tuesday in Lubbock. Mansfield Legacy ran away with the boys team championship, beating runner-up Fort Worth Paschal by 42 points, while Prosper Richland won the girls team title by five points over Paschal.

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The Mansfield Legacy boys had never qualified as a team for state, but the school moved down from 6A to 5A in realignment and became a regional champion. Legacy was led by senior Gabriel Martinez-Sanchez, who placed third by running 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) in 15:54.60, and junior Riley McCain took 16th in 16:33.10.

It has been a big week for Mansfield ISD in cross country. On Monday, the Mansfield Lake Ridge boys advanced to state for the first time with a fourth-place finish in 6A Region II.

Argyle had a pair of top-10 finishers as Jaxen Siqueiros was seventh in 16:08.90 and Stiles Deneault took 10th in 16:18.00 to qualify for state. Argyle finished fifth as a team, coming in six points behind Burleson Centennial, which earned the last team qualifying spot for state.

The Prosper Richland girls were paced by junior Gemma Adimora, who placed 15th in 19:44.40. Argyle, which finished third as a team to qualify for state, got top-10 finishes from two freshmen — seventh-place Annee Binning (19:12.40) and ninth-place Presley Skaggs (19:23.30).