Idaho high school cross country teams and runners continued to shine in the local, regional and national spotlights last season as new classifications took effect.

Multiple individuals entered the record books, teams achieved historic firsts as well as sweeps and a number of teams represented Idaho splendidly at national caliber meets.

The 2025 season is already more than a week old, but the storylines to follow are still fresh. Here is a look at the runners and teams to keep an eye on this fall as the road unwinds to November's state meet in Lewiston.

CLASS 6A

The new 6A classification (formerly 5A) was cutthroat from the beginning of the season to the end as multiple runners and teams achieved historic success.

Boise's Jack Sheesley, Meridian's Nate Stadtlander and Couer d'Alene's Max Cervi-Skinner and Zackery Cervi-Skinner all joined the sub-15 minute club for the 5k with big personal bests in their senior seasons. Sheesley's personal best 14:36.8 last October at the Rose City Classic in Portland made him the fastest boy all-time on record in Idaho for a 5k cross country course. The Rocky Mountain girls won a program first state title while the Coeur d'Alene won for a second year in a row. Stadtlander and Meridian teammate Paisley Taylor made their own history upon sweeping the 6A individual titles, becoming the first boy and girl from the same school to win individual cross country state titles at the same meet in Idaho's largest classification since 1975 when Twin Falls' Rick Murray and Brenda Falash won Class A titles. Taylor was also Meridian's first ever girls individual cross country state champion.

Two weeks after the state meet on the exact same Eagle Island State Park course, the Rocky Mountain girls and Couer d'Alene boys swept team titles at Nike Cross Northwest Regionals (NXR)--a first for Rocky Mountain, a repeat win for Couer d'Alene--to represent Idaho at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in December in Portland.

A number of teams also received regional and national recognition leading up to the state championships. In October 2024, Boise was ranked No. 1, Timberline No. 3, Capital No. 5 in the Northwest girls rankings and Coeur d'Alene was ranked No. 2 in DyeStat.com's Northwest boys rankings. The same month, the Boise girls were ranked No. 22 in Dyestat.com's national team rankings and Coeur d'Alene was ranked No. 13 in the boys national team rankings. At one point, Boise, Capital, Timberline and Rocky Mountain were all included in DyeStat.com's Northwest regional girls team rankings.

The Rocky Mountain girls (No. 17) and Coeur d'Alene boys (No. 7) were both included in DyeStat.com's preseason national team rankings released Aug. 13.

The early season consensus is that Coeur d'Alene is once again the 6A boys team to chase.

"They've created a really high standard in the state on the boys side," Rocky Mountain head coach Jeff Howard said by phone. "It's great what they've done for Idaho. I think you're gonna see boys teams one through six as its deep as it's ever been on the boys side. I'm hopeful that other coaches are like me and are gonna motivate their boys to step on the line and train and be the best version of themselves."

Coeur d'Alene head coach Emry Carr said the Vikings' mantra is 'we before me,' and they have embraced and maintained a brotherhood.

"It is not about single individual ever," Carr said by phone. "It is always about the team, putting the team first. That's something special about the boys team is they're 100 percent committed to that. When it comes to the news and the noise, it doesn't matter what the rankings are. We have to perform every single time that we step on the grass. We have to be willing to run for each other. Those boys are so tightly connected with each other. They meet up on the weekends. They're hanging out. At the same time, the work we ask them to do, it can't always be fun and games. They do a really good job of taking on those tasks together, being super committed to their craft. They're unbelievably consistent in the work that they've put in."

The 'next man up' mentality has been passed down from recent alumnus such as Lachlan May and Jacob King in 2024 to the Cervi-Skinner twins and Kyle Rohlinger this past spring to their teammates Wyatt Carr (junior), Gabe Heule (junior), Rowan Henry (sophomore), Mitchell Rietze (senior) and Wyatt Morgenstern (sophomore), all of whom return from last year's state championship and regional championship team. Carr, Heule, Henry and Rietze all earned medals at state last year, and Carr and Rietze have been on two state championship and regional championship teams.

Coach Carr said the younger returning runners have been competing and training at a high level for years, as well as traveling together to elite meets such as Junior Olympic Nationals. Carr said Henry, for example, won a national title at eight years old.

