The 2026 Arizona high school cross-country season officially has arrived.
The Arizona Republic is previewing the top cross-country athletes in the state. These are the top 25 boys runners in Arizona, regardless of division. The rankings are based on performances from the 2025 cross-country season, as well as the 2026 track and field season.
Flagstaff senior and Oregon commit Yohanes van Meerten is set to have a potentially historic fall, while Mesa Red Mountain senior Crew Comish aims to build on a strong track season and Gilbert Highland looks to put together another formidable squad on the team front with Chandler Basha not far behind.
We have included a poll asking readers to vote for the top athlete on our list (the poll appears after the list;
print readers can find it with this story online at azcentral.com/sports/high-schools).
The Republic's top 25 boys cross-country athletes in 2026
1. Yohanes van Meerten, Flagstaff, Sr.
He isn’t just the top runner in Arizona — van Meerten is one of the fastest in the country. He will be a contender to win Nike Cross Nationals. Broke the state record in the 3,200 meters this past spring, running 8:43.67. The question is: can he break Leo Daschbach’s 5,000-meter state record of 14:14.3? Don’t be surprised if van Meerten runs in the low-14 minute range.
2. Crew Comish, Mesa Red Mountain, Sr.
He’s looking to be the top guy in Division I this season. Finished second at last year’s cross-country state championships and swept the 1,600 and 3,200-meter state titles in D-I for track and winning the AIA title in the 1,600.
3. Brady Summers, Chandler Basha, Sr.
Coming off a breakout track season, where he shaved off nearly 30 seconds in the 3,200 to get down to 9:13.76. Will be in contention at the top of the pack for D-I. Could follow in the footsteps of recent Basha great Boston Walseth.
4. Milo Mandolini, Tucson Sabino, Sr.
The runner to beat in southern Arizona. Posted big new personal bests of 1:52.34 in the 800, 4:13.65 in the 1,600 and 9:20.94 in the 3,200.
5. Brandon Delancey, Gilbert Highland, Jr.
The state’s top returning miler (4:11.70) looks set to lead a very talented Hawks team this season, but will be pushed by his teammate, Ethan Nielsen. Delancey spent almost a month this summer at altitude training in Big Bear Lake in southern California and it shows, coach Rick Carr said.
6. Ethan Nielsen, Gilbert Highland, Sr.
He’s neck-and-neck with his teammate, Delancey, and the two will likely form the top 1-2 punch in the state. Nielsen, the little brother of former Mesa Eastmark legend Bryson (1:48.91 in the 800 meters), is one of those runners who never seems to get tired.
7. Max Martin, Page, So.
The little brother of Symond, one of the fastest 3,200- and 5,000-meter runners in state history who is now a freshman at Northern Arizona. Max looks ready to take over his brother’s spot. Ran 15:53.1 for the 5,000 last fall and 9:34.96 for the 3,200 in the spring.
8. Jet Girardi, Lakeside Blue Ridge, Jr.
It doesn’t matter if he’s from a small school – Girardi is a gamer and excels on hilly courses. In the merged results from last year’s state championships for cross-country, Girardi finished ninth overall and was the highest-placing underclassman.
9. Daequan Tigue, Glendale Deer Valley, Sr.
He gets better as the race gets longer. Coach Kevin Reigle said Tigue had the “best weekly mileage of his career” this past summer, supplemented with work on the bike and elliptical. Has a personal best of 15:42.2 in the 5,000.
10. Eli Pacheco, Queen Creek, Sr.
He has big goals for the fall after a strong spring track season, during which he ran 9:20.66 in the 3,200 and 4:19.69 in the 1,600. Has been very consistent over the summer.
11. Gabriel Lucero, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Jr.
Stepped up over the past few months in training to put him in the best fitness to start any season. Ran 15:45.8 last fall.
12. Jude Crawford, Chandler Hamilton, Sr.
He’s prepared to use those years running behind Zarian Rodriguez (14:52.1 in the 5,000 and 8:59.16 in the 3,200) as he slots into a lead role for the Huskies.
13. Ryan Baum, Waddell ALA West Foothills, Sr.
Baum will look to improve on his 2025 season, where he won the AIA Glendale Heroes Sectional and finished top 25 overall at the state championships. He also got some national racing experience, competing at the New Balance RunningLane Championships in Alabama.
14. Gavin McGuinness, Chandler Seton Catholic Prep, Sr.
Not just one of the top athletes in Division III — he’s one of only four returners in the state with a personal best under 15:40 in the 5,000.
15. Jeremy Smith, ALA Queen Creek, Jr.
ALA Queen Creek is building itself up as a distance school and Smith is a product of that with his development over his first two years. Has run 15:47.8 in the 5,000 and 9:24.17 in the 3,200.
16. John Garcia Gamez, Tucson Mica Mountain, Jr.
He was one of three underclassmen to finish in the top 20 overall at last year’s state cross-country championships.
17. Juelz Soke, Winslow, Sr.
After a cross-country season that saw him break 16 minutes on the state championship course, he’s had a “promising” summer that has coach Janeen Barton excited to see what he can do.
18. Hans Kugler, Phoenix Sunnyslope, Jr.
Had his best cross-country season yet, running 15:49.0 for the 5,000 last fall. Followed that up with a 4:24.5 in the 1,600 on the track.
19. Yonah Beatty, Alchesay, Sr.
He could be a dark-horse candidate to become the school’s first-ever individual state champion in cross-country as one of the top runners in Division III. Spent years competing against a talented Page team.
20. Blake Wamsley, Chandler Basha, Jr.
Could see a huge drop in time as he gets to train with one of the fastest runners in the state, Brady Summers. Iron sharpens iron.
21. Kyan Spence, Peoria Liberty, Jr.
Liberty and coach David Ostrus have churned out some of the best athletes in the past couple of seasons, coming on strong late in their careers. It wouldn’t be shocking if there were a similar path for Spence. Ran 15:49.0 last fall.
22. Benner Niemoth, Phoenix Brophy Prep, So.
Had a strong spring, breaking 9:30 in the 3,200 (9:27.51). He looks set to lead what should be Brophy’s most competitive team since the 2020 season.
23. Jakob Burke, Glendale Mountain Ridge, Sr.
He’s had a strong block of summer training and gained valuable experience on last year’s runner-up team at the state championships.
24. Adonai Hardin, Phoenix Washington, Jr.
Started to show what he was capable of in the fall before displaying incredible improvement in the track season, running 1:54.67 in the 800 and 4:16.86 in the 1,600.
25. Damien Chavez, Sierra Vista Buena, Jr.
He will look to take the next step after an impressive sophomore season. Ran 15:55.3 for the 5,000.
Vote: Who's No. 1?
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vote. The Republic's top 2026 high school boys cross-country athletes
