Hallettsville-Sacred Heart freshman Caroline Lemonds was named the individual champion of the varsity girls TAPPS 2A State Cross Country Championship on Monday at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco. She finished in 13:38.3.
Sacred Heart placed third in the overall girls team standings with 67 points. McKinley Rocco of Paratus Classical Academy was second in 13:43.0, and Paityn Carrier of Baytown Christian Academy was third in 13:56.0.
Lemonds said she tries to finish strong when she is passed during a race. "I feel like whenever you pass somebody in a race you have to pass assertively," she said. She said running against older athletes is mostly a mental challenge. "You're physically there but in the middle of the race you can think 'oh I can't do this' but really you can."