The Belton New Tech Dragons hit the course Friday at the 2026 Belton Cross Country Invitational, held at the Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area (BLORA). The annual meet brought together teams from across Central Texas and gave the Dragons an early opportunity to test themselves against a competitive field.

The Belton New Tech girls were led by sophomore Ellie Megoulloa, who crossed the finish line in 27th place with a time of 15:00.90. Freshman Nyla Mathews followed with a strong performance in her first high school season, finishing 34th in 15:59.13.

Junior Daniella Idumebor finished 45th with a time of 17:22.96, while Julisa Bedolla-Martinez rounded out the New Tech girls' performances, placing 52nd in 25:23.22.

On the boys' side, the Dragons finished seventh overall as a team, with six runners representing New Tech.

Freshman Daniel Zubaty led the Dragons, finishing 25th overall in 22:19.71. Sophomore David Martinez crossed the line in 37th place at 25:32.38, closely followed by sophomore Ezra Valatine, who took 39th in 25:41.51.

Sophomore Abel Carey finished 41st with a time of 26:17.33, while senior Desmond Long recorded a 44th-place finish in 26:39.10. Sophomore Zorian Hajduk completed the Dragons' lineup, finishing 52nd in 30:48.92.

The BLORA meet gave the Dragons another chance to gain valuable racing experience and establish a foundation to build on throughout the season.

Up Next: Belton New Tech will return to action at the Pro-Fit Meet at Wilson Park in Temple, Texas, where the Dragons will look to continue improving as the cross country season gets underway.

Go Dragons!