Tickets to state were officially punched for 14 Dripping Springs Tigers runners Oct. 15 after they excelled at the UIL Region IV cross country championships in Corpus Christi.
Those runners will once again take on the best in Texas when they hit the course in the 5A boys and girls state championships at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock Saturday.
That success is indicative of the hard work put in by all of the athletes, said Dripping Springs cross country coach Marisa Tuzzi.
“In all my years, I’m not sure if I’ve seen a more dedicated group of kids, on both (the boys and the girls) sides, in how they take care of training,” Tuzzi said.
Leading the charge was the Dripping Springs girls team, which earned the silver medal out of 24 competing squads in the 5,000-meter Region IV course at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The feat marks the fourth straight year the Dripping Springs girls cross country program will compete at the state level.
Tiger freshman Karsten Bobb and senior Aubrie Caldwell posted the highest individual finishes among the Tiger girls team by coming in 9th and 10th, respectively. The Tiger girls team was second only to Boerne Champion, which claimed the Region IV title with 45 points.
Meanwhile, the Tiger boys team punched its second straight ticket to the state meet with a bronze medal finish in its 5,000-meter course.
Dripping Springs senior Bobby Holt secured third place overall among the 186-competitor field, while sophomore Caleb Lopez finished 7th.
Tuzzi said the 2018 squad is comprised of a mix of youth and experience. Tuzzi and the Tiger cross country staff have watched the current freshmen runners who have come up through the system in recent years. Tuzzi said many of the underclassmen runners have displayed a “lot of maturity” during the course of the season.
Providing assistance are the upperclassmen runners, who help the younger runners, while also understanding when “it’s important to turn it on and when it’s okay to cruise,” Tuzzi said.
“This is a seasoned group and an experienced group,” Tuzzi said. “They know what it takes at each level.”
The Dripping Springs girls cross country team will run at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, which is then followed by the boys cross country team at 3:10 p.m.
Tiger cross country at the Region IV meet
Girls
Karsten Bobb – 17:39.76
Aubrie Caldwell 17:42.82
Marleena Mickel – 17:48.79
Ellie Hovre – 17:55.19
Kate Ginther – 18:43.52
Maddie Livingston – 18:57.77
Kora Myers – 19:26.27
Boys
Bobby Holt – 14:06.28
Caleb Lopez – 14:38.17
Will Johnson – 14:56.68
Kyler Myers – 15:28.43
John Babiak – 15:46.64
Polo Lopez – 16:06.92
Harry Miller – 17:06.88
