Crawford, Fowler Named Super Gold Cross Country Runners of the Year

West Brook's Fowler and LC-M's Crawford earn top honors for standout seasons

Published on Feb. 4, 2026

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West Brook's John Fowler and Little Cypress-Mauriceville's Marren Crawford have been named the Beaumont Enterprise Super Gold Cross Country Runners of the Year after impressive seasons that saw both athletes qualify for the state meet.

Why it matters

Reaching the state cross country meet is the ultimate goal for high school runners in Texas, and these two athletes represented their schools and Southeast Texas well among the state's best competitors.

The details

Fowler, a West Brook senior, returned to the Class 5A state meet for the second straight year, finishing 19th with a time of 15:57.90. He was the district champion and placed 7th at the regional meet. Crawford, a LC-M freshman, burst onto the scene by winning the District 18-4A title and qualifying for state, where she finished 84th in the Class 4A race with a time of 12:39.30. Despite being a newcomer, Crawford has shown she is one of the elite runners in Southeast Texas.

  • Fowler qualified for the Class 5A state meet in 2024 and 2025.
  • Crawford qualified for the Class 4A state meet as a freshman in 2025.

The players

John Fowler

A senior at West Brook High School who has qualified for the state cross country meet in back-to-back seasons.

Marren Crawford

A freshman at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School who burst onto the local running scene with a trip to the Class 4A state meet.

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What they’re saying

“What motivates me is the realization that I am just as capable as anyone else out there. If you are willing to put in the work and embrace every challenge, success will come. Motivating and inspiring my teammates to believe in that same mindset and standard pushes me even more to keep improving.”

— John Fowler (Beaumont Enterprise)

What’s next

Fowler will look to build on his state meet experience and make an even stronger showing as a senior next season, while Crawford will aim to continue her rapid rise as one of the top young runners in Southeast Texas.

The takeaway

These two talented athletes have shown the depth of cross country talent in the Beaumont area, with Fowler establishing West Brook as a consistent state contender and Crawford emerging as a freshman phenom at LC-M.