Shiner-St. Paul Wins Third Straight State Title

The Lady Cardinals captured the TAPPS 2A cross country championship in Waco, extending the program's run to three consecutive crowns.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Running

Shiner-St. Paul Wins Third Straight State Title

The Shiner-St. Paul Lady Cardinals won the TAPPS 2A state cross country championship on October 26, 2026, in Waco. The title was the program's third straight state crown.

Why it matters

The win extends a run of consecutive state championships for the program. Coach Nicco Brown now faces the task of rebuilding the roster for the next season.

Three Lady Cardinals finished within the top 10 at state, with Skylar Mozisek fourth in 14:05.4, Faith Brown eighth in 14:25.1, and McKinley Jacobs tenth in 14:32.7. The season began with five runners before the team recruited to a full roster of seven, and the 2027 incoming roster remains unidentified.

The players

Nicco Brown

Nicco Brown is the cross country coach at St. Paul, now in her 11th season leading the program.

Shiner-St. Paul Lady Cardinals

The Shiner-St. Paul Lady Cardinals are the girls' cross country team representing the combined Shiner and St. Paul school program in TAPPS 2A.

The details

Four seniors, Clara Kinney, Francis Filip, Skylar Mozisek, and Faith Brown, are graduating, and several runners have been with the program since the fifth grade. St. Paul is a PreK-3 through 12 private school, and Nicco Brown has completed her 11th season as coach.

October 26, 2026: Lady Cardinals won the TAPPS 2A state cross country title in Waco.
2027 season: The program must replenish its roster to contend in TAPPS 2A.

Season Trajectory

The three-peat places the Shiner-St. Paul program among the dominant forces in TAPPS 2A girls' cross country, a classification where sustained depth from the fifth grade up is what separates repeat champions. Losing four seniors sets up a rebuilding test that will determine whether the program can keep its place atop the classification.

Fans tracking TAPPS 2A cross country should watch for the program's incoming runners, since the four graduating seniors leave gaps in the top of the lineup. Those rosters will shape whether the team contends again in 2027.

The takeaway

Depth built from the fifth grade up remains the most reliable path to sustained success in youth distance running. Programs losing core runners should begin recruiting early to protect their standing.