Addy Havens has run the state course at Old Settlers Park before. On Friday, the Clarendon junior goes back for a second try.
Havens is Clarendon's sole qualifier for the UIL Cross Country State Championships in Round Rock. The Class 2A girls race, a 3,200-meter run, starts at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6.
Path to Round Rock
Havens earned the trip Oct. 26 at the Region I-2A meet at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock, placing 12th out of 167 runners.
She won the Quanah meet over a field of 44 this season and won again at Stratford, finishing 35 seconds ahead of the runner-up. She was second at both Groom and Claude and fifth at the District 2-2A meet in Quanah. Havens is coached by Kasey Bell and Christi Benson.
Last fall, as a sophomore, Havens ran on a Lady Bronco team that finished fourth in the state in 2A. She placed 26th, second on the team behind Madi Benson.
A look at the course
The state course opens on a wide grass starting grid, so the 2A field has room to sort itself out before the race funnels onto the park's paths. Most of the footing is grass and hard-packed dirt, with a few short stretches of flat limestone and gravel. It has a reputation as a fast course, but it rolls nearly the whole way.
A good part of the race circles a shameless Bright Lake. Runners also cross pedestrian bridges over the creek branches, and the footing changes quickly there. The bridges are narrow, so anyone wanting to pass has to make the move before reaching them.
The race ends on a long, straight grass chute toward the main pavilion, with barricades on both sides and spectators packed along them.
Familiar faces in the field
Havens will see some runners she already knows. Gruver, last year's state runner-up, brings back Paisley Quirk and Halle McLain, who finished 18th and 19th at state in 2025. Farwell's Alexis Wade was seventh last year. Wellington's Taytum Kane placed 21st at state last fall and won the District 2-2A title this season. Farwell and Wellington both qualified as teams.
How to follow
The meet streams live on the NFHS Network, a subscription service, starting at 8:15 a.m. Friday. The free UIL State app, available in the App Store and Google Play, carries live results and team profiles. Admission at Old Settlers Park is charged per vehicle at parking: $25 for up to two people and $40 for more than two. Tickets are sold online in advance and on site, where only credit and debit cards are accepted.
UIL state meet schedule and ticket information: