Morgantown High sweeps Quad A state cross country titles, University’s Gainer repeats as state champion
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ONA – It was a strong day for area schools in Ona at the 2026 WVSSAC state cross country meet at Cabell Midland High School.
University High School junior Micah Gainer repeated as the Class AAAA boys state champion. The 2025 state Gatorade Player of the Year finished in 15:39.7.
The Morgantown boys and girls each captured the team state championships.
The victory for the boys’ team ends a seven-year streak by the Mohigans’ rival, University.
"I thought our team ran very well," MHS head coach Mike Ryan said. "We had three in the top ten on both sides and three more in the top 20. Anytime you're getting six out of seven runners finishing as all-state runners it's a good day. We came in with a solid plan and the kids did a great job of keeping their emotions in check and staying focused."
MHS senior Joaquin Summers finished fourth overall after missing the North Region meet with injury. Fellow senior Maxwell Abildso placed seventh in 16:22.4, with junior Joshua Shrewsberry right behind him at 16:22.7. Sophomore Cole Boggs took 13th and junior Kayden Taylore finished 14th to conclude the MHS qualifying runners.
UHS senior Logan Conroy finished strong in the final stages of Saturday's race to take home third overall (16:15.3) and help the Hawks to a runner-up team finish.
MHS took home the Class AAAA girls state championship with 47 points. Sophomores Leyland Phillips (19:10.9) and Jenna Conaway (19:18.0) paced the title-winning team, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.
Senior Lauren Hawkins capped her final season for the cross-country team with a 9th-place finish at 19:34.2. Junior Tumaini Yawe finished 13th in 19:44.5, just ahead of her teammate Kylie Cline. The senior finished in 19:45.0, rounding out the five scoring runners for MHS.
Preston High finished in third in the Class AAAA girls team standings with 105 points. Freshman Taylor Grose capped off a stellar first season with the Knights with a 10th-place finish at the state meet in 19:34.9. Her teammate, junior Delaney Seese, was right behind her in 11th with a time of 19:37.3.
University senior Abigail Rogers captured third place overall in the Class AAAA girls’ race with a time of 18:55.1, pacing the Hawks, who finished fourth overall. Junior Rosalia Biundo placed 16th with a time of 19:49.3.
In the Class A competition, Region II champion Bri Blake finished third overall in 21:29.17, pacing the Warriors, who took home third place with 72 points. Three other TCS runners finished in the top 11, as sophomore Sephora Rhodes and juniors Lauren Williams and Alexandra Ayers placed 14th, 15th, and 16th, respectively.
The Warriors finished as runner-ups in the Class A boys competition with 50 points, just seven points behind St. Mary's, which had 43. Trinity Christian sophomore Jacob Stephens took fourth place overall with a time of 17:30.29. Juniors Mason Melohn and Frank Jacquez placed eighth and ninth, respectively.
Freshman Hunter Hart (14th) and senior Miles Steptoe (17th) rounded out the five runners towards the team’s score.
"I am incredibly proud of our boys team and what they accomplished today," TCS head coach John Barnett said. "They brought home another state runner-up finish and had three finish in the top nine. This group has continued to raise the standard for the program. Their commitment, work ethic, belief in one another, and willingness to compete for something other than themselves has made this an incredibly special team."
Clay-Battelle freshman Clayton Gross took home 11th place in 18:03.80. It is the third-fastest time in school history at the state meet.