★ Cross Country & Track ★

The Red Dirt Runner

Cross country & track, all the way down

2026 ·

Oklahoma Middle School Cross Country Rankings 2026: The Early-Season List

By The Red Dirt Runner · October 2026

Oklahoma Middle School Cross Country Rankings 2026: The Early-Season List

It’s October 1st, and the middle school cross country season in Oklahoma is hitting its stride. Time for our first-ever middle school list of the season — boys and girls, one statewide list each, no class divisions. We just want to know who’s best. Fifteen boys, eight girls, every name backed by a verified 2026 mark.

A note on what this is and isn’t: this is an early-season list built strictly from results we could verify. Middle school coverage is thin — MileSplit’s leaderboards sit behind a paywall, local papers rarely publish junior high times, and it’s only October. So we’re publishing what we can stand behind and we’ll grow this list as the season unfolds. Every name below has a real 2026 mark attached. If we’re missing someone who belongs, that’s a data problem, not a talent evaluation — send us the results.

One more thing on distances: Oklahoma junior high races are a patchwork. Some meets run 2 miles, some run 3000m, some run 3200m, and the courses range from flat and fast to legitimately hilly. We’ve noted the distance for every mark. Comparing a 2-mile time on a tough course to a 3000m time on a flat one is inherently fuzzy, so we’ve used our judgment on ordering rather than pretending a time converter settles it.

Boys

The track kids are the story. The four fastest middle-school-aged 3200m times in Oklahoma this year all came on the track last spring, and they’re all in the 10:26–10:32 range. That’s serious running for 13- and 14-year-olds. A 10:26 3200m on the track translates to roughly 11:15–11:30 for 2 miles on grass, which puts all four ahead of the best pure cross country mark we’ve verified so far. We’re ranking them at the top because the fitness is the fitness — but we’ll be watching to see if it shows up on the grass this fall.

  1. Jake Mann, Sulphur — 10:26.53, 3200m (outdoor track, spring 2026). The fastest middle-school-aged 3200m in the state this year. If he runs XC this fall, he’s the favorite until someone proves otherwise.

  2. Reed Brown, Carl Albert MS — 10:28.20, 3200m (outdoor track, spring 2026). Two seconds behind Mann. That’s a duel waiting to happen.

  3. Max Denney, Byng — 10:31.38, 3200m (outdoor track, spring 2026). Right in the mix with the top two.

  4. Roman Grau, Edmond Cimarron MS — 10:31.91, 3200m (outdoor track, spring 2026). Four kids within five and a half seconds. Oklahoma’s middle school distance running is in good hands.

  5. Ricardo Ayala, Laverne (8th) — 11:42.26, 2 miles (Mooreland XC Meet, Sep 5). The fastest verified junior high cross country 2-mile in Oklahoma this season, and MileSplit’s current OK middle school No. 1 at the distance. An 8th grader running 5:51 pace on grass to open the season — that’s the real deal.

  6. Leo Winward, Bartlesville MS — 12:06.65, 3000m (Holland Hall Invitational, Sep 19); 13:26.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season Meet of Champions, Sep 12). The 3000m mark is the best of the Bartlesville boys and converts to roughly 12:55–13:05 for 2 miles. He’s the leader of a deep Bruins pack.

  7. Oliver Ellis, Bartlesville MS — 13:35.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season Meet of Champions, Sep 12). Second-fastest Bruin at the 2-mile distance.

  8. Jase Hammond, Bartlesville MS — 12:33.94, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19); 13:42.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12). Better at the longer distance — the 3000m suggests there’s more in the tank over 2 miles.

  9. Benji Castro, Bartlesville MS — 12:55.07, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19). Another Bruin under 13:00 for 3000m. The depth here is remarkable.

  10. Jatniel Castro Reyes, Bartlesville MS — 14:14.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12).

  11. Carter Shea, Bartlesville MS — 13:19.32, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19); 14:19.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12). Like Hammond, the 3000m mark is the better indicator.

  12. Caidon Bryant, Bartlesville MS — 13:37.72, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19).

  13. Levi Thrasher, Bartlesville MS — 14:08.76, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19).

  14. Joseph Laudero, Bartlesville MS — 14:18.32, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19); 15:13.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12).

  15. Jayden Brant, Bartlesville MS — 15:13.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12).

Watch list: We’re tracking Jenks MS (boys won the Mohawk Park meet Aug 29 behind Paxton F., Ethan C., and Max M.), the Booker T. Washington Invitational MS 3200m (Sep 24, 210 boys entered), and the western Oklahoma meets for names to add. The list grows as results come in.