"We've been fortunate enough to have enough depth that the next person steps up," Coach Carr said. "It's an overall mentality that they don't want to let each other down. They don't want to let their brothers down. Obviously our goal is to certainly make it back to NXN, but also vie for a podium spot."

Coach Carr said it has been a passion for him to coach at both Coeur d'Alene High and with North Idaho Distance Project, a club team numerous North Idaho high school runners compete for in the winter and summer, and to see the participating athletes have opportunities to represent their local communities as well as represent Idaho. Coach Carr also gave much credit to Allison Howard, who is the Junior Olympic team coach, for helping to build the program to what it is today.

"That program is benefiting everyone in the north," coach Carr said. "I get to make really strong connections with those athletes. Especially the ones that come to CHS, I get to continue to see them on a daily basis. We've got a ton of parent volunteers. The only downside is, because of knowing these kids for so long, it is hard to see them go."

Rocky Mountain graduated four from its second place 6A boys team, Boise graduated four from its third place team and Mountain View graduated two from its fourth place team.

Rocky Mountain graduated Brooklyn Hom, Emme Hamm and Chloe Pollock from its state champion and regional champion team. Coach Howard, who was a member of the 2008 North Central (Wash.) NXN champion boys team, said the 'stars aligned' for the girls' team last year and the standard and culture were created for the program.

"The girls last year came together and experienced something that was historic for our program," Howard said. "Our boys had traditionally been the group that had been trying to make NXN for five years. the stars aligned. I think the girls soaked it all up and obviously it creates a standard for our program. The challenge is to make it their own and not live in the shadow of last year's team."

Hallie Heemeyer (senior), Brooke Thompson (junior), Makelle Carlson (sophomore) and Eve Archibald (sophomore) all return for the Grizzlies, with Heemeyer, Thompson and Carlson earning medals at state last year.

Howard said his four graduating boys left the program in good hands, and he is seeing the turnout start to grow for the girls' team in a way that the boys' team has grown the last eight years. He said usually the girls' team has around 35 runners. As of mid-August, the total is in the mid-40s.

Last year's girls team established trust and belief in each other, and Howard said one of the tasks before the Grizzlies is to establish trust within this year's team.

"You have new kids in those roles," Howard said. "For us, it will be rebuilding that trust again even though we got to one of the peaks of one of the mountaintops in our sport. Make sure your team cares about them, make sure they know their coaches love them unconditionally."

Howard said he also anticipates some of the fiercest competition in the Northwest to occur among the 6A District 3 girls programs just like last year. Timberline, which took second to Rocky Mountain at state and third at NXR, graduated only one state qualifier, third-place Capital graduated two and fourth place Boise graduated one state qualifier.

"(Boise head coach) Aaron Olswanger is one of my good friends," Howard said. "The Boise girls are gonna be so good and Timberline is so young. I would say that's three of the top five of the 16 in the Northwest being from our district, which is awesome."

Looking to the individual races, both 6A titles are up for grabs upon the graduation of Stadtlander and Taylor.

Coeur d'Alene junior Wyatt Carr is the fastest returning 6A boy from last season with his personal best 15:03.2, followed by Mountain View senior Koda VanDahlen (15:21.8). Rocky Mountain senior Hyrum Tuft (15:40.1 last season, 15:31.8 so far this season) and Eagle's Johnny Culpepper (15:54.9 personal best) join Carr as the top returning 6A boys medalists.

Boise seniors Audrey Orme and Lucy Spiess are the fastest returning 6A girls with respective personal bests of 17:22.50 and 17:52.5 last season. Orme placed second and Spiess fifth at the state meet and they are also the only returning Idaho girls of any classification to have previously broken 18 minutes for the 5k. Additionally, Orme is the first Idaho girl so far this season to have broken 18 minutes, running 17:54.8 on Aug. 30 to win the Jimmy Driscoll Invitational at Bishop Kelly High School. Heemeyer (third place at state) is right behind them with her 18:05.6 personal best from last season, which she already improved on with an 18:00.7 on Aug. 28 to win the Jerome Invite. Timberline senior Sasha Livingston (18:21.9 personal best last year) and Eagle junior Betsy Reeder (18:16.5 last year) join them as top returning 6A medalists.

