The Bandera cross country teams made their way to Round Rock late last week to participate in the challenging McNeil Invitational. The Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs faced tough competition, with both teams putting in commendable performances.

In the girls' category, the Lady Bulldogs secured an eighth-place finish out of 29 competing teams. Emily Presa led the charge, claiming the 38th spot individually. Right on her heels was Carlye Niccum, finishing 39th. Merry Robinson secured 56th place, Trinity Butler came in 57th, and Madi Lewis completed the top five for Bandera by finishing 81st individually. Other notable finishers included Riley LaLanne (102), Lori King (112), Jazlyn Dickerson (115), Kierstin Brown (117), and Layney Bowman (118) in a competitive field featuring more than 250 runners.

Lori King made her varsity debut and secured a Top 7 spot for the first time. Presa, Niccum, Butler, and Brown all clocked faster times at Old Settlers Park than in their previous runs.

Girls head coach Brooke Ashcraft commended her team's dedication to discipline and praised the senior members for guiding the younger and newer athletes. "The girls have really been working hard and have been extremely disciplined in regards to the small details of their routines, and that's important," said Ashcraft. "My seniors have really been stepping up to lead our younger and new athletes on the team, and I am very proud of each of them."

On the boys' side, the Bulldogs secured a 16th-place team finish, led by junior Ruben Ruiz-Palacios, who finished 59th individually. Senior Mariano Casas claimed the team's second spot, finishing 70th and achieving his fastest time of the season (18:25). Sophomore Fili Quintero also clocked his best 5K time of the year, coming in third for the team and 76th overall.

Sophomore Ayden Sarver set a personal record with a 5K time of 19:34. Other notable finishers for the boys included Zach Goodin (80), Nino Martinez (114), Hudson Jackson (116), Albert Robinson (117), Kyle Moore (167), and Ben Adamietz (184).

Boys head coach Sam Farrell noted that the race, featuring nearly 300 runners, began with a swift pace as the entire team finished the first mile in under 5:30. Farrell saw this experience as valuable preparation for postseason races, where races tend to start fast. "This is great experience going into postseason races," Farrell said. "Those tend to get out fast and you have to roll with it. It was a great opportunity for us, and the guys are even more hungry going into our last meet before district."

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday, September 30th, at the Poth Invitational. Bandera will then host the district meet on October 12th.