Girls

Madisen Dennis is the clear No. 1, and it’s not particularly close right now. Her 12:58.96 for 3000m at Holland Hall and her 12:42.60 2-mile PR are the two best verified marks in the state by a comfortable margin. Behind her, there’s a real battle shaping up among her Bartlesville teammates — Kadie Tank got the better of Jillian Lindblom head-to-head at Holland Hall (4th vs. 5th), so we’re giving Tank the nod at No. 2.

The honest caveat: eight verified names is thin. MileSplit’s top three 2-mile marks this season (12:37.12, 13:13.10, 13:31.00) belong to athletes we couldn’t identify from public results, and there are 197 girls entered in the BTW MS 3200m whose times we haven’t seen. This list will look different — and longer — by November.

  1. Madisen Dennis, Bartlesville MS — 12:58.96, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19, 2nd place); 13:42.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season Meet of Champions, Sep 12, 5th place); 2-mile PR 12:42.60. The best junior high girl in Oklahoma right now. The 3000m time converts to roughly 13:50–14:00 for 2 miles on a comparable course, and her PR says she’s been faster.

  2. Kadie Tank, Bartlesville MS — 13:24.50, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19, 4th place); 14:30.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12, 14th place). Beat Lindblom straight up at Holland Hall. Trending the right direction.

  3. Jillian Lindblom, Bartlesville MS — 13:29.63, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19, 5th place); 14:02.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12, 9th place). Was better than Tank over 2 miles at the Mid-Season meet, but the more recent 3000m says Tank — for now.

  4. Penny McNall, Bartlesville MS — 13:57.09, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19, 10th place); 14:38.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12, 15th place).

  5. Madelyn Potter, Bartlesville MS — 14:04.05, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19, 11th place); 15:09.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12, 27th place). Big jump from the 2-mile to the 3000m — the longer distance suits her.

  6. Brylee Kipps, Bartlesville MS — 14:38.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12, 16th place); 14:43.25, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19, 21st place).

  7. Eden Thomas, Bartlesville MS — 14:44.00, 2 miles (Mid-Season, Sep 12, 19th place).

  8. Candace Broch, Bartlesville MS — 14:40.79, 3000m (Holland Hall, Sep 19).

Watch list: Jenks MS girls (runner-up at Mohawk Park Aug 29 behind Carmen G., Brea H., and Sophia R.), plus the full BTW Invitational MS 3200m results (Sep 24). We’re also watching for the owners of MileSplit’s top three 2-mile marks this season. Names coming as results publish.

Sources & Methodology

This is an independent ranking — our own read on who’s fastest based on verified 2026 results, not a tally of anyone else’s poll. Every athlete listed has a real, verifiable 2026 mark. No projections, no guesses, no names without times.

Results sources:

  • Mid-Season Meet of Champions, Lincoln Christian School, Tulsa — Sep 12, 2026 (junior high 2 miles). Via bartlesvilleareasports.com recap (Sep 24, 2026) and meet flyer.
  • Holland Hall Invitational, Tulsa — Sep 19, 2026 (middle school 3000m). Via bartlesvilleareasports.com recap (Sep 24, 2026).
  • Mooreland XC Meet — Sep 5, 2026 (2 miles). Via MileSplit Oklahoma rankings.
  • Outdoor track 3200m marks, spring 2026. Via MileSplit Oklahoma (boys MS 3200m).
  • Booker T. Washington Invitational entries, Sep 24, 2026 (MS 3200m seed times). Via MileSplit.

Caveats, stated plainly:

  • Thin data. It’s October 1st. MileSplit’s full middle school leaderboards require a Pro subscription, and most local outlets don’t publish junior high times. This list reflects what we could verify, not the full universe of fast 12- to 14-year-olds in Oklahoma.
  • Mixed distances. Marks below span 2 miles, 3000m, and 3200m (track). We’ve ordered by judgment, not by a conversion formula, and we’ve labeled every mark with its distance.
  • Course variance. A 2-mile on a hilly course and a 3000m on a flat one aren’t directly comparable. Head-to-head results (same race, same day) carry the most weight in our ordering.
  • Track vs. cross country. Four boys are ranked on spring track 3200m times. We believe those marks reflect genuine fitness that translates to grass, but we’ll update their positions as fall XC results come in.
  • Living document. This list will expand and reorder as the season progresses — the BTW results, the Owasso and Sapulpa meets, and October invitationals will all add names. Check back.

The Red Dirt Runner is professional, with our own ideas about who’s actually better. If you have verified middle school results we should see, we want them.