CLASS 5A

The new 5A classification (formerly 4A) featured numerous underclassmen medalists, a razor-thin boys' team title race and an eight-point victory on the girls' side at last year's state meet.

Skyline took the one-point win over district rival Idaho Falls for the 5A boys state title, with Skyline's Kaleb Mickelsen leaning past IF.'s Carter Boyle at the finish line. Skyline and Idaho Falls each graduated two state qualifiers from last season.

Skyline head coach Sean Schmidt said the Grizzlies have a target on their backs and the Grizzlies were not entirely pleased with the narrow victory last season.

"Some of the kids put in 300 miles this summer, some kids put in 500," Schmidt said after a mid-August practice at Skyline.

Skyline returns Alexander Renna (senior), Davis Roberts (junior), Desmond Swaner (senior), Mickelsen (senior) and Nicholas Smith (senior) from last year's state team, with Renna, Roberts and Swaner as returning medalists. The Grizz also add junior Will McCombs, who last competed in cross country as a freshman before missing all of last season due to injury.

Renna and Roberts, who like Schmidt also took time for interviews after practice, said they took time off after state track before resuming training for cross country season. While gradually building up their mileage, they went about it in different ways.

Renna said he enjoys evening group runs on the Idaho Falls greenbelt.

"It's a nice time to run with friends," said Renna, who placed sixth at state last year. "If you run a little earlier, you get to watch the sunset."

Roberts, like his three older siblings when they competed for Skyline, joined his dad Eric on trail runs over the summer in both Idaho and Wyoming.

"We went to Palisades, we went to the Bechler Ranger Station in Yellowstone," said Roberts, who placed eighth at state. "A couple weeks ago, we ran in the Tetons."

While Renna and Roberts both acknowledged the pressure of being on a defending state champion team, they expressed confidence in their training and the fact they know what it takes to win a title. Individually, each of them would like to improve upon their personal bests.

"I just really want to build off the seasons I've had in track and cross country, working harder in practice, working smarter," Renna said. "I definitely want to PR. I want to end my senior year in a place that is something I'll always remember."

"I really want to get a sub-5 minute mile pace for the 5k," said Roberts, who has a personal best of 16:08. "That's right around 15:30. I'd like to get that at the end of this year. Personally, I'd like to be top five (at state)."

Like Schmidt, Renna and Roberts said they expect the top competition in 5A boys to be from Districts 5 and 6, especially with so many underclassmen who placed at state last year.

"There's a lot of dedicated teams in this area," Renna said.

Renna is the fastest returning 5A boy with his personal best 15:46.4 from last season, followed by Bonneville senior Giryan Jones' 15:46.9. Jones placed third at state while Renna was sixth. In between them in fourth and fifth were Century's Ethan Hansen and Ammon Bitton, both of whom are now juniors who ran respective personal bests of 16:01.1 and 16:01.9, respectively, last year, and have since lowered those times to 15:51.1 and 15:51.5 on Aug. 28 at the Madison Dash. Century placed third at state last year, and, like Skyline and Idaho Falls, only graduated two state qualifying runners.

The 5A boys individual title will be up for grabs upon the graduation of Jack Tobin, who was one of three seniors on Bishop Kelly's fourth place team. In addition to Renna, Jones, Hansen, Bitton and Davis, Idaho Falls junior Austin McCord (16:07.7 personal best last season, seventh place at state) returns, as does Blackfoot sophomore Owen Gregory (16:25.9 personal best last season, 11th place at state), who won the 5A boys 800 state title in May.

Renna and Roberts, who are the latest siblings in their family to run on state championship teams for Skyline, credited their coaches and teammates for instilling the dedication and passion for cross country they now have. Renna said one of Schmidt's biggest priorities is to help his athletes not only become better runners, but better people.

"(My coaches) taught me how to be dedicated to something, to go that extra mile, to set goals and meet those goals," Renna said. "I think that is something that will serve me for the rest of my life. It's also been nice sharing these experiences with good friends who I consider family and participate in this great sport. I feel like I'm a better person because of it."

Roberts said cross country has made him want to be better to all the people who support him.

