The boys high school cross country scene in Greater Cincinnati will look a little different this year after all three individual state champions from 2025 graduated.
With several top returners from last year’s postseason, and many runners looking to capitalize on strong track seasons, there is still the potential for multiple state champions in Ohio and Kentucky.
Take a look at the top boys cross country runners in the area this fall. Try and keep up!
Caleb Anderson, Turpin
The Spartans will have one of the strongest one-two combos in Cincinnati this season in Anderson and Carson Spencer. Anderson recorded six top 10 finishes and ran a personal best of 15:47.8 to win the district title. He also took fifth place at the regional meet and 23rd place at the state meet.
Will Fox, Summit Country Day
The junior takes over as the Silver Knights’ lead runner after Liam Woodward headlined the lineup for four years. Fox’s personal best came at Troy, a time of 16:18.5. He also took third place at the district meet, returned to Troy to take 13th place at the regional meet, and crossed the finish line at the state meet in 54th place.
Braden Franxman, Covington Catholic
The senior was consistently in the mid 16-minute range last fall and owns a personal best of 16:22.6. While he had a disappointing 76th place finish at the state meet, he is riding a ton of momentum after winning the Class 2A 3,200-meter state title in 9:17.61.
Nate Gockerman, CHCA
He was either the winner or the runner-up in every race he ran last fall. He was the district champion thanks to a personal best of 14:53.1, the regional champion, and the DIII state runner-up. He missed the final few weeks of the 2026 outdoor track season due to injury but should be back and ready to contend for a state championship in his final cross country season.
Wyatt Gockerman, CHCA
He was the reliable No. 2 runner for the Eagles in 2025, finishing in the top 15 in all but one of his races. His personal best is 15:25.8, run at the district meet. He was CHCA’s top athlete during the 2026 track postseason, finishing off his junior year with a third place finish in the 3,400-meter run and a sixth place finish in the 1,600-meter run at the state meet.
Landon Hall, Western Brown
Hall saw linear growth during his sophomore cross country season, getting a few seconds faster each week until he ran his current personal best of 16:07.39 at the regional meet. He also took 47th place at the DII state meet.
Grant Holbrook, Campbell County
He only ran three races in 2025 due to injury but still took fourth place in the region and 56th place at the state meet. Coming off a healthy track season where he took fifth place in the 1,600-meter run at the Class 3A state meet, he will contend for a cross country regional title. His personal best is 16:21.4.
Liam Holman, St. Xavier
Filling Dom Ellis’s shoes as the Bombers’ lead runner isn’t an easy thing to do, but it’s the role that Holman will fill this season. While it could be somewhat of a rebuilding season, St. Xavier returns four of its top five scorers from the 2025 state meet. Holman was a consistent No. 2 runner last year and owns a personal best of 16:15.7.
Owen Huff, Oak Hills
The junior had a stellar season in 2025, running sub-16 for the first time and clocking a personal best of 15:23.9 at the Greater Miami Conference meet. He will contend for the conference and regional titles this fall and should improve on his 44th place finish at the state meet.
Joshua Linde, Springboro
Like so many others on this list, Linde made a real jump from his freshman to sophomore seasons. He opened the season with a runner-up finish at the OHSAA Pre-Season Invitational, won the Panthers’ home meet and recorded a personal best of 15:39.21. He took ninth place at the regional meet and 35th place at the state meet.
Ethan Mann, Conner
As a sophomore, he established himself as a top-three distance runner in Class 3A in Northern Kentucky. He has a personal best of 15:29 and took seventh place at the state meet. He followed that up by taking fourth place in the 1,600-meter run at the indoor track state meet, and third place in the 1,600-meter run and sixth place in the 3,200-meter run at the outdoor track state meet.
Luke McLane, Covington Catholic
He has battled injuries throughout his career but a healthy season would give the Colonels a hefty one-two punch and keep them competitive in their first season back in Class 3A. His personal best of 15:48.5 and he took 27th place at the 2025 state meet.
Ben Moore, Ryle
He steadily improved during his sophomore cross country season, culminating in a personal best of 16:27.63, then a 51st place finish at state.
Sam Neuhaus, St. Henry
He had a stellar freshman season, finishing in the top 15 in all but one of his races, including a 14th place finish at the state meet. He was also the Class 1A, Region 4 champion in a personal best of 16:35.36.
Henry Newman, Milford
The Eagles’ girls team made waves last season but Newman really made a name for himself as the boys’ lead runner. He ran four sub-16 minute times, including a personal best of 15:42.32, won a race at Cedarville, took 18th place at the region meet and 36th place at the state meet.
Gannon Parke, Beechwood
He broke out during his sophomore season, consistently running times under 18 minutes. His personal best of 16:42.41 came with a third place finish at the Class 1A, Region 4 meet, followed by a 21st place finish at the state meet. To finish off his sophomore season, he took 15th place in the 1,600-meter run at the outdoor track state meet.
Ian Patrick, Little Miami
The Panthers have had a strong run as one of the best teams in the state over the past few years, and they’ve gotten contributions from every runner, no matter the grade level. Patrick will be slotted into the No. 2 spot this season, but is as strong of a second scorer as any school could ask for. He has a personal best of 15:21.74 and took seventh place at the 2025 state meet.
Ryne Reynolds, Little Miami
The only Eastern Cincinnati Conference runner to top Ian Patrick last year was his teammate. Reynolds won eight races as a junior, took second place at the regional meet and third place at the state meet. His personal best is 14:51.3. He is also coming off a track season where he was the DI 3,200-meter runner-up at state.
Carson Spencer, Turpin
When Anderson wasn’t Turpin’s top runner, it was Spencer. He recorded seven top 10 finishes, his highest being a runner-up finish at Ryle. His personal best is 15:55.7 that came with a fourth place finish at the district meet. He then helped Turpin advance as a team to its first state meet since 2007.
Adam Tarvin, Bishop Brossart
Tarvin was consistently the Mustangs’ top runner last fall, then showed his versatility during the track season. On the trails, he recorded six top 10 finishes, including a third place result and a personal best of 16:47.02 at the Class 1A, Region 4 meet, followed by an eighth place finish at the state meet.
Elijah Trickey, Anderson
During his freshman season, Trickey didn’t run a time under 18 minutes. As a sophomore, he skipped the 17-minute range entirely, opening the season with a time of 16:55.8 and steadily improving his personal best until he ran a time of 16:17 at the region meet.
Paras Yadav, Mason
He takes over as the Comets’ lead runner with the graduation of Caden Winship. Though he ran only six races in 2025, he used a personal best of 15:31.5 to take fourth place at the GMC meet. That was his only sub-16 minute time as a junior, but more are surely to come this fall.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top boys cross country runners in Greater Cincinnati in 2026
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
