SALADO — The Temple High Varsity Girls Cross Country team delivered a strong performance on Thursday morning, capturing a third-place team finish at the Salado Cross Country Invitational hosted at the scenic Tenroc Ranch.

Sophomore standout Azaria Staples dominated the 5,000-meter course, crossing the finish line first with a blistering time of 19:33.42 to earn the individual championship crown. Staples led a powerhouse performance for the Tem-Cats, who placed three runners inside the top 10 overall.

Junior Ilana Desales earned top-10 honors with a strong 7th-place finish, timing in at 21:41.28.
Senior Sterling Griffith secured the third top-10 spot for Temple, capturing 10th place overall with a time of 22:22.39.

All three top-10 runners earned medalist honors for finishing in the Top 20 overall.

Rounding out the varsity scoring for Temple were sophomores Madelyn Krumnow (22nd place, 24:01.39) and Bella Sahm (23rd place, 24:02.05), who finished back-to-back to secure Temple’s total team score of 53 points.

Top Overall Individual Performers

1st Place: Azaria Staples (SO), Temple – 19:33.42
2nd Place: Jillie Duncan (SR), Waco Vanguard – 20:17.55
3rd Place: Gianna Rivera (SO), Jarrell – 20:21.88
4th Place: Evelyn Bell (JR), Westwood – 21:09.10
5th Place: Mckenzie Jennings (JR), Jarrell – 21:18.45

Temple High Tem-Cat Individual Performances

1st Place: Azaria Staples (SO) – 19:33.42 (Individual Champion / Medalist)
7th Place: Ilana Desales (JR) – 21:41.28 (Medalist)
10th Place: Sterling Griffith (SR) – 22:22.39 (Medalist)
22nd Place: Madelyn Krumnow (SO) – 24:01.39
23rd Place: Bella Sahm (SO) – 24:02.05

Team Standings

1st Place: Westwood – 43 points
2nd Place: Jarrell – 48 points
3rd Place: Temple – 53 points
4th Place: Lake Belton – 78 points
5th Place: Copperas Cove – 141 points
6th Place: Belton – 160 points
7th Place: Elgin – 197 points

Up Next for the Tem-Cats

The Temple Girls Varsity Cross Country team will look to build on this performance on Thursday, September 17, when they compete in the Broncho Invitational. The meet will take place at Crossroads Park in Temple, with races beginning at 7:30 AM.