The Woodlands Sweeps District 13-6A Cross Country Championships
Athletics | Cross Country
Elton Martin breaks the course record, Naomi Weller claims her second district title, and the Highlanders capture both varsity championships on a humid October morning at College Park.
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — The Woodlands High School swept the boys and girls varsity team championships Thursday morning at the 2026 District 13-6A Cross Country Championships, with seniors Elton Martin and Naomi Weller leading the Highlanders to a pair of individual titles at the College Park High School Cross Country Trail.
It was an early start to a humid October morning. Families, school principals, athletic directors and other spectators gathered along the course to watch runners from across the district compete for championships and the opportunity to continue their seasons in the UIL postseason.
The course offered little relief. Runners started across a soccer field covered in tall, wet grass before entering the wooded trails behind College Park. The route eventually returned to the school grounds, where competitors completed a final lap around the track.
Martin won the boys 5,000-meter race in 15 minutes, 12.904 seconds, setting what he said was a new course record. Weller followed with an equally significant accomplishment, winning her second consecutive girls district championship in 18:42.148.
The Woodlands boys finished with 27 points, holding off host College Park, which scored 38. The Highlanders girls were even more dominant, scoring just 20 points after placing five runners among the first seven finishers.
College Park finished second in both varsity divisions, demonstrating that the rivalry between the two schools extends well beyond the football field.
But this was more than a morning of times and team standings. It was also a look at two accomplished seniors, two different approaches to distance running and the developing talent that will shape the district's programs in the years ahead.
Two Champions, Two Early Breakaways
Martin and Weller approached their races with different expectations, but both found success by taking control early and maintaining their advantages.
Martin arrived with three specific goals: win individually, help The Woodlands claim the team championship and break the course record.
"The goal was first place for the team. There's kind of three goals: first place for the team, first place individually, and then the course record," Martin said following the race.
He moved into the lead approximately a quarter-mile into the course, but College Park's Ryan Beken remained close enough to make it a competitive race through the first two miles.
Martin estimated that Beken was within approximately 100 meters during much of that stretch before the Highlanders senior began pulling away.
Rather than using repeated bursts of speed, Martin concentrated on maintaining a steady effort.
"Just kind of maintaining today. Maintaining was kind of the end goal," he explained.
By the time Martin returned to the track, he had established a comfortable lead. Beken finished second in 15:46.205, more than 33 seconds behind the champion.
Martin said he was told his winning time broke the previous course record of approximately 15:16, although the historical mark has not been independently confirmed.
The course, he explained, is generally slower than many others on the schedule.
"Everybody runs about I'd say 20 to 30 seconds slower on this course, just how it is," Martin said.
For Weller, the objective was less complicated.
"To just have fun and run well as a team," she said when asked about her goals entering the girls race.
Weller took the lead near the entrance to the wooded section, creating separation from the field early in the competition.
Running alone at the front didn't bother her.
"Yeah, it makes me feel more comfortable knowing I'm ahead," she explained.
She maintained that advantage throughout the race, finishing nearly 17 seconds ahead of teammate Emily Kacher, who placed second in 18:59.109.
College Park's Isabella Camiro finished third in 19:01.889.
Although Weller captured another district championship, she wasn't entirely satisfied with her time.
The course's mulch-covered sections and exposure to the morning sun presented challenges that made maintaining her preferred pace difficult.
"It's just like I don't like the mulch in the backfield. It's so sunny. It gets hot so quickly," Weller said.
Her assessment was particularly telling. Even after winning a second district championship, she was already thinking about what she could improve before the next round.
"I definitely think my time today doesn't reflect like how good I want to be," she said.
Weller considers consistent pacing and a strong finish among her greatest strengths, and she hopes those qualities will become even more important as the competition intensifies.
The Highlanders' Winning Formula
Individual championships draw attention, but cross country team titles are decided by the combined finishes of five runners.
That distinction helped explain why The Woodlands won both varsity championships.
In the boys race, Martin's victory provided an early advantage, but the Highlanders needed their entire scoring lineup to hold off College Park.
James Clary finished third, Bo Breed fifth, Ethan Geiger eighth and William Bishop 10th.
All five Highlanders scoring runners finished among the first 10.
College Park, meanwhile, had the runners to challenge at the front.
Beken finished second, Andrew Fry fourth and Vasco Arredondo sixth, giving the Cavaliers three of the first six finishers.
But College Park's fourth and fifth scoring runners placed 12th and 14th, compared with eighth and 10th for The Woodlands.
That difference allowed the Highlanders to secure the championship by 11 points.
The girls race was far less competitive in the team standings.
