Welcome, friends of Batesville High School and Junior High School cross country, to this comprehensive unofficial 2026 report. Official results may be found by date and race name at ar.milesplit.com/results.
Yearly results list season-to-date times for all runners, with matching times from past years for returning runners. Junior high races range from 1.55 to 2 miles, and may vary from meet to meet and sometimes from year to year at the same meet. The tables generally make note of that.
5A East Preview, Paragould, Oct. 27
The young guns of the Pioneers give the boys a fighting chance at the 5A East team titles Tuesday at Paragould.
The host Rams won the senior high boys title at their invitational in September, with Batesville runner-up on the grassy course on the edges of the Paragould Country Club. On the day, Paragould had five runners before Batesville’s third. The junior high boys also finished runner-up that day, with one of their top five unavailable as they were just edged by Annie Camp. The strong junior team ran undefeated in 2025 and have only two narrow defeats this season: six points at Paragould, and three points behind Greene County Tech last week at Valley View.
The narrow seconds for the youngsters fuel the hopes for district: Freshmen Rees Brown and Nate Mason ran senior high at the Blazer Invitational while freshman leader Will Henry Hogue sat out nursing a strain. Brown finished right behind senior Samuel Swanson and sophomore Hayes Yarnell with top senior Alan Aguilar not racing. Swanson was the third Pioneer behind Aguilar and Yarnell at Paragould, but has since chopped a minute off his time to close up the pack. Hogue has been just ahead of Brown in junior high races, so his return should make a tight pack of five closely matched with the Rams this time around. Mason, sophomore Luke Swanson and senior Carsten Byers have the speed to hang close and to challenge the fourth and fifth runners of the rest of the district.
Meanwhile, seventh-grader Everett Fisher and eighth-graders Braden Grant and Jude Swanson have stepped right to the front where the freshmen left off. The squad’s depth remains impressive, with three more freshmen — Dash Carpenter, Corbyn Wooldridge, and Risley Walker — not 30 seconds behind Fisher at Valley View. That gives the younger guns six chances against five for Annie Camp and GCT, the only teams to top the junior Pioneers these two seasons.
Every point will count with so many runners so closely matched. Whoever wins the side-by-side battles will win the day.
The Lady Pioneers are solidly in the middle of the district, both senior and junior high. Junior Darcy Nikkel and sophomore Aurora Tickner have led the senior high all season in the top quarter of the competition. Seniors Lydia Montgomery and Ava Jeffery provide midfield depth with sophomore JulieAnna Chunn. Dedicated senior Nallely Cruz winds down her career having improved three minutes a mile over her pace new to the sport as a sophomore.
Ninth-grade newcomer Jalyn Insell, ninth-grade veteran Lea Wilson and eighth-graders Astrid Seely and Kenzie Rodgers have traded first four places throughout the season, mostly in the top 15 percent of the field. Ninth-graders Scout Nappi and Viga Morales-Szulga helped the squad as fifth scorers for solid team finishes from second to fifth throughout the season.
Valley View Blazer Invitational, Oct. 20
With the shadow of loss from a Monday car crash hanging over Pioneer Nation, fair weather and a no-quit spirit brought a bit of warm feeling for the cross country family at Joe Mack Campbell Park.
Among 36 Pioneer finishers in the four events, 15 ran their best ever at their distance. The venue for host Valley View’s invitational is notoriously windswept and the seasonal timing of the races usually means rain or chill, but this year the temperature was mid-70s with only the gentlest of occasional breezes. The Pioneers took full advantage.
The junior high girls stepped off first and eighth-grader Astrid Seely (20th, 11:26) finished strong with ninth-grader Jalyn Insell (22nd, 11:32) chasing hard on her heels to the line, swapping places from last week. Ninth-grader Lea Wilson (31st, 11:53) and eighth-grader Kenzie Rodgers (36th, 12:02) gave the ladies four finishers in the Top 40 of 169 in all. Fifth scorer Scout Nappi (78th, 13:39) helped the team to fifth of 15 scoring schools of 25 attending. Soccer cross-trainer Insell naturally kicked it in for her PR at the 2.5K distance on the flat, fast, sports complex grounds.
