TYLER — The Bishop Lynch cross country teams continued their strong start to the 2026 season with another impressive showing at the Tyler Legacy Invitational. The women finished second overall in the 1A-4A division, while the men placed fifth. Senior Harman Pope also turned in an outstanding individual performance, finishing second in the elite 5K.
"This was one of the best weekends of cross country I've been a part of in the last decade," said head coach Stuart Kantor following the meet.
Pope's runner-up finish came in the elite 5K, where he crossed the finish line in 15:43.00, just eight seconds behind the winner. The senior competed against 112 runners, including athletes from several 6A programs, and continued what has been an impressive start to his senior season.
The women's team finished second in the 1A-4A division with 89 points, just 21 points behind first-place Tyler Grace Community. Lauren Robert, Bailey Guinnee, and Natalia Vega each recorded top-20 finishes to lead the Friars.
Robert led Bishop Lynch with a fifth-place finish, completing the 2-mile race in 13:32. Guinnee followed in 16th at 14:27, while Vega finished 20th in 14:33.
The men's team also continued its strong start, finishing fifth in the 1A-4A 5K. Landry Rose and Baxter Givens both finished inside the top 20, with Rose placing 19th in 19:28 and Givens taking 20th in 19:31. The fifth-place finish marked the second consecutive meet in which the Friars have finished inside the top five.
The Friars received some inspiration from Bishop Lynch's cross-country history the night before the meet, when Mark Carpenter '77 joined the team for its pre-meet dinner.
Carpenter, a former Friar cross-country runner, captured the TCIL state cross-country championship in 1977. He shared his experiences with the team and offered some words of encouragement as the Friars prepared for another weekend of competition.
NEXT UP:
Bishop Lynch returns to action Saturday, Aug. 29, at the annual Battle of the Buff in Fort Worth. The first race is scheduled for 7 a.m. at The Buff.
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