Photo: Two-time defending 5A champ Raelee Richardson of Twin Falls with a significant lead over the competition at last year's state meet. Photo courtesy of Marlowe Hereford.
Circle These Dates:
Tiger-Grizz Invitational, Sept. 11 at Freeman Park, Idaho Falls
Eagle Island XC Invitational, Sept. 19 at Eagle Island State Park
Bob Conley Invitational, Oct. 2 at Portneuf Wellness Complex, Pocatello
Idaho state championships, Oct. 31 at Portneuf Wellness Complex, Pocatello
The 2025 season added yet another illustrious chapter to Idaho high school cross country.
Eight runners represented the Gem State at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in December in Portland, two more Idaho girls joined the sub-17 minute club and 14 more Idaho boys joined the sub-15 minute club last fall. Additionally, two Idaho girls teams and one Idaho boys team made the U.S. top 30 rankings selected by DyeStat.com.
Numerous top placers from last year's state meet return this season with many more races to run. The first big weekend of races has come and gone, with a full slate of meets ahead in September.
What records will fall next, and who will be the newest additions to Idaho's all-time lists? We will find out over the next three months.
Here are some of the storylines to follow as the 2026 season is in the early going.
CLASS 6A
Idaho's all-time records for boys and girls on a 5k course fell during last year's 6A state race in Lewiston as Rocky Mountain's Hyrum Tuft (14:28.2) and Hallie Heemeyer (16:29.2) gave the Grizzlies a program-first sweep of the individual state titles. The top nine finishers in the 6A boys race all broke 15 minutes, and six of those boys were underclassmen.
Coeur d'Alene, which reached a U.S. ranking as high as No. 3 on DyeStat.com last season, was named No. 4 in DyeStat's summer preseason U.S. boys team rankings published Aug. 3. The lone senior of the Vikings' seven state runners last season was Mitchell Rietze, who is continuing his career at the University of Idaho. Everyone else returns: senior Wyatt Carr (second place at state in personal best 14:31.3, No. 2 all-time on record in Idaho), junior Rowan Henry (third place at state in personal best 14:38.9, No. 6 all-time on record in Idaho), junior Wyatt Morgenstern (sixth place, personal best 14:48.2), senior Gabriel Huele (14th place, personal best 15:07.1) and junior Blaise Howard (24th place, personal best 15:25).
Carr, who is the son of Coeur d'Alene head coach Emry Carr, committed to Syracuse over the summer. He will join 2025 Coeur d'Alene graduates and twin brothers Max and Zack Cervi-Skinner, both at Wake Forest, by continuing his career in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"We're super excited about that," Coach Carr said by phone. "It was a hard decision for him. They were fourth in the country last year in cross country."
Coach Carr said the Vikings got together on their own to run and hang out over the summer and in late July, 10 boys and four girls attended Coeur d'Alene's annual running camp at Government Camp, Ore., near the base of Mt. Hood.
"It's our biggest group we've taken there," Coach Carr said. "That's an eight-day excursion. That's the true kickoff to our season because we come back and it's dead week then fall sports for Idaho (start practices)."
The Vikings have won three consecutive boys cross country state championships--one 5A, two 6A--and were back-to-back Nike Northwest Regional (NXR) champions in 2023 and 2024, the first Idaho boys team to qualify for NXN. Two Portland teams, Jesuit and Lincoln, placed first and second at last year's NXR in Spokane, where Coeur d'Alene placed sixth.
Coach Carr said while there was some illness among the Vikings on race day, the illness was 'not an excuse for lack of execution.'
"You have to show up on the day," Coach Carr said. "From the top down to myself, clearly, I did not prepare those boys or even realize some of the other extenuating circumstances of listening to the pressure of outside noise and headspace. I thought we were ready but clearly we weren't. That still stings but we've done a lot, we've had lots of conversations, one-on-one meetings, team meetings to kind of go over how that came to be and what that collapse meant. You hear it all the time, you learn more from failure than success. One race does not define them as a team. I still believe they are one of the best groups in the country without question."
