In the first 400 meters of the state 5A cross country meet, freshman Brady Solansky lost her shoe. Despite that, she placed third as an individual and led her team to the school’s first state title.

“It was really painful,” she said. “But it was definitely worth it.”

The team now travels to the Nike Cross Nationals region meet on Saturday at the Woodlands where they will face the best runners from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Mississippi.

If they qualify, they could head to the Nike Cross Nationals meet Dec. 7 at Glendoveer Golf Course, Portland, Ore.

At Old Settlers Park, Solansky ran a time of 18:10.50, one of her best times of the season. She went up against Elizabeth Leachman, a junior from Boerne Champion who ran in the Olympic qualifiers. 

“I know that racing against her is going to make me better,” she said. “They’re all just runners.”

Head cross country coach Trenton Hal, expressed how proud he was of how Solansky did at state.

“It was really incredible” he said, “just the grit and determination that she showed.”

Hall was already familiar with Old Settlers Park – he won the state cross country championship in the 1990s.

The team as a whole had five runners in the top 20 with a 57 second spread between them. They won as a team with 54 points.

Senior Mia Perez, a captain and long-time runner for the team, made a big impact on the younger runners. 

“She’s just been so inspirational and supportive,” freshman Addison Knibbe said. 

“She has been an amazing role model,” Solansky said. “She’s very wise when it comes to running, so she’s been very comforting.”

Solansky hopes to do better at the next meet than the state meet. 

“I’m really hoping to get a PR and to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals, so I’m feeling really motivated,” she said. “I knew I had more to give (at state), and I knew I could have achieved more.”