Grace Cougar XC Shines at Tyler Legacy Invitational

August 25, 2025 – The Cougar Cross Country team showed up in force this past weekend at Lindsey Park for the Tyler Legacy XC Invitational, competing across nearly every race division—and finishing strong at every level!

Emma Goetz kicked off the morning in dominant fashion, winning the Girls Varsity Open 5K with a course record time of 18:16, adding to her 2-mile course record (11:49) from last year. Emma took the lead early and never looked back, finishing more than 30 seconds ahead of the field.

In the Boys Varsity Open 5K, Roe Gaddis and Chris Alexander represented the Cougars with grit and poise. Roe placed 12th overall in 16:52, earning a medal and landing in the top 20% of the field. Chris followed with a season-best 17:37, securing 23rd place overall.

Aaron Sepulveda raced hard in the JV Boys 5K, earning a personal best time of 23:07 as the temperatures began to climb. Soon after, the Varsity 1–4A Boys 5K squad took the line. Wyatt Grimes led the charge with a 10-second PR of 19:30, followed closely by Ayden Serrato, Dylan Small, and Clive Johnson, all finishing with either PRs or season bests. Freshman Asher Wickliffe capped off the top five with an impressive 21:07 PR.

The Girls 1–4A Varsity 2-Mile was a statement race for the Lady Cougars. Casey Goetz surged to the front from the start, finishing 2nd overall, with Addie Mathews close behind in 3rd, both fighting for the lead the entire way. MJ Hanson made the biggest jump from last season, moving up steadily throughout the race to finish 13th overall with a calm, composed performance. Returning standout Aragon Tanner secured the 4th scoring spot, while Cora Castle—fresh off dominating in the pool—locked in the 5th position to help seal the girls’ overall team title in the 1–4A Varsity division.

A notable addition to the meet was the presence of Grace faculty, staff, and students who came out to cheer on both the high school and middle school Cougar XC teams. Many athletes and parents commented on the encouragement they felt from seeing familiar faces and hearing cheers from the sidelines and at the finish line. Thank you to the Cougar family for showing up in force and supporting these athletes as they use their platform in sport to influence the world for Christ!

Up next, the Cougars head to the piney woods of East Texas for the Lumberjack Invitational hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.