Coach Carr added that the Vikings were fairly young last year, with Rietze as the only senior at state and NXR. Now with mostly upperclassmen, he described them as more seasoned. Honesty and consistent communication also remain a strength within the program.
"I can just tell you based on the conversations and the demeanor of our team through camp and the first couple weeks of the season, it is a much more seasoned, kind of a level-headed group right now," he said. "I think it is a very honest group. Every year, we sit down at camp and go through the season Obviously things we want to achieve as a team, obviously very specifically they as athletes and we as coaches want to work on. Sometimes those things can sting a little bit...constructive criticism, how can we get better? Coaching wise, what can we do better? What can we be more mindful of? Those boys will absolutely lay it out there for their team what they know they need to work on. I would say they are laser focused on just doing everything the right way."
The right way for Coeur d'Alene consists of focusing on training, recovery, sleep and nutrition. Coach Carr said questions such as 'is this making you better' and 'is this helping my team' are part of that process of doing things the right way. As an example, he said that could look like a decision to shut off your phone earlier in the evening to commit to getting better sleep that night.
Among the newcomers to the Vikings is freshman Will Wood, who won the boys junior high invitational 1-mile championship in 4:35.56 in June at Festival of Miles in St. Louis.
"He's run faster than Wyatt Carr (did at that age)," Coach Carr said.
Morgenstern's younger brother Cody is also a freshman. Coach Carr said he anticipates much competition for the sixth and seventh spots on varsity.
"That's the one difference from last year to previous years is there's a lot of depth," he said. "That's a huge plus that we haven't consistently had."
The Vikings will again be competing at the annual Woodbridge Classic in Irvine, Calif., which is in its 45th year, in the gold division race on September 19, as well as the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational on Oct. 10 in Smokey Point, Wash., north of Seattle. Coeur d'Alene won the Hole in the Wall boys elite team title for the third consecutive year last October.
The annual Bob Firman Invitational, which took a hiatus last year after previously being hosted at Eagle Island State Park for decades, officially debuts at its new home in Spokane on Sept. 25. However, Coach Carr said his varsity runners will be competing at Woodbridge instead of Firman.
Defending Idaho 6A boys state runner-up Highland graduated four state qualifying runners but returns senior Spencer Smith (ninth place at state in personal best 14:54.6), junior Miles Olsen (64th place, personal best 16:10.6) and senior Cole Morris (67th place, personal best 16:12.1) from that group.
Rocky Mountain, which placed third at last year's 6A state meet, graduated four state qualifying runners including Tuft, but returns senior Jack Davis (32nd place, personal best 15:31.9), senior Harrison Loscher (36th place, personal best 15:39.7) and junior Jonah Bennion (39th place, personal best 15:43.9) from that group.
Fourth place Eagle graduated three state qualifying boys but returns senior Johnny Culpepper (eighth place in personal best 14:53.4), senior Kyle Pelham (47th place, personal best 15:53.6), junior Tobias Scerbo (53rd place, personal best 16:00.3) and junior Jack Lamm (72nd place, personal best 16:18.8).
Rigby senior Jonas Porter (fourth place, personal best 14:44.4) is another sub-15 returning 6A boys state medalist.
Heemeyer, who is now at BYU, and 6A girls individual state runner-up Audrey Orme of Boise (personal best 16:49.9 at state), who is now at Gonzaga, became the second and third Idaho girls on record to break 17 minutes last season. Both went on to compete at NXN last December, Heemeyer as part of Rocky Mountain's second-place NXR team and Orme as an individual after helping Boise place third at NXR. Heemeyer was Rocky Mountain's lone senior among its seven girls on its repeat 6A state champion and two-time NXN qualifying team. The Grizz return senior Brooke Thompson (fourth place in personal best 17:25), junior Eve Archibald (fifth place in personal best 17:30.3), senior Solana Lucas (23rd place, personal best 18:13.1), junior Makelle Carlson (27th place, 18:20.6), junior Ginger Gardiner (39th place, personal best 18:41) and junior Carly Hartman (46th place, personal best 18:57.4).
