For Southlake Carroll senior Colby Lowe, the third time might well be the charm.

Lowe, the 2006 and 2007 UIL Class 5A boys state cross country champion, will compete with Carroll teammate C.J. Brown in the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championships on Saturday in San Diego, Calif.. This is the third consecutive year that Lowe has qualified for the race, and he has a good chance of winning. He placed 10th last year.

The event is the nation's premier high school cross country race, with the country's 40 top boys and 40 top girls competing. Runners qualified for this race by finishing among the top 10 in one of four regional qualifier races. Lowe won the boys division of the South Regional on Nov. 24 in Charlotte, N.C., where Brown finished third.

Brown, who placed third individually at the 2006 and 2007 UIL state meet, was one of only two juniors in the top 10 in Charlotte.