"I'd definitely say that it has taught me to be dedicated," Roberts said. "When I want to do something, I want to do it well. It's made me want to be a better son, too. My parents, they always come to my races. It's super fun being part of this community."

Twin Falls graduated one from its 5A girls state champion team, which claimed its first state title since 2016 (4A). The Bruins are led by junior Raelee Richardson, who is defending 5A girls individual state champion and the fastest 5A girl from last season with her personal best 18:12.9. Lauran Garling (junior), Lydia Lee (senior), Eliza Oler (junior), Elizabeth Frampton (junior) and Gloria Hernandez (senior) also return for the Bruins, with Garling and Lee joining Richardson as returning state medalists.

Second place Bishop Kelly graduated one state qualifying runner from its second-place team, Preston graduated four from its third place team and Idaho Falls graduated one from its fourth place girls team. Eight points separated the first and second place trophies and two points separated the third and fourth place trophies.

Upon concluding Idaho Falls' annual 18-hour relay start of season fundraiser at Ravsten Stadium the morning of August 15, Idaho Falls' Jaycee Jensen took time for an interview and shared her thoughts on the steep competition that is anticipated among the 5A girls this fall. A three-time state qualifier who has a personal best 18:58, Jensen became I.F.'s first individual girls district champion in exactly a decade last October and ran a season best 19:03.6 last fall. She also won the 5A girls 3,200 state title in May.

"I think it's gonna be really tight again (for state trophies)," Jensen said. "Twin Falls has such a good team. I think we're gonna have a lot of PRs."

In addition to Richardson and Jensen, Skyview senior Camilla Freeman, who placed second at state last year and owns a personal best 19:17, also returns, as does Blackfoot sophomore Sailor Tomazin (fifth place at state, personal best 19:21.3). Seven of last year's top-10 finishers were underclassmen.

CLASS 4A

After not qualifying a boys team for state in 2023 and placing second on the girls' side that same year, Sugar-Salem bounced back in a big way at last year's state meet.

The Diggers swept the team titles in their first ever season in 4A, completing their first program sweep of the cross country state team titles since 2020 at the 3A level.

Furthermore, they accomplished that team title sweep with a combined four seniors between the boys and girls teams.

"We're gonna be good for the next couple years," Sugar-Salem head coach Brett Hill said. "We hope to go to state and do what we did last year."

Sugar-Salem returns boys state medalists in junior Adam Willis (ninth place), sophomore Darrel Dickson (10th place), junior Nathan Dalling (15th place) and sophomore Jaxon Johansen (17th place). Senior and state qualifier Kache Rasmussen also returns.

The Diggers traveled to Hill's hometown of Samaria for their annual team camp during the first official week of practice, and it was there that they showed their potential.

"At camp, our time trial the boys time trial was the best its been ever," Hill said. "We have really good young kids. Just the expectation that the experienced kids have on the younger kids, the younger kids see that and follow that same example. It's like a snowball rolling downhill."

For the girls, Sugar-Salem returns state medalists junior Janyja Jackson (fourth place), sophomore Hannah Dalling (ninth place) and sophomore Sarah Galbraith (13th place). State qualifiers also return in junior Mckenzie Bean and senior Sophie Clark.

"It looks to be a promising season," Hill said.

Hill said he anticipates competition from his own district in defending 4A boys and girls state runner-up Teton, which graduated one girl and four boys from its state qualifying runners. He also mentioned the Snake River girls, McCall-Donnelly boys and Coeur d'Alene Charter girls as teams to watch. Third place girls team Timberlake graduated two state qualifying runners and fourth place girls team Snake River graduated three. On the boys side, third place Snake River graduated three while fourth place McCall-Donnelly graduated one.

The 4A boys individual title is anyone's for the taking upon the graduation of Teton's Zane Lindquist. McCall-Donnelly junior Charlie Spiers, who placed second at state last year and finished last season with a personal best 15:49, is the top returning 4A boy. Other returning medalists not from Sugar-Salem include Weiser senior Blake Quinton (third place at state, personal best 15:54), McCall-Donnelly senior Jacob Mascheroni (fourth place at state, personal best 16:01.6) and Teton senior Lincoln Smith (seventh place at state, personal best 16:12.4).