Behind Weller and Kacher, The Woodlands placed Emma Harder fourth, Marta Linde sixth and Leah Griffin seventh.
The Highlanders' five scoring runners were all across the finish line before most programs had completed even half their lineup.
Their 20-point total gave The Woodlands a 48-point victory over second-place College Park.
Camiro's third-place finish helped the Cavaliers secure second with 68 points, narrowly ahead of Grand Oaks, which finished third with 73.
The five-point difference between College Park and Grand Oaks was among the closest contests in the varsity team standings.
For The Woodlands, Thursday's performances demonstrated two different strengths: the boys' ability to withstand a serious challenge from College Park and the girls' ability to control the race through consistent finishes near the front.
Strong Performances Across the District
Beyond the championship battle between The Woodlands and College Park, several other schools produced noteworthy performances.
Conroe finished third in the varsity boys competition with 84 points, led by Zion Pearson's 11th-place finish in 16:25.905.
Grand Oaks followed in fourth with 117 points. Nathaniel Clements led the Grizzlies with a seventh-place finish in 16:24.365.
Caney Creek wasn't far behind, finishing fifth with 120 points. Jett Banes placed ninth in 16:25.303, giving the Panthers a top-10 individual finisher.
Oak Ridge finished sixth, led by Eli Laws in 20th, while Cleveland placed seventh.
In the girls varsity race, Grand Oaks made a strong push for second place behind Sophia Domosiaris, who finished eighth in 19:23.488.
The Grizzlies placed all five scoring runners inside the top 20, finishing just five points behind College Park.
Oak Ridge finished fourth, highlighted by Presley Aviles' fifth-place performance in 19:09.788 and Lotus Scrutchin's 10th-place finish.
Willis placed fifth, followed by Caney Creek and Conroe.
Those results reflected the competitive depth of the district, particularly among programs that will be looking to build on their performances beyond Thursday's championship.
A Glimpse of the Next Generation
While the varsity races determined the district's top teams, the younger divisions provided an equally interesting look at where the programs may be headed.
College Park had an especially productive morning in the boys races.
The Cavaliers won the junior varsity boys championship with just 18 points, taking the first three individual positions.
Joseph Kovach led the field in 16:52.380, followed by teammates Austin Holt and Alexander Jones.
College Park was just as convincing in the freshman boys race, capturing the first four individual places.
Alexandro Nunez won the two-mile championship in 10:46.497, followed by Maximilliano Nunez, Benjamin Rich and Daniel Watson.
For a College Park program that finished second in the varsity boys race, those results offered an encouraging indication of the talent developing behind its current leaders.
The Woodlands showed similar depth among its girls.
In the junior varsity girls two-mile race, Isabella Hallas, Mickey Cahill and Sophia Gibbons swept the first three positions, with fewer than three seconds separating the teammates.
The Highlanders also placed fifth and sixth, putting five runners among the first six finishers.
And in one of the closest finishes of the entire morning, The Woodlands teammates Harper Singer and Sofia Olvera were separated by just four-hundredths of a second in the girls open two-mile race.
Singer won in 14:01.060, with Olvera crossing in 14:01.101.
Grand Oaks' Elle Judice finished third.
In the boys open 5,000-meter race, The Woodlands' Max Charbonneau won in 17:21.642, ahead of College Park's Arnav Jeevakumar.
These races may not carry the same attention as the varsity championships, but they provide opportunities for younger runners to gain experience and for established programs to develop the next generation of competitors.
Two Seniors Looking Beyond District
For Martin and Weller, Thursday's championships added another achievement to two accomplished high school running careers.
Both began running in seventh grade, and both are approaching the end of their high school careers with ambitions extending beyond the district championship.
Martin, who missed last year's district race because of illness, has accepted a running scholarship to Rice University.
He said the Highlanders have not yet begun the workouts intended to bring runners to peak condition for their most important races.
"I'm exactly where I want to be," Martin said. "We've been hitting solid paces, but nowhere near peaking yet."
His remaining goals include a strong performance at the UIL state championships and competing at Nike Cross Nationals.
Weller, meanwhile, hopes to continue in both cross country and track and field at the NCAA Division I level.
The University of Miami is currently her top choice, although she has not announced a commitment.
A two-time district cross country champion, she remains focused on improving her pace and finishing strength for the championship season.
By the time the final runners had completed their races Thursday, The Woodlands had secured both varsity team championships, College Park had demonstrated its strength throughout the boys program, and runners from across South Montgomery County had completed another district championship.
The morning belonged to the Highlanders.
But for Martin, Weller and the other athletes advancing into the postseason, the district championship was only the beginning of the next challenge.
The Woodlands Student Center Staff
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