The Plano East girls cross country team raises their index fingers while posing for pictures with the first-place plaque at the District 6-6A meet last Friday at Myers Park in McKinney. Photo by Art Smalley
By David Wolman
MCKINNEY – Several minutes after the conclusion of the girls’ varsity race at the District 6-6A cross country meet, Plano East head coach Robert Reed was still parsing through the results.
The Lady Panthers had already secured a team berth in the Region I-6A meet, but Reed didn’t know whether they had captured the district championship or if a tiebreaker would be needed to separate them from Prosper.
Ultimately, that tiebreaker went in Plano East’s favor.
Both teams finished with 52 points, but Plano East claimed its first district title since 2017 thanks to a faster time from its sixth runner.
“We talked about a million things (Thursday), and tying wasn’t one of them,” Reed said. “They knew exactly what they had to do. Halfway through the race, we were under 60 points, and I knew that’s what it would take to get to regionals. Prosper ran a great race, but our girls stepped up. I’m really proud of them.”
Plano East also had an individual regional qualifier on the boys’ side.
Freshman Levi Rowe placed sixth overall in 16:11, earning his first trip to regionals.
As for the Lady Panthers, a big reason for Plano East’s victory was senior Reagan Noel, who delivered a standout performance at Myers Park.
After placing 46th last year in 21:51, Noel shaved more than three minutes off her time Friday, finishing fourth in 18:46 while running with the lead pack throughout.
“Reagan has been our leader by example over the past couple of months,” Reed said.
Plano East’s depth was the difference. All five scoring runners finished in the top 15.
Junior Meena Mulford had a standout day, placing seventh in 19:21 after finishing 16th a year ago. Brooke Tierney took 12th (20:09), followed by Louisa Christensen in 14th (20:19) and Alina Nguyen in 15th (20:20).
The key tiebreaker came from Dyan Tecuatl, whose 22nd-place finish (20:38) edged Prosper’s sixth runner. Kate Salyer rounded out the Lady Panthers’ lineup, placing 47th in 22:17.
“Our top seven runners from last year all returned,” Reed said. “We were disappointed in how we did last year and didn’t run to our potential. They committed themselves to training hard over the summer — and this is what happens when you do that.”
Reed spoke just as highly about Rowe’s work ethic.
Rowe gradually worked his way into cross country shape after running track in the summer, and his dedication to running paid off Friday with the reward being his first berth in the regional meet. He was named the 6-6A freshman of the year. Reed garnered coach of the year.
“Levi and Isaac (Updike) were both right on the cusp of the top 10,” Reed said. “Unfortunately, Isaac just missed, but Levi’s been putting in the work. I’ve known about him since he was a seventh grader.”
Updike finished four spots away from a regional berth, placing 14th with a 16:45. Deyan Bhakta also cracked the top 20, placing 17th overall in 16:50.
Michael Sharp (27th, 17:27), Cole McBride (32nd, 17:38) and Grant Updike (43rd, 18:09) also represented Plano East at the district meet.
The Region I-6A meet is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.
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