10/16/2026
What a day for Mercedes Cross Country! 🐅🏅
The Mercedes Tigers made their mark at the District 32-5A Cross Country Championships in Brownsville this week, bringing home impressive finishes, district titles, and regional qualifications.
Leading the way for the Lady Tigers was Nayla Vargas, whose race came down to a photo finish! Nayla secured 7th place, earning First Team All-District honors and a spot at the regional meet.
On the varsity boys' side, Jimmy Flores and Juan Sosa also punched their tickets to regionals. Jimmy finished in 4th Place, while Juan claimed the final regional qualifying spot with a 10th Place finish. Both earned First Team All-District honors.
The JV Boys finished as District Runners-Up 🏆🥈, led by Ryan Banda, who captured the individual District Championship Title, followed by Ben Escalona in 5th Place.
Closing out the day, the Freshman Girls claimed the District Championship! 🏆🥇 Mayra Contreras led the team with an individual district title, followed by her twin sister, Mariana Contreras, who finished 5th.
Overall, the Tigers celebrated 3 regional qualifiers, 2 individual District Champions, 7 individual medalists, and medals for all 19 athletes who represented Mercedes!
Congratulations to all our Tiger runners on a successful district meet! We wish Nayla, Jimmy, and Juan the best of luck as they compete at the Region IV Championships on Tuesday, October 27, at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. A special shoutout to all our Tigers for their hard work and dedication throughout the season! 🐾
🏅 REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
• 7th Place – Nayla Vargas | First Team All-District
• 4th Place – Jimmy Flores | First Team All-District
• 10th Place – Juan Sosa | First Team All-District
🏆 JV BOYS – DISTRICT RUNNERS-UP 🥈
• 1st Place – Ryan Banda | District Champion 🥇
• 5th Place – Ben Escalona 🏅
• 13th Place – Jose Moreno 🏅
• 18th Place – Dominic Rincones 🏅
• 20th Place – Frank Melgoza 🏅
• Jacob Coronado 🏅
• Ryan De La Garza 🏅
🏆 FRESHMAN GIRLS – DISTRICT CHAMPIONS 🥇
• 1st Place – Mayra Contreras | District Champion 🥇
• 5th Place – Mariana Contreras 🏅
• 12th Place – Yuliana Esquivel-Flores 🏅
• 13th Place – Kaitlynn Capetillo 🏅
• 14th Place – Anika Escalona 🏅
• Aissa Sanchez 🏅
• Regina Saavedra 🏅
Way to represent, Tigers! 🐾
