WACO, Texas — On a crisp Thursday morning at the HOT Soccer Complex, the Temple High Varsity Girls Cross Country team closed out their 2026 regular season with a grit-fueled performance at the District 12-6A Cross Country Championships.

Highlighted by a pair of top-three individual finishes, the Tem-Cats placed 5th overall in the team standings with 92 points. Waco Midway claimed the district team crown with 48 points, followed closely by Lake Belton (59), Killeen Chaparral (72), and Bryan High (91).

Regional Bound: Top-10 Finishers Spotlight

Leading the charge for Temple was sophomore standout Azaria Staples, who delivered a brilliant second-place finish. Staples covered the course in 19:49.60, earning district runner-up honors. Right on her heels was junior teammate Ilana Desales, who captured third place with a time of 19:53.73.

By virtue of their Top-10 individual finishes, both Staples and Desales have earned invitations to advance to the Class 6A Region II Cross Country Championships on Monday, October 26, at Lynn Creek Park in Arlington.
All Temple Tem-Cat Individual Performances

Every Tem-Cat runner fought hard through the 5,000-meter race to cap off the 2026 campaign. Top 20 finishers earned medalist honors for their efforts.

Azaria Staples (SO) — 2nd Place, 19:49.60 (Medalist & Regional Qualifier)
Ilana Desales (JR) — 3rd Place, 19:53.73 (Medalist & Regional Qualifier)
Sterling Griffith (SR) — 23rd Place, 22:09.73
Bella Sahm (SO) — 32nd Place, 23:13.55
Madelyn Krumnow (SO) — 36th Place, 24:06.79

District 12-6A Meet Overview

Bryan High senior Ava Braden took individual top honors, winning the district title with a time of 19:20.21. Autumn Scotting of Killeen Chaparral (20:17.50) and Keira Dzenowski of Lake Belton (20:32.07) rounded out the top five runners alongside Staples and Desales.

Top Individual Finishers (5000m Race)
1 . Ava Braden (SR, Bryan High) – 19:20.21
2 . Azaria Staples (SO, Temple) – 19:49.60
3 . Ilana Desales (JR, Temple) – 19:53.73
4 . Autumn Scotting (SO, Killeen Chaparral) – 20:17.50
5 . Keira Dzenowski (SO, Lake Belton) – 20:32.07
6 . Ella Lehman (SO, Waco Midway) – 20:34.45
7 . Zoey Patterson (SO, Waco Midway) – 20:39.99
8 . McKinley Shearer (FR, Waco Midway) – 20:51.05
9. Simone Kalil (FR, Bryan High) – 20:51.70
10. Kylie Girdy-Terrell (FR, Killeen Chaparral) – 20:56.84

Final Team Standings

Waco Midway — 48
Lake Belton — 59
Killeen Chaparral — 72
Bryan High — 91
Temple — 92
Killeen Harker Heights — 140

With the regular season in the books, all eyes now turn to Arlington, where Staples and Desales will represent the Tem-Cats against the region's elite runners at Lynn Creek Park later this month.