The junior high boys had the best day for the record books, as seven of 13 ran their fastest ever at 2500 meters, and collectively finished second just three points behind Greene County Tech. All of that with usual frontrunner Will Henry Hogue resting a leg strain and the next two leading freshmen, Rees Brown and Nate Mason, moving up to senior high for the end-of-season races.
Seventh-grader Everett Fisher (16th, PR 9:43), and eighth-graders Braden Grant (26th, 10:01) and Jude Swanson (31st, PR 10:06) stepped right up against conference rivals they’ll see at next week’s 5A East championships. Freshmen Dash Carpenter (32nd, 10:08), Corbyn Wooldridge (34th, 10:10) and Risley Walker (37th, 10:11) again finished in a pack giving the boys six in the top 40 and hinting at depth for years to come for the senior high. Behind the PRs for Wooldridge and Walker came two more with eighth-graders Kip Eoff (11:33) and Liam Brookshire (11:48). Lucas Murrah (14:04) also sped to his best finish in his first year with the team.
The senior high boys had a bit of a forward-into-tomorrow look with seniors Alan Aguilar and Carsten Byers not traveling while freshmen Brown and Mason went the 5K distance for the first time as Pioneers. Including their debuts, all seven of the gents logged their fastest finishes, with senior Samuel Swanson (17th, 18:31) leading the way, seconds ahead of sophomore Hayes Yarnell (19th, 18:33). Brown (22nd, 18:44) kept the upperclassmen in sight all the way in an impressive rehearsal for next week’s district challenge. Middle brother Luke Swanson (40th, 19:55 on family PR day) and senior veteran Reece Wixson (21:50, chopping 2:30 off his previous best) gave the scoring five a solid fifth place of 11 scoring teams from 26 schools. Only Valley View finished higher among conference rivals, with early season leader Paragould not in attendance. Sophomore Charlie Brooks improved more than a minute to 25:50. Mason ran 22:57 in his inaugural 5K.
Lady Pioneer junior Darcy Nikkel (32nd, 25:26) and sophomore Aurora Tickner (44th, 27:01) finished in the top half of the field of 92. Seniors Lydia Montgomery (27:34) and Ava Jeffery (28:12) ran well with twin Scarlett Tickner (32:19) rounding out the scoring five. Newcomer Milly Newton-Crowe, a sophomore, ran 34:10 and senior Nallely Cruz 38:51 as score displacers.
RESULTS: Blazer Invitational results at ar.milesplit.com
NEXT UP: The 5A East championships are at Paragould beside the country club Tuesday, Oct. 27, with senior girls starting first at 4:45 p.m. District schools are Annie Camp Junior High, Batesville, Greene County Tech, MacArthur Junior High, Marion, Nettleton, Paragould, Searcy, Valley View, West Memphis.
Bald Knob Invitational, Oct. 13
A difficult course and tough competition made the rewards all the sweeter for Pioneer runners Tuesday at the Bald Knob Country Club.
The junior high boys once again showed their strength and depth, finishing first of 25 schools entered overall, and first of 13 teams in the 4A-6A class. Freshman Rees Brown led the way in fifth place in 10:49 for the longer-than-usual 1.8-mile course. Classmate Will Henry Hogue ran cautiously protecting a strain, still earning a Top 10 T-shirt and Top 20 medal in seventh at 10:56. The scoring five bunched within 75 seconds with Nate Mason 22nd in 11:51, Jude Swanson 26th in 11:59 and Corbyn Wooldridge 28th in 12:04. Eight Pioneers made the top 50 of 201 finishers, as Risley Walker ran 12:13 for 34th, Braden Grant 12:20 for 36th and Everett Fisher 12:39 for 45th.
The senior boys went one better on Top 20 medals, with Alan Aguilar 12th, Samuel Swanson six seconds behind in 13th and Hayes Yarnell another three seconds back in 14th. Their strong runs helped the team to third of 18 scoring teams overall and first of 11 scoring teams when filtered to the 4A-6A division. Fourth scorer Luke Swanson set a PR of 20:42 despite the difficult climbs of the golf course treeline and cart paths. Fifth scorer Reece Wixson at 24:29 matched his best in four years besides his home-turf 22:28 farewell last week at Sulphur Rock.