Second place Timberline graduated three state qualifying girls and return junior Nadia Kouskov (10th place, personal best 17:45.1), senior Harmony Smith (21st place, personal best 18:11.6), junior Kailyn O'Connor (28th place, personal best 18:27.1) and senior Avery Meyer (49th place, personal best 19:05.6).
Third place Boise graduated three state qualifying girls including Orme. The Brave return sophomore Isla Remington (18th place, personal best 18:04.8), senior Natalie Carlson (29th place, 18:29), senior Belen Hoobing (30th place, personal best 18:30.4) and senior Rosa Wilper (44th place, 18:52.6).
Fourth place Eagle graduated five state qualifying girls and return senior Betsy Reeder (13th place, 17:54.8) and senior Isabelle Elitharp (47th place, personal best 18:57.9).
Centennial senior Annie Herd (third place, personal best 17:21.9) is the top returning 6A girls individual from last year's state meet.
CLASS 5A
Both 5A individual state champions return this season: Century senior Ethan Hansen and Twin Falls senior Raelee Richardson. Hansen became Century's first boys individual cross country state champion since Aaron Jenkins in 2007 upon his 5A win in a personal best 14:51.1 while Richardson repeated as 5A girls state champion in 17:25.3.
All eyes will be on these defending champions as they pursue another title in their final high school cross country season.
All four 5A boys trophies went to eastern Idaho last season, with Skyline repeating as team champions. The Grizz graduated Alexander Renna, Kaleb Mickelsen and Desmond Swaner from that state champion team but do return senior Davis Roberts (third place, personal best 15:06.4), senior Will McCombs (ninth place, personal best 15:31.2), junior Lincoln Johnson (34th place, personal best 16:14.5), and junior Alex Mercier (45th place, personal best 16:21).
Roberts and McCombs share similar individual and team goals for their final high school cross country season. Roberts said he is hoping to break 15 minutes while McCombs is also hoping to run as close to 15 as possible. Both of them said they are striving for a three-peat team state championship and a team qualification for NXN.
"Hopefully a lot of what we've done before will help, running lots of miles in the offseason," Roberts said of what it would take to win a third consecutive state championship.
"Me and Davis have to get top places at the state meet," McCombs added. "We also have to be supportive of the rest of the team, especially our top seven."
In addition to being returning state medalists, Roberts and McCombs are grateful to be healthy to start their senior season. They both suffered the same injury just short of two years apart. McCombs missed his entire sophomore cross country season due to a sesamoid stress fracture, an injury that was prolonged by a decision to continue competing on it.
"It wasn't a good idea," McCombs said. "I was out for eight months."
McCombs opted to compete for Skyline's swim team for the 2024 season and was able to compete during the 2025 outdoor track season.
This past March, Roberts suffered a stress fracture during his spring break, which landed him in a boot for two weeks and sidelined from running until late June. He said he was allowed to lift weights above the waist and ride dirt bikes because there was no strain on his foot from those activities.
"I feel like I have more gratitude for what I do have," McCombs said of his health.
"I'm grateful for the ability to run and I'm really grateful for the friends I have that I've met through running, and the coaches," Roberts added.
The duo shared that they were close friends with the class of 2026, and expressed their hopes to carry on the legacy and be similar examples to their younger teammates.
"They were a good example of becoming a close knit team," McCombs said. "I'm hoping the younger runners can look back when they're seniors and admire the example we set and keep this tradition going."
"They really taught us that cross country is more than just running," Roberts added. "They definitely showed me that even though you're working hard and it can be so hard, you can still have fun, still smile and enjoy the time you have instead of grimacing and trying to survive it."
