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The Rice Raiders Cross Country team made their way to Yoakum on Monday, Oct. 6, to participate in the District Meet and ended up walking away with the Championship.
The Raiders performed well enough to add a trophy to their trophy case and secure a spot in the Regional Meet as a team.
The Raiders had three runners finish in the top 10 of the race at the District Meet and four runners posting times good enough to help them win the District Championship. Luke Engelbrecht led the way for the Raiders on Monday, being not only the first Raider to cross the finish line but the first runner in the entire race to cross the finish line.
With a time of 20 minutes and five seconds Engelbrecht claimed 1st place in the race and set the tone for his teammates. Following Engelbrecht’s lead Victor Flores was next to cross the finish line.
Flores posted a time of 20 minutes and 43 seconds to secure 5th place for the Raiders and right behind him was Joe Luke Morales in 8th place with a time of 21 minutes and 37 seconds. With three runners finishing in the top 10, the Raiders were feeling confident in their performance and the four remaining runners kept the momentum going.
Three of those four runners for the Raiders finished in the top 20 of the race and contributed to the team winning the District Championship. Kevin Estrada crossed the finish line next in 14th place with a time of 23 minutes and 30 seconds with two teammates not too far behind.
Right after Estrada finished the race teammates Luis Tellez and Gus Peacock made their way to the finish line in 15th and 18th place respectively. Tellez finished with a time of 24 minutes and 14 seconds and Peacock finished with a time of 26 minutes and 44 seconds.
The last Raider to cross the finish line Monday was James Thompson who claimed 21st place with a time of 29 minutes and 52 seconds. Despite being the last Raider to finish, Thompson earned just enough points to boost his team to being crowned the District Champions on Monday.
The Raiders now set their sights on the Regional Meet on Oct. 23 in Corpus Christi, TX after the Regional Preview on Monday, Oct. 16, was cancelled because of lack of entries.
