Wake County athletes delivered a dominant performance at the 2026 N.C. High School Athletic Association cross country state championships, capturing both 8A team titles and the boys individual championship at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex.
Broughton’s boys turned in one of the most impressive performances of the championships, placing five runners among the eight finishers to win the 8A state title with just 19 points. Apex Friendship finished second with 98 points, giving Wake County the top two spots in the classification.
Broughton junior Tyler Burke claimed the individual state championship with a time of 15:21.01 in the race. Willow Spring senior Joshua Cooper finished just behind him in second place at 15:23.78.
Broughton added four more runners in the top eight: Cam Kuss finished third (15:26.72), Charlie Slawinski fourth (15:29.24), Jacob Urben seventh (15:33.96), and Gavin Clewley eighth (15:36.33).
Athens Drive also placed two runners among the top six, with Laken Anderson fifth (15:31.08) and Tripp Martin sixth (15:31.26). Green Hope’s Nathan Vo rounded out the top 10 in 15:55.85.
In the 8A boys team standings, Panther Creek finished sixth, Athens Drive seventh, and Green Hope eighth.
The girls competition Broughton another state championship to Wake County as Green Level captured the 8A team title with 67 points, edging fellow Wake County school Panther Creek, which finished second with 75 points. Athens Drive completed a sweep of the top three team positions for WCPSS schools with 120 points.
Green Level was led by freshman Chloe Campbell, who finished seventh individually in 18:50.15. Panther Creek’s Jamie Johnson followed in eighth at 18:50.74.
Green Hope freshman Riley Reeves was the highest-finishing Wake County runner in the girls race, placing third in 18:14.08. Apex’s Katelyn Brumback finished fifth (18:35.53), followed by Apex Friendship’s Meredith Wildes in sixth (18:40.38).
Willow Spring’s Jillian Luke placed ninth in 18:52.15, while Wakefield’s Ava Farr completed the top 10 in 18:52.33.
Wake County occupied six of the top eight positions in the 8A girls team standings. In addition to Green Level, Panther Creek and Athens Drive, Apex Friendship finished fifth, Green Hope sixth, and Broughton eighth.
Wake County schools also had strong finishes in other classifications.
In the 7A boys championships, Holly Springs finished fourth as a team, led by Cruz Ledford’s fifth-place finish in 15:34.89. The Holly Springs girls finished seventh in the 7A team standings.
In 6A, Middle Creek finished sixth in the girls team standings with 157 points, while Felton Grove placed ninth with 260 points.