Class 5A looks noticeably different this season as Preston has moved from 5A to 4A. The Preston boys placed second to Skyline at last year's 5A state meet. District 5's Century and Pocatello also join District 6 to form an eight-team conference for October's district championship meet.
Roberts and McCombs both said they were excited to have the Diamondbacks and Thunder join their district.
"I think being able to race them more will be helpful," McCombs said.
Skyline head coach Sean Schmidt expects Century to do well, and also expects strong competition from Idaho Falls, Blackfoot and Sandpoint.
"Century's gonna have a great team again," Schmidt said. "They should go 1-2 at districts (Hansen and Ammon Bitton)."
Century, which placed third at last year's 5A state meet, graduated two state qualifying runners and return five including individual state champion Hansen: senior Ammon Bitton (fifth place, personal best 15:14.8), junior Hayden Olcott (18th place, personal best 15:53.9), junior Brayden Dixon (95th place, personal best 17:44.3) and sophomore Quake Hansen (104th place, personal best 17:57.8).
Idaho Falls graduated Will Monson from last year's fourth place team but return senior Jackson Bushman (11th place, personal best 15:52.9), senior Austin McCord (25th place, 16:06.3), senior Carter Boyle (30th place, personal best 16:10.9), junior Dylan Anglin (91st place, personal best 17:38.4) and senior Mason Murdock (103rd place, personal best 17:56.7).
Blackfoot junior Owen Gregory is also a runner to keep an eye on in 5A. He placed eighth last year in 15:30.2, has a personal best of 15:29 and concluded his sophomore year with a repeat state championship in the 5A boys 800 meters in May (1:50.93) and third place in the boys championship 800 final at Nike Outdoor Nationals in June in Eugene, Ore., in a personal best and No. 3 Idaho all-time 1:50.61.
Skyline's district rival Idaho Falls won the 5A girls title last year, giving District 6 a 5A team title sweep. The title was the second in program history for the I.F. girls, achieved six years after winning their first.
Idaho Falls graduated individual state runner-up Jaycee Jensen, who ran a personal best and school record 18:04.7 in Lewiston and has continued her career at Weber State. Her teammates Tess Eddington, Ivy Petersen and Aubrie Dennert also graduated.
The Tigers return junior Eliza Peck (eighth place, personal best 18:32.1), junior Lucy Okeson (29th place, personal best 19:26.1) and senior Kaylee Condit (81st place, personal best 20:59.8) from their seven who competed at state.
They began their season with I.F.'s annual 18-hour relay fundraiser on August 13 in the rain at their home track at Ravsten Stadium, conditions they welcomed after hot, dry weather for the 2025 relay.
"You get maybe an hour at a time at most," Condit said of foregoing sleep for the relay.
"I think it's better to not sleep because you have the continuity," Okeson added.
Peck, who competed in soccer and cross country simultaneously last year and went on to place second at districts and eighth at state, opted to compete solely in cross country this fall. She credited her cross country teammates, especially last year's seniors, for encouraging her to join the team after competing only in soccer as a freshman.
"I'm a lot better at running than I am at soccer," Peck said. "I made it to all the meets (last season)."
Condit and Okeson were continually impressed at how much Peck balanced as a sophomore between sports and academics.
"I was in awe the whole fall, just carrying her course load and everything," Condit said.
"It was really impressive to see her in two sports and school at the same time," Okeson added.
This trio of I.F. girls returners, like Roberts and McCombs at Skyline, were also close to the class of 2026 and are inspired by the examples they set.
"Tess was definitely a sweetheart," Condit said. "She was like a mom to us. Aubrie was like an aunt. They definitely had strong leadership."
Condit added that Jensen, who picked out different hair ribbons and glitter to wear for each race, was giddy and enthusiastic.
Passing the torch is a longstanding element of I.F's cross country program, as embodied by the team mantra of 'our roots run deep.'
"It's great when kids pass the torch on and feel the support from previous athletes, to have a lot of pride and responsibility to carry on the tradition," Idaho Falls head coach Alan McMurtrey said.
