Princeton senior Samantha Valdez, middle, runs up a hill at Myers Park. Valdez qualified for the Region I-6A meet after capturing eighth in the District 6-6A meet. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
MCKINNEY — Last year was a rough season for Princeton senior Samantha Valdez.
Valdez struggled throughout the season with side stitches, a sharp cramping or stabbing pain that occurs just below the rib cage during physical activity. She continued running despite the pain, finishing 54th at the 2025 District 6-6A cross-country meet with a time of 22:53.
Regardless of the discomfort, Valdez was determined to perform better this year, especially with her senior season on the line. That determination paid off Friday morning, when she placed eighth at the District 6-6A cross-country meet with a time of 20:12 at Myers Park, earning her first-ever berth in the Region I-6A meet.
“I’m so proud of myself,” she said. “I can’t wait to go to Lubbock.”
The regional meet is scheduled for next Monday morning at 9 a.m. at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.
Like the rest of the field, runners faced chilly conditions after an overnight cold front brought a significant drop in temperatures. Valdez isn’t a fan of running in cooler weather, but she focused on not letting the conditions distract her. She also told herself to stay with the second pack of runners to give herself a chance to finish in the top 10 — a goal she accomplished.
“It was kind of horrible,” she said. “I don’t like feeling numb. My team ran around the course before the race to get warmed up.”
Valdez was Princeton’s only regional qualifier, though her sister, Marian, came close. Marian finished 16th with a time of 20:59.
Freshman Malia Dargel showed promise for the coming years, placing 18th in 21:09. Senior Evelyn Escamilla finished 26th in 21:52, freshman Itzel Ramirez-Millan placed 30th in 22:30, and junior Jillian McCarthy finished 34th in 22:50.
“Marian has raced well all season,” Princeton head coach Tanya McCormack said. “I think the cold and wind just got to her a little more than her sister. She looked really strong and I was hoping she was going to pull it out the last half of the race.
“Malia has been improving significantly throughout the season. She did not get to do much summer conditioning, but that hasn’t stopped her from holding her own as a freshman. I see her being my No. 1 runner next year and making it to regionals as well.”
Princeton didn’t have a regional qualifier in the boys’ division, though the Panthers ran faster than they did last year despite the additional distance on the Myers Park course, which brought the race to the traditional 5K distance.
The Panthers were led by a pair of sophomores. Arturo Velez recorded Princeton’s fastest time, finishing 31st in 17:57. Eli Fisher followed in 38th with a time of 18:15.
Senior Ashton Long placed 46th in 18:44 in the final high school race of his career. Sophomore Josue Silva finished 47th in 18:49, while sophomore Stephen Talley placed 53rd in 19:38. Freshman Luke Bailey rounded out the Panthers’ results, finishing 55th in 20:37.
“The course has always been a little short, so a true 5K was good to see them still run better than last year,” McCormack said. “I have several sophomores who have gotten better every week and are putting in the work. Next year I expect to see the boys place higher and potentially get a runner out of district.”
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