Coeur d'Alene Charter senior Annabelle Carr is defending 4A girls individual state champion and also the fastest returning 4A girl in Idaho with her personal best 18:02.2 from last season. Carr placed fifth at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic Nationals last December in Indiana, a meet she reached after advancing through two qualifiers in November. She also ran 2:10.54 for the 800 at Nike Outdoor Nationals this summer, which is No. 2 all-time on record in Idaho.

Additional top returning 4A girls include Timberlake senior Vanessa McLachlan (second place at state, season best 19:09.4), Snake River junior Paetyn Polatis (third place at state, personal best 18:54.6) and Teton juniors Clare Hunter (fifth place, personal best 19:52.3) and Ada Carlson (sixth place, personal best 19:53.2).

All top 10 finishers at the 4A girls state meet last year were underclassmen.

CLASS 3A

Ririe celebrated twice at last year's 3A state meet, and those celebrations were decades in the making.

The girls team won their first cross country state championship in exactly 30 years, getting the victory after back-to-back second place finishes to Soda Springs by a combined eight points the previous two seasons. Their winning margin last November was seven points, fittingly over Soda Springs.

Not even two hours after that historic win, the boys team won its first state title in 28 years, beating out pre-race favorite Malad by 17 points. Before the boys team even left the finish area, the girls team ran over to meet them on the other side of the barrier to jump up and down with them and share tears and cheers.

The Bulldogs return a combined 10 runners from their state championship teams. Seniors Lucy Boone (second place at state), Lauren Robson (12th place), Jayci Baxter (18th place) and Hailey Robson (20th place) all earned medals for the Bulldogs, who also return sophomore Eva Cragun. The boys return medalists in senior Thomas Henderson (sixth place), sophomore Cody Baxter (10th place), senior Spencer Barney (11th place) and senior Jack Jones (19th place). State qualifier and junior Ethan Green also returns for the Bulldogs.

While acknowledging that there is a 'little bit of pressure' as defending state champions, Ririe head coach Pat Bragassa said he is choosing to look forward rather than backward.

"It's hard to say who is better (right now)," Bragassa said of his teams, pausing after a mid-August practice at the 7N Ranch Red Barn in Heise for an interview. "With our girls, it's been business as usual. They definitely know what it's gonna take to win again. The boys, we have less seniors (than the girls), but good leadership. Barring injury, I expect our guys to be back in it."

Barney and Boone, taking time for interviews after that same practice in Heise, said the cross country runners have received more respect at school since the historic sweep and they and their teammates are motivated.

Boone, who placed second at state last year and is the top returning 3A girl from last season, said the Bulldogs can't enter this season assuming they are guaranteed to win again just because they won last year.

"Our coach tells us, 'it's hard to win it the first time, but it's even harder to win it the second time,'" Boone said. "One of the biggest things is we have to stay humble. We have to keep working hard."

Barney expressed the importance of setting an example for his younger teammates and focusing on the big picture when setting goals.

"We have new guys coming up," Barney said. "We want to leave that motivation with the program so that after we're gone, we leave that with the runners we're passing it down to."

Both Boone and Barney said the team goals are more important to them than individual goals. However, they do have certain times in mind they are aiming for this fall. Boone is still chasing after a sub-19 minute time after running a personal best 19:02.3 to win the 3A District 6 championships last season in Terreton.

"I wanted to do that all last year and I came really close," Boone said. "I was surprised I ran such a fast time there."

Barney has a personal best of 17:25.3, which he said he'd like to lower significantly.

"I'd like to be low 16s," he said.

Boone and Barney credited cross country for teaching them to endure through difficulties and to have satisfaction at accomplishing something that is challenging. They described their teammates fondly, adding that cross country has allowed them to 'meet the best people.'

"My teammates are some of my best friends," Boone said. "They're genuinely good people. A lot of other sports teams struggle because of the drama they have. We've never had drama on our team. We all want to win. we know what it takes now."

"I think we've got a great mix of people,' Barney said. "We have people who keep us going and lock us in, then we have people who make sure we have fun."

They also credited Bragassa, a longtime member of the eastern Idaho running community who moved to Idaho from Wyoming in 1988 and is in his second year as Ririe head coach. His wife Jodi has coached the Ririe middle school programs for years and also coaches the high school runners.