The trio said they anticipate tight competition for state qualifying spots in October's district meet with the addition of District 5's Century and Pocatello, which expands the meet to eight teams.
Peck, Okeson and Condit all said they hope to beat their personal bests this season and are thankful for the friendships, the endurance and the belief in themselves that running has given them.
"I've definitely learned I'm capable of more than I think I can do," Peck said. "I think it's made me a better person."
"It's given me a lot of endurance, not just physically but mentally," Condit added. I feel like there's nothing I can't possibly do after running these races because they're so hard."
Since the beginning of her high school cross country career, Okeson went from hating running to truly enjoying it.
"I've always been a glass half empty, Negative Nancy, then my freshman year, I started to have a complete shift about it and became a more positive person," Okeson said.
Twin Falls, which placed second in last year's 5A state girls race, returns two-time individual state champion Richardson as well as senior Elizabeth Frampton (23rd place, personal best 19:10.7), senior Lauran Garling (28th place, personal best 19:23.9), junior Bricelyn Allen (64th place, personal best 20:28.7) and junior Capri Roberts (68th place, personal best 20:31).
Bishop Kelly returns all but one of its seven runners who helped the Knights to a third place trophy last November: sophomore Clare Murphy (fourth place, personal best 18:09.8), senior Ella Klekas (21st place, personal best 19:02.4), senior Sierra Loescher (34th place, personal best 19:37.3), junior Mia Laing (56th place, personal best 20:17.1), junior Evelyn Quilici (57th place, personal 20:17.5) and sophomore Lia Glover (63rd place, personal best 20:27.9).
Skyline graduated two and returns sophomore Zoey Bailey (17th place, personal best 18:57.4), sophomore Sara Martineau (32nd place, personal best 19:35.8), sophomore Melody Chandler (33rd place, personal best 19:36), senior Allison Hansen (45th place, personal best 19:59.4) and junior Sadie Mickelsen (60th place, personal best 20:22.6) from last year's fourth-place team.
CLASS 4A
One storied 4A program added to its trophy collection while another claimed its first state title in 14 years last November in Lewiston.
The Sugar-Salem boys took the 4A title by five points over McCall-Donnelly to repeat as team champions and win its ninth title in 11 years while Timberlake won its first girls title since 2011 with a nine-point victory margin over Snake River.
The 4A landscape also adds Preston, which joins the classification from 5A. Preston placed second in the 5A boys state meet last year and won three consecutive girls titles in 4A (now 5A) from 2021 to 2023.
Sugar-Salem head coach Brett Hill ran for legendary Malad coach Terry Jones, father of current Preston head coach Tyler Jones. Hill said he expects strong competition from Preston in 4A right away. Most recently at the Terry Jones Invitational on Aug. 27 in Malad, Preston took second by one point to defending 3A state champion Malad in the varsity boys race and third in the varsity girls race--four points back of defending 3A state champion Malad and eight points back of defending 4A state runner-up Snake River.
Preston graduated three from last year's second place 5A boys team but returns sophomore Alex Scott (10th place, personal best 15:41.7), junior Ryan Burnett (12th place, personal best 15:42.9), junior Daylin Leffler (67th place, personal best 16:49.6) and senior Khai Jeppsen (78th place, personal best 17:18.6).
"They've had great programs," Hill said by phone. "I'm betting they're gonna be right there with us in the trophies. I could see them having an impact."
Hill, who is in his 36th year of coaching cross country, has used numerous superlatives to describe his previous groups of defending state champions. He had no shortage of superlatives for his returning boys, who graduated only one of their state qualifying runners from last season.
Sugar-Salem junior Darrel Dickson, the defending 4A boys individual state runner-up in a school record 14:59.3 and school record holder in the 1,600 and 3,200, has had quite the summer.
