2026 State cross-country meet set for Saturday morning in Ona
Trending
ONA – The 2026 WVSSAC state cross-country meet will be held Saturday morning in Ona, hosted by Cabell Midland High School.
All five coverage-area schools will compete in the boys’ competition, with four doing so in the girls’ races.
Class AAA will begin the day at 9:00 a.m. with Class AAAA following at 11:00 a.m. Class A will race at 1:00 p.m. with Class AA closing the day out at 3:00 p.m.
Morgantown High won both the boys and girls North Region championships last weekend and will enter the state meet on Saturday with confidence.
"Our success this season has focused on continual improvement in the strength of our depth," MHS head coach Mike Ryan said. "All of our athletes have run personal bests throughout the season and are feeling very confident going into Saturday's race. Our plan is to run smart and run as a pack; that's what we need to execute to have success at the state championships."
At the regional meet, the MHS boys took home first place with their top runner, senior Maxwell Abildso, placing fifth. The kicker was that six Mohigans placed in the top 15, alluding to the depth Coach Ryan mentioned.
The same is true for the girls, with MHS occupying four of the top ten places last weekend. Sophomore Leyland Phillips paced the Mohigans in fourth. MHS also held fifth, sixth, and ninth.
Senior Abigail Rogers will lead the UHS girls’ side after the team placed third in the North Region.
The seven-time defending state champion UHS boys will be led by returning Class AAAA champion junior Micah Gainer, this season’s North Region champion.
Preston freshman Taylor Grose, who took eighth in the regional meet, and senior Ava Simmons pace the Knights.
Trinity Christian left the Class A Region II meet with the top four finishers in the field. Senior Bri Blake led the way with a time of 21:35.00 for first overall.
I think the biggest growth has been in our confidence, maturity, and belief in what we can accomplish. Last year, we were trying to prove that we could compete with the best teams in the state," TCS head coach John Barnett said. "We came away with regional championships for both boys and girls, and both teams finished as state runners-up. That experience showed our athletes what was possible, but it also taught them how much work it takes to get there. This year, we've been able to build on that foundation. Our runners have a better understanding of what championship-level racing requires, and they've learned to trust the process and each other. We've grown not just as individual runners, but as a program. There's a stronger belief in our team identity and in what we can accomplish together."
Clay-Battelle freshman Clayton Gross finished fourth overall in Region II with a time of 17:51.00 and will look to make a splash on the scene in his first state meet.