The 2026 Indiana high school boys cross country season will feature a talented sophomore pool. Here are the top second-year runners to watch this season.
Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name. This list was compiled with input from local coaches.
Damian Cain, Bishop Chatard
Cain placed 14th at the North Central sectional last season. He crossed the 5K finish line at 16:29.8. He placed 50th (16:14.2) at the Brownsburg regional.
Reece Carter, Lawrence Central
Reece ran a 5K time of 21:06.9 for a 72nd place finish at the Mt. Vernon sectional last season.
Cooper Jaynes, Brownsburg
Jaynes was a middle school state champion in the 2400 and state runner-up in the 1600 as an eighth grader. He broke 16:00 as a freshman and held the freshman record in the 3200-meter run (9:36).
He placed 16th at the Ben Davis sectional with a time of 16:25.1 last season. He helped the Bulldogs win the team title. At the Brownsburg regional, he ran 17:00.9 for 108th place.
Max Lynaugh, Westfield
Lynaugh hit a personal record time of 17:14.10 in the 5K last season, according to MileSplit. He had been impressive in practice, according to Westfield coach Josh Wachtel.
Louie Pevler, Yorktown
Pevler placed fourth (16:36.9) at the Marion sectional for a Yorktown team that took home the team title last season. He placed 38th at the New Haven regional (16:40.7). He improved his postseason time with a 16:31.1 at state. He finished in 117th place.
Owen Pritchard, North Central
Pritchard hit a personal record of 16:04.9 in the 5K last season. He achieved that feat at the Brownsburg invite, placing 31st at the event.
Christian Rose, Whiteland
Rose finished his first season of cross country with a personal record of 16:28 in the 5K. He placed 11th (16:56.1) at the Shelbyville sectional for a Whiteland team that placed second as a team. He placed 55th at the Shelbyville regional with a 16:28.1.
Marshall Stout, Brownsburg
Stout ran 16:34.4 and placed 20th at the Ben Davis sectional in 2025. He placed 138th at the state meet with a 16:38.3. He held Brownsburg’s freshman record for the 3200 for part of last Spring and consistently ran 9:40 or under in the event.
Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at marc.ray@indystar.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school boys cross country: Meet the top Central Indiana sophomores to watch in 2026
Reporting by Marc Ray, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Marc Ray, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