"Darrel went down to the BYU cross country camp with over 300 kids, ran the time trial and he won it, then went to the Utah State camp, had a 2-mile time trial and won it," Hill said. "This young man has probably more intrinsic drive and dedication to the craft and sport that I've seen in a long time. It's given him a lot of motivation this summer. In turn, he's pulled a lot of young men along with him--Adam Willis, his brother Bradley (Dickson), Henry Baker. I'm able to do a lot more. They built a lot bigger base."
During Sugar-Salem's preseason time trial, Dickson broke 2019 Sugar-Salem graduate Kooper Williams' boys time trial record. Hill said his returning boys are so fast, members of 2015 to 2018 Sugar-Salem state champion teams such as Williams and Brennan Anderson are barely cracking the top 10 all-time for Sugar-Salem's time trial records now.
"Every Saturday, they were getting together to go for long runs," Hill said of his returning boys. "They took it upon themselves. I hope kids do what this group has done, find their own motivation."
Hill said the word 'trackflation' is also accurate for cross country.
"It's a true thing," Hill said by phone. "They see Strava accounts from other runners. They follow professional runners."
Junior Adam Willis (seventh place at state, personal best 15:40.1), sophomore Bradley Dickson (18th place, personal best 16:23.5), junior Henry Baker (17th place, personal best 16:18.7) join Darrel Dickson as returning state medalists, as does junior Jaxon Johansen (11th place, personal best 16:05.4), who had knee surgery and returned to running in July.
Defending state runner-up McCall-Donnelly returns defending individual state champion and senior Charlie Speirs, who ran a personal best 14:53.1 to win last year's 4A boys race, senior Wyatt Packer (19th place, personal best 16:27.3), junior Kaiden Wright (24th place, personal best 16:40.3) and senior Ethan Gardner (61st place, personal best 17:46.6).
The Timberlake boys, who placed third last year, return senior Jonathan Barnhart (fourth place, personal best 15:20.6), senior Caleb Royce (eighth place, personal best 15:49), junior Joseph Sateren (20th place, personal best 16:30), sophomore Eli Royce (21st place, personal best 16:35.2) and junior Cameron Barnhart (29th place, personal best 16:50.7).
South Fremont, which placed fourth in last year's 4A boys race, returns senior Beau Ashcraft (ninth place, personal best 15:54.8), junior Slade Pachero (16th place, personal best 16:12.3), junior Adam Rupp (27th place, personal best 16:46.1), sophomore Jordan Nielson (46th place, personal best 17:12.2), senior Jonathan Hunter (69th place, personal best 18:32.8) and junior Talmage Pike (71st place, personal best 18:40).
Fruitland senior Landon Hillam is also one of the top four state finishers last year who was an underclassman. He finished third in a personal best 15:14.
The defending 4A state champion Timberlake girls graduated three of last year's state qualifying runners but return senior Lola Eggleston (third place, personal best 18:10.1), senior Emily Wright (22nd place, personal best 19:48.8) and senior Kayla Hyle (31st place, personal best 20:10.7).
Defending state runner-up Snake River graduated Mikelle Kesler from its seven state runners, but returns senior Paetyn Polatis (fifth place, personal best 18:35.7), sophomore Savaya Christensen (seventh place, personal best 18:47.9), junior Brinlee Hadley (23rd place, personal best 19:48.9), junior Gwen Jones (33rd place, personal best 20:14.1), sophomore Jocelyn Hansen (38th place, personal best 20:31) and junior Olivia Carlson (39th place, personal best 20:31.6).
Hill said Snake River is his favorite to win the 4A girls state title this season.
"Snake River probably has the upper hand," Hill said. "Looking at who they return, right now I'd say they're the favorites with us and Timberlake chasing them all year."
Sugar-Salem graduated Aubree Ricks from last year's 4A girls third place team but returns senior Janayja Jackson (ninth place, personal best 18:52.6), junior Sarah Galbraith (17th place, personal best 19:33.2), junior Hannah Dalling (19th place, personal best 19:36.2), sophomore Janaye Jackson (30th place, personal best 20:04.6), sophomore Savanna McClure (32nd place, personal best 20:13) and senior Mckenzie Bean (36th place, 20:18.4).
