Carroll Boys Cross Country Wins First Ever Woodbridge Sweepstakes Title

IRVINE, Calif. — The Carroll ISD boys cross country team made program history Sept. 19, winning its first Woodbridge Invitational Sweepstakes title. The Dragons finished with 140 points against a field that included several nationally ranked programs.

Head Coach Justin Leonard said the victory reflected the team’s preparation and the way its runners competed together.

“This is my 23rd year at Carroll, and I could not have been more proud of the way our boys competed. It was an outstanding team performance, and I thought our athletes did a tremendous job of executing our race plan and competing for one another.”

“Woodbridge is the largest cross country meet in the world, with more than 19,500 runners and 652 teams competing, so to come away with a victory at a meet of this magnitude is incredibly special. It is a tremendous accomplishment for our program and a testament to the talent, commitment, and leadership of this team, particularly our senior class.”

Junior Kai Gutierrez led the Dragons, placing second overall in 13:40 - the highest individual Woodbridge finish ever by a Carroll runner. For Gutierrez, the result was a milestone on the way to the team’s goals later this season.

“It was an incredible night with a great atmosphere and it was great to see all our hard work in the summer come to fruition. For me Woodbridge was a box that we could check off on the way towards our bigger goals at the end of the season. We have a really strong group of experienced runners so I’m excited to see how we will continue to progress this season.”

Senior Jaxon Glenn was Carroll’s second finisher, placing 43rd in 14:22. He credited Leonard’s preparation and said the team is ready to build on the win.

“It was an exciting night. Coach Leonard does a great job of making sure our team is always prepared. We have a great group of runners this year on both the boys and girls side, and are looking forward to building on this team win in the coming weeks.”

Seniors Grant Norgart (45th, 14:24), Claudio Auns (54th, 14:29) and Adhavan Palanivelrajan (61st, 14:32) completed Carroll’s scoring five. Auns set an aggressive early pace, leading the field through the first half mile.

The Lady Dragons placed 23rd in their Sweepstakes race with 531 points. Senior Abigail Perez led Carroll in her season debut, finishing 61st in 17:06. Senior Grace McIlvain followed in 88th at 17:26, and senior Landry Lambert placed 140th in 17:54.

Carroll’s junior varsity teams are scheduled to compete at the Byron Nelson Invitational on Sept. 26. The varsity teams return to racing Oct. 3 at the Arkansas Chili Pepper Festival in Fayetteville.