IR TOP 50 BOYS PRESEASON RANKINGS!

Our annual preseason rankings have begun! You have anxiously been awaiting our early look into the best high school cross country teams in Indiana...your wait is over! We will release 10 new teams each week, counting down to the preseason number 1 team! Who will it be? Where will your team rank? Check back frequently to find out!

#46 - Norwell Knights

Manchester Regional #6

State meet history: 8 appearances (last in 2000), 2 podium finishes (last in 1982), 1 runner-up title (1978)

2025 Results:

Delta Sectional: 1st place (44 points)

New Haven Regional: 7th place (274 points)

Returning Runners: (Based on results from the New Haven Regional)

Maddux Thornton (10) - 17:05 (52nd place)

Gage Reinhard (12) - 17:06 (53rd place)

Hudson Petrie (11) - 17:26 (75th place)

Easton Reinhard (10) - 17:52 (121st place)

Nathan Dupre (12) - 18:32 (181st place)

2026 Outlook: The Knights return five from a team that finished two spots but many points from advancing to the state meet. This year’s group looks capable of contending for a spot in Terre Haute, especially in the Manchester Regional that projects to be wide open among several teams after the top four teams. Norwell doesn’t project to have a stellar frontrunner; a talented newcomer to help with scoring could really turn the tables in the Knight’s favor.

#47 - Oak Hill Golden Eagles

Manchester Regional #7

State meet history: 4 appearances (last in 2005)

2025 Results:

Marion Sectional: 2nd place (71 points)

New Haven Regional: 12th place (320 points)

Returning Runners: (Based on results from the New Haven Regional)

Wyatt Hart (12) - 17:07 (56th place)

Joshua Clark (11) - 17:16 (66th place)

Cooper McQuiston (10) - 18:12 (156th place)

Eli Leak (12) - 18:13 (158th place)

Bret Hueston (11) - 18:20 (166th place)

2026 Outlook: The Golden Eagles could make the jump from relative obscurity to contending to advance to the state meet. Oak Hill does return five of seven from a sectional runner-up team, and will almost certainly get a bump from a newcomer whose track times last spring place him at nearly an All-State level as an eighth-grader. The returners seem quite a ways back from pushing for the state meet as a team, but if the Eagles can score four rather than five at most meets next fall that could drastically change the calculus.

#48 – Lake Central Indians

New Prairie Regional #9

State meet history: 18 appearances (last in 2024), 2 podium finishes (last in 1983), 1 runner-up title (1982)

2025 Results:

Highland Sectional: 2nd place (67 points)

New Prairie Regional: 8th place (223 points)

Returning Runners: (Based on results from the New Prairie Regional)

Lucca Neves (11) - 16:06 (14th place)

Trevor MacFarlane (10) - 17:42 (92nd place)

Vincenzo Pamilia (10) - 17:56 (116th place)

Patrick Grady (11) - 18:00 (122nd place)

2026 Outlook: Lake Central missed the state meet last year after three consecutive qualifications, and longtime frontrunner Ben Perschon will be missed at the top of the lineup. This is a team capable of making a push out of the New Prairie Regional, though. Junior Lucca Neves, a move-in last school year, had an excellent sophomore season in which he finished 32nd at the state meet in cross country and 11th in the 3200. His frontrunning helps LC to score four at the regional, and a young squad behind him could be ready for Terre Haute a year earlier than projected.

#49 – Fort Wayne Snider Panthers

Manchester Regional #8

State meet history: 15 appearances (last in 2011), 3 podium finishes (last in 2004)

2025 Results:

New Haven Sectional: 5th place (114 points)

New Haven Regional: 8th place (282 points)

Returning Runners: (Based on results from the New Haven Regional)

Darren Palmer (10) - 17:17 (70th place)

Raiden Boone (11) - 17:38 (95th place)

Tzin Quintana (10) - 17:50 (117th place)

Elijah Barton (12) - 17:53 (124th place)

Lucian Sipe (11) - 18:18 (164th place)

2026 Outlook: The Panthers have not qualified for Terre Haute since 2011 but a combination of young talent and an easier tournament path could put Snider in the mix. With five of last year’s seen returning, the Panthers could be led by super sophomores Darren Palmer and Tzin Quintana, both of whom ran under 10:00 for 3200 meters last spring. Assuming a big jump in performance that typically comes in tenth-grade, that duo could lead Snider to contend for one of the five spots out of the Manchester Regional.

#50 – Brebeuf Jesuit Braves

Brownsburg Regional #13

State meet history: 8 appearances (last in 2022), 5 podium finishes (last in 2021), 1 state championship (2021)

2025 Results:

Ben Davis Sectional: 7th place (166 points)

Returning Runners: (Based on results from the Ben Davis Sectional)

Beck Biggerstaff (11) - 16:57 (25th place)

Lance Eble (12) - 17:19 (32nd place)

Ollie Haug (12) - 17:28 (35th place)

Boston Christy (12) - 17:31 (38th place)

Mackie Skinner (12) - 18:03 (48th place)

2026 Outlook: The Braves return a good amount from last year’s team, but they have one of the toughest paths through the tournament, as evidenced by their finish at the sectional level. This season’s group should be more competitive, with junior Beck Biggerstaff and senior Ollie Haug leading the way. Haug had a solid track season, scoring in both the 1600 and 3200 at the sectional level before opting to compete in just the 3200 at the regional.