Hill said at Sugar-Salem's preseason time trial, Bean moved to No. 3 all-time behind 2020 graduate Sarenady Price and 2022 graduate Jaresa Jackson.
"Kenzie Bean has had an incredible summer," Hill said.
Hill added that there will be much competition for the No. 6, 7 and 8 spots on varsity.
"We've got really five solid young ladies," Hill said. "My girls have high hopes."
Teton, which placed fourth last year, graduated Raelin Gilroy but returns senior Crosby Kelly (10th place, personal best 18:53.8), senior Stella Pistoresi (14th place, personal best 19:18.2), senior Clare Hunter (25th place, 19:55.4), senior Ada Carlson (28th place, 20:01.5), junior Jessie Thackray (35th place, personal best 20:17) and senior Brinley Wilson (53rd place, personal best 21:22.5).
The 4A girls individual title is up for grabs this year upon the graduation of back-to-back state champion Annabelle Carr of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho's No. 1 all-time record holder in the girls 800 meters (2:08.67) who has continued her career at the University of Oregon.
Fruitland senior Ella Smith, defending 4A girls individual state runner-up (personal best 18:01.5) who has already won her first two races this season, is the top returning 4A girls individual from last year.
CLASS 3A
District 5 claimed both 3A girls and boys team titles last fall as Malad completed its first program sweep. The 3A sweep ended a significant drought for the Dragons. Both previous Malad state team titles (2001 for the girls, 1991 for the boys) were won under legendary head coach Terry Jones.
Malad will remain the team to beat on the girls side as all seven runners who competed at state last year return: junior Aezyln Summers (seventh place, personal best 19:12.4), senior Kaycee Venable (11th place, personal best 19:47.2), junior Ellie Angell (12th place, personal best 19:48.3), junior Brielle Bastian (14th place, personal best 19:56.7), junior Kallee Talbot (16th place, 20:03.5), sophomore Somerli Nalder (42nd place, personal best 21:52.5) and senior Jenna Talbot (45th place, personal best 21:59.3).
Ririe graduated four members of last year's state runner-up team, including individual state champion and multiple school record holder Lucy Boone, who has continued her career at Utah State. The Bulldogs return junior Eva Cragun (22nd place, personal best 20:41.2), sophomore Madeline Howell (25th place, personal best 20:47.8) and sophomore Blakely Wirkus (50th place, personal best 22:48.1).
District 5 looks different this season as Marsh Valley moves down to 3A from 4A, bringing the district to five teams.
Soda Springs graduated five members of last year's third place team. The Cardinals return sophomore Brinley Kunz (13th place, personal best 19:50.1).
Nampa Christian returns senior Phoebe Mitchell (fourth place, personal best 18:40.2), sophomore Jordyn Dwello (20th place, personal best 20:30.21), senior Bennett Olson (26th place, personal best 20:50.1), junior Addysen T Folk (36th place, personal best 21:28.2) and sophomore Avonlea Raney (38th place, personal best 21:36) from last year's fourth place team.
The top returning individual from last year's 3A girls race is West Jefferson senior Bella Spencer, who placed second in a personal best 18:17.4 and won state titles in the 800 (2:22.25), 1,600 (5:08.75) and 3,200 (11:09.01) at May's 3A track state championships.
The defending state champion Malad boys graduated individual state champion Boston Burbidge and Levi Angell (12th place) but return sophomore Jace Nalder (third place, personal best 15:38.1), senior Braun Nalder (eighth place, personal best 16:06.6), junior Dawson Beutler (30th place, personal best 16:57.6), senior Jaxon Blaisdell (36th place, personal best 17:12) and senior Carter Smith (37th place, personal best 17:14.1). Jace Nalder is the top returning individual from last year's 3A boys race.
