Creighton Holub Publisher Robertson County News ROUND ROCK — Payton Conn did not wait for the finish line to decide the Class 3A girls cross country state championship. The Franklin High School runner won the 2-mile race Saturday, Nov. 7, at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock in 11 minutes, 16.00 seconds — 23.3 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Conn was the only runner in the race under 11 minutes, 30 seconds. Holliday senior Sarah Spears finished second in 11:39.30. Wall freshman Keller Batla was third in 11:44.80. Hamilton senior Chaska Downs was fourth in 11:49.50, and West’s Mary Clair Wise was fifth in 11:50.80. The race started at 10:55 a.m. Saturday, the 3A girls slot on the second day of the UIL Cross Country State Championships, Nov. 6-7, at Old Settlers Park. A year better, by 31 seconds A year ago, Conn finished fifth at the same meet, in 11:47.10. Saturday she cut 31.1 seconds off that time — and moved four places up the order, from fifth to first. She came into state on a win, too. Conn won the UIL Region 3-3A girls race in Huntsville in 11:52.30, first among 182 finishers, by 12.8 seconds, according to MileSplit Texas. Conn is no stranger to a state podium. Last spring, she won the 2025 UIL Class 3A girls 300-meter hurdles state title in 43.52 seconds, after a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles earlier in the same meet. Franklin’s only runner in the race Conn ran as an individual qualifier — defeating 16 school teams to the finish line. Wall won the team title with 62 points. Lorena was second with 93, and East Bernard was third with 110. Eustace was fourth with 147, West fifth with 164, and Holliday sixth with 170. Top 30 — Class 3A girls, 2 miles Full individual results, as listed by the UIL. Times are in minutes and seconds.