"We couldn't have done any of this without Pat," Boone said.

"Pat made it happen," Barney added.

Defending girls state runner-up Soda Springs graduated four of their state qualifying runners, third place team North Fremont graduated three and also had a runner transfer to another school and fourth place Malad graduated none. Malad had five freshmen, one sophomore and one junior run at state last year.

Not many runners graduated from any of last year's 3A boys trophy teams. Defending boys state runner-up Malad graduated one, third place West Side graduated two and fourth place Nampa Christian graduated two.

The 3A boys and girls individual state titles will go to new runners this year upon the graduation of three-time boys champion Corbin Johnston of North Fremont and girls champion Megan Atkinson of Parma. Barney, who is a first cousin of Johnston, said he anticipates the boys title to go to another eastern Idaho runner.

"There's a lot of guys that are going to get after it," Barney said. "I think it will be someone from our conference or District 5."

West Side senior Ethan Willis is the top returning 3A boys runner, placing second at state last year and owning a personal best 15:57.4. Malad senior Boston Burbidge was right behind him in third and has a personal best 16:16, and North Fremont senior Bryce Jensen, who placed seventh, has a personal best 16:48.7.

Beyond Boone, there were three other underclassmen to place in the top 10 of last year's 3A girls state meet: North Fremont's Eliza Bingham in sixth place (now a sophomore, personal best 19:51.6), Malad's Aezlyn Summers in seventh place (now a sophomore, personal best 19:55.5) and Soda Springs' Ellie Wood in eighth place (now a senior, season best 19:46.1 as a junior).

CLASS 2A

According to the Idaho State Journal, Rockland had no boys cross country program until less than 10 years ago. That inaugural team did not have enough individual runners to contribute to scoring at meets, which put trophies out of reach for the Bulldogs.

Rockland ascended to the top of the podium to claim a blue trophy and a banner upon winning state titles the past two seasons, one in 1A and one in 2A. The Bulldogs graduated two from last year's state title team, including program first individual state champion Hayden Smith. Returning for Rockland is junior Xavier Parrish (eighth place last year, personal best 17:13.22), senior Woodrow Lowder (12th place, personal best 17:34.2), senior Iver Hendrickson (25th place last year, season best 18:12.86), senior Brigham Hubbard (31st place, personal best 18:29.85)  and senior Brandyn Trudgen (44th place last year, 19:01.12 personal best).

Defending state runner-up Logos graduated three from its team, third place Grace graduated one and fourth place Victory Charter graduated none. However, Victory Charter did have a runner transfer to another school.

The Victory Charter girls made history last season upon winning their first cross country state title, and in impressive fashion with six medalists. The Vipers won that title with only one senior. Victory Charter returns senior Taliah Rogers (second place at state, personal best 18:40.1), junior Libby Stockett (fifth place, season best 19:47.1 as a sophomore), sophomore Alyssa Hust (seventh place, season best 19:49.1 as a freshman), junior Lydia Brewer (11th place, personal best 20:07.4), sophomore Leah Ray (13th place, personal best 20:46.2) and sophomore Alyssa Lee (16th place, personal best 20:51.3). Thus far this season, Hust and Stockett have recorded new personal bests of 19:21.7 and 19:44.7, respectively, Aug. 30 at the Jimmy Driscoll Invitational.

Defending girls state runner-up Grace graduated three, third place Raft River graduated three and fourth place Valley graduated four.

Both 2A individual state titles are anyone's for the taking this fall upon the graduation of Smith and Grace's Cally Coleman, both of whom are the first individual cross country state champions from their respective schools. The top returning 2A boy is Logos senior John Henry Crapuchettes, who placed second last year and owns a personal best 16:08.8. Victory Charter senior Caleb Schlerf, who placed seventh last year, has a personal best 16:45.3 and Valley senior Eoin Schulze placed 10th last year and owns a personal best 17:25.3.

Beyond Victory Charter runners, the top returning 2A girls individuals include Leadore senior Azelynn Jones, who placed third last year and has a personal best of 19:43.4, Grace sophomore Lily Coleman (fourth place, personal best 19:50.5) and Butte County sophomore Lydia Babcock (ninth place, personal best 20:24.4).