Ririe graduated three from last year's state runner-up team and returns junior Cody Baxter (fifth place, personal best 15:50.2), senior Ethan Green (35th place, personal best 17:11.9), senior Kolt Garrett (71st place, personal best 18:50.2) and sophomore Ethan Barney (80th place, 19:59.7).
North Fremont graduated Bryce Jensen (ninth place) and Payton Linger (24th place) and returns senior Ben Reinke (sixth place, personal best 15:53), junior Grant Palmer (11th place, personal best 16:08.2), junior Andy Carmona Sosa (40th place, personal best 17:20.7) sophomore Brigham Reynolds (59th place, personal best 17:59.5) and junior Jake Linger (68th place, personal best 18:31.7).
Soda Springs graduated Dre Lloyd (23rd place) but returns senior Landon Moldenhauer (14th place, personal best 16:21.8), sophomore Reuben Uskoski (15th place, personal best 16:22.3), junior Jaxson Horsley (33rd place, personal best 17:10), junior Johnathan Beutler (69th place, 18:33) and sophomore James Birch (76th place, personal best 19:21.4) from last year's fourth place team.
CLASS 2A
Victory Charter completed a program first sweep of boys and girls cross country state titles last fall upon rising to the top of 2A. The girls put forth the most dominant win of the day for any classification, winning a second consecutive 2A state title with a score of 21 points. The good news for the Vipers--and perhaps bad news for the rest of 2A Idaho teams--is that five of those state qualifying girls return this fall: defending individual state champion and junior Alyssa Hust (personal best 18:29.03 to win state), senior Libby Stockett (second in personal best 18:40.25), sophomore Annika Snyder (seventh place, personal best 19:18.63), junior Alyssa Lee (eighth place, personal best 19:20.04) and senior Lydia Brewer (ninth place, personal best 19:26.81). In addition to the program first sweep of boys and girls team state titles, Victory Charter got its first ever girls individual cross country state champion last year with Hust.
The state runner-up Logos girls also return five state qualifiers: junior Livvia Rench (fourth place, personal best 18:55.05), junior Livia Longshore (11th place, personal best 19:29.73), junior Emma Darrah (26th place, 20:54.23), junior Claire Farley (29th place, 21:01.28) and sophomore Abigail Darrah (34th place, personal best 21:35.59).
The third place Tri-Valley girls return four of their seven state runners from last year: sophomore Macki Winkles (20th place, personal best 20:19.44), sophomore Mary Lancaster (27th place, personal best 20:55.8), senior Morgan Tabert (38th place, personal best 21:59.64) and senior Emma Ford (59th place, personal best 23:59.85).
The fourth place Butte County girls also return four of their seven state runners: junior Lydia Babcock (third place, personal best 18:42.35), junior Faith Thomander (28th place, personal best 20:57.56), junior Sarah Stewart (46th place, personal best 22:49.70) and junior Niki Stewart (48th place, 23:08.75).
The Victory Charter boys return junior JD Willey (third place, personal best 16:11.1), sophomore Santiago Pena (17th place, personal best 17:06.7), junior Oliver Kunz (22nd place, personal best 17:20) and junior Landon Miller (47th place, personal best 18:01.4) from last year's team, which won the state championship for the first time since 2022. Willey is the top returning individual from last year's 2A boys race.
Rockland returns senior Xavier Parrish (seventh place, personal best 16:33.7) and junior Nick Miskin (72nd place,18:51.7) from last year's second place team.
Logos returns junior Maxwell Grauke (eighth place, personal best 16:43.3) and senior Ben Littrell (71st place, personal best 18:49.4) from last year's third place team.
Liberty Charter returns senior Oscar Morales (29th place, personal best 17:38.8), sophomore Carter Johnson (31st place, personal best 17:41.4), sophomore Samuel Cuttlers-Boza (39th place, personal best 17:47.3) and senior Seth Mailly (64th place, personal best 18:38.8) from last year's fourth place team.
The 2A boys individual state title is up for grabs upon the graduation of Logos' John Henry Crapuchettes.