The all-state runners from the Girls TAPPS Class 5A State Cross Country Meet in Waco. (Abby Pfaff, TAPPS Media)

WACO — The Tyler Grace Community and Tyler Bishop Gorman contingent had impressive showings at the TAPPS cross country state meet Monday at Cottonwood Creek Golf Club.

GRACE COMMUNITY

Sophomore sensation Emma Goetz added to her already impressive resume, claiming bronze in the Girls 5A classification, with a time of 12 minutes and 27.53 seconds, and leading her team to a second-place finish with 90 points in the team scoring. The girls ran two miles.

Goetz, who garnered gold as a freshman in last year’s event, said while she was “disappointed in her performance” this time around, she was pleased with her team’s second place finish.

“We had some runners who ran a good race. The weather was certainly a lot better this year,” said Goetz, remembering last year’s freezing cold and rainy conditions.

A track standout as well, Goetz won gold in the 1600- and 3200-meters at the TAPPS state meet last Spring.

The top 10 individual runners in each classification earn all-state honors. To count in the team standings, a school must have a minimum of five runners in the event, with a maximum of seven runners, with the top five to finish counting in the team scores.

Goetz earned all-state honors for the second straight year. Younger sister, freshman Casey Goetz, turned in a sterling 12:49.65 performance for sixth place individually, and also earned all-state recognition.

Emma said it is fun competing with her younger sister.

“So proud of her,” said Emma. “We feed off each other, and make the other a better runner.”

Sophomore Addison Mathews (13:11.42) finished 11th, while seniors Lauryn Dunn (14.11.80) and Kayla Minick (14:42.73) finished 31st and 43rd, respectively, to round out the Grace Community top five runners.

Grace Community has now compiled top three team finishes for four consecutive years. The Lady Cougars were third in 2023 and 2021, and now second in 2024 and 2022.

In the Boys 5A competition, Monroe Gaddis, with a 17:30.57 time, finished sixth, earning all-state honors for the Cougar junior. Grace Community was 10th in the team standings with 267 points.

Tyler Grace Community has one TAPPS team title, which came in 1997 in the Girls division. The Boys have yet to finish in the top spot.

Magnolia Legacy won the girls team title with 80 points, followed by Tyler Grace (90) and San Antonio Christian (153).

Harper Counts of Austin Brentwood won the girls title (11:57.11), followed by Amelia Weenig of Austin Regents (12:01.38) and Goetz.

The boys ran 5,000-meters.

The top three boys teams were San Antonio Christian (50), Fort Worth Christian (154) and Midland Christian (181).

The top three finishers were Adrian Rule of San Antonio Christian (16:17.00), Hunter Hinrichsen of Fort Worth Christian (16:29.40) and Elijah Savage of Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian (16:57.96).

BISHOP GORMAN

The Bishop Gorman Boys, with 152 points, garnered third place in the 4A classification, after a pair of 3A second-place finishes each of the two previous years.

Individually, four seniors and one freshman were the top five runners for Gorman. Senior Carter Frans (18:36.25) was 19th, William Meads (19:01.20) was 26th, Preston Watson (19:09.37) was 31st, and Will Vogler (19:31.98) was 44th, and freshman Michael Watson (20:31.19) placed 73rd. Also running were freshman Michael Meads and freshman Cohen Schultz.

In 2023, Gorman recorded 53 points, which was just two points behind Waco Live Oak Classical’s 51 winning score in 2023, and its 82 points in 2022 placed second to Plano Coram Deo’s top-finishing 61 points.

Vogler and Watson were 2023 first-team TAPPS all-state.

The top three teams were Dallas Covenant (51), Dallas Shelton (108) and Bishop Gorman (152).

The top three individual finishers were Noah Verdin of Dallas Covenant (16:51.60), Boren Merill of Willow Park Trinity Christian (16:53.28) and Gibson Walker of Dallas Covenant (17:17.13).

The Gorman Girls squad finished in sixth place, with 178 team points. Its top four runners were all sophomores, led by Molly McCabe with 13:50.72 time good for 11th place. Anna McKnight (14:51.06) finished 36th, while Abigail McDonald and Megan Metzger were 53rd and 54th with times of 15:23.94 and 15:25.94. Senior Alexa Remigio’s time of 16:04.66 placed 79th.

Dallas Covenant won the Girls 4A title with 55 points, followed by Plano Coram Deo (92) and Midland Classical (97).

The top three individuals were Sophie Smith of Colleyville Covenant (12:14.83), Hannah Van Eerden of Plano Coram Deo (12:48.69) and Hanna Barbouti of Houston St. Francis (12:58.41).

The Gorman Girls team took third in 3A last year in a very close event in which it tallied 50 points, just behind Plano Coram Deo’s 44 and Waco Live Oak Classical’s 47. McCabe was 2023 all-state.

The Boys program lone state title was in 2002, and was State runner-up in 2017.

The Girls program has claimed four state titles — three consecutive 2004-2006 and again in 2020, with second-place finishes in 2015 and 2021.

The T.K. Gorman Girls program has two runners to claim TAPPS gold. Kristen Terry (2004 and ‘05 in 4A) and Mia Behm (2006 and ‘07 in 5A) each belong to that two-time TAPPS Gold medalist select group of 15 runners. No other Gorman runners in the Girls division has ever won a TAPPS cross country Gold.

However, in the Boys Division, Cole Brittain is just one of five three-time gold medal winners. Brittain captured 3A gold for Gorman three straight years (1999-2001), and is still the only runner in Gorman history to win an individual event.

BULLARD BROOK HILL

The Guard finished in 19th place in the 5A Girls team standings, with junior Blair Brister’s 14:09.16 time good for 29th place.

Jose Gonzalez, the lone entry for Brook Hill, ran a 21:26.56 individually in the 5A Boys division, which placed 96th.

TYLER ALL SAINTS

Freshman Addi Stewart finished 39th (14:56.19) in the Girls 4A competition, while junior Hailey Alliotto’s time of 17:04.87 placed 106. Sophomore Izabelle Bramlet ran a 19:31.54 which finished 140th, as All Saints had three entries in the Girls Division.

The Boys contingent’s 374 points managed a 14th-place finish. Freshman Liam Brady was the top runner with a time of 20:12.58. Junior Stone Porter and freshman Isaac Dale finished 63rd and 64th with respective times of 20:19.62 and 20:21.77. Senior Calvin Courtney came in at 21:21.96 for 106th place, junior Charlie Heaton ran a 22:18.84 for 127th and sophomore Terry Blake had a time of 23:50.31, finishing 162nd. Sophomore Hayden Hughey, with a 28:08.62 time finish, placed 186th to round out the seven All Saints contingent.