The junior girls brought home the bling as well, with Jalyn Insell 15th in 13:41, just ahead of Astrid Seely 16th in 13:44. Lea Wilson (23rd), Kenzie Rodgers (39th) and Scout Nappi (85th) made up the scoring five finishing fourth of 24 overall, and second of 13 teams in the 4A-6A division. The rest of the squad ran in a close pack led by Marceya Biervliet in 18:35. Viga Morales-Szulga, Leann Chandler, Kambryn Rogers and Litzy Dionicio followed each seconds behind the other.
The Lady Pioneers finished right in the middle of competition, ninth of 20 schools overall and fifth of 10 in the 4A-6A division. Usual front-runner Aurora Tickner sat out with illness, so senior leader Darcy Nikkel stepped up to 49th in 28:20 with classmates Lydia Montgomery 54th in 29:20 and Ava Jeffery 63rd in 30:55. Scarlett Tickner (34:38) and senior Nallely Cruz (36:50) made up the scoring five.
RESULTS: 2026 Bald Knob Invitational senior high results at ar.milesplit.com and junior high/senior high multilayered results
NEXT UP: Blazer Invitational at Joe Mack Campbell Park, Jonesboro
Pioneer Invitational, Oct. 6
Batesville’s junior high boys saved the day for “Coach Bruce” Oakley after “timer bruce”@oktimingplus.com almost ruined it not having the system ready.
Will Henry Hogue, Rees Brown and Nate Mason finished second, third and fourth with Everett Fisher and Corbyn Wooldridge not far behind. The high places made it apparent the team title was theirs even without official results.
Coach Bruce and boys head Coach Luke Tate did everything right and solved every problem for three days preparing for the meet: mowing, marking, measuring the course; preparing the team packets; setting up the venue, timing tent and awards, while girls head Coach Russ Stumpenhaus handled administrative background. All seemed great until the first junior boys crossed the finish line and no times registered – Timer Bruce had not checked the antenna status after plugging in the cables. Manual backup procedures and volunteers were quickly overwhelmed and the race timing was a lost cause.
The junior girls race start was delayed as volunteers worked to recover the best information possible, and the antenna connection was confirmed. Remaining races proceeded more normally, although attempting to fix junior boys results introduced anomalies in the other results. A week’s review of supporting video ultimately produced confirmed results for all but the junior boys.
The senior boys finished third of eight scoring teams among 26 schools entered with 112 finishers. Hayes Yarnell (4th), Alan Aguilar (6th) and Samuel Swanson (8th) grabbed top 15 medals. Luke Swanson (24th, 20:19), Carsten Byers (35th, 21:09) and Reece Wixson (49th, 22:28) registered best-ever times in the tight team contest. Team champ Rural Special scored 45 points, with Searcy second at 46 and the Pioneers at 47.
The junior Lady Pioneers also finished third of 16 scoring teams from 27 schools entered. Eighth grader Astrid Seely grabbed the last Top 15 medal in her 2.5K PR 11:12. Classmate Kenzie Rodgers had an outstanding PR not far behind, 21st in 11:31. Ninth-graders Lea Wilson (23rd, 11:33) and Jalyn Insell (26th, PR 11:36) gave the ladies a strong presence at the front of the field of 195. Fifth scorer Scout Nappi (13:49) and Litzy Dionicio (13:52) ran well together solidly in the middle of the 195. Seventh-grader Layla Cunningham took to the mostly flat course with a cheerleader’s enthusiasm, dropping nearly two minutes off her best previous time to finish in 15:33. Eighth-grade newcomer Kambryn Rogers did even better, dropping three minutes to 16:52.
The five senior Lady Pioneer scorers were packed within just more than 90 seconds, with Aurora Tickner at 26:09 and JulieAnna Chunn at her PR of 27:45. Senior Ava Jeffery also dropped 90 seconds to her PR of 27:08. Team champ Quitman placed five of the first 12 runners among 93 finishers from 26 schools entered. The Lady Pioneers finished sixth.
RESULTS: (except junior boys) 2026 Pioneer Invitational results at ar.milesplit.com
NEXT UP: Bald Knob Invitational at Bald Knob Country Club
Lyon Invitational, Sept. 29
The wild season continues for Pioneer cross country. For the third time in four meets, the senior high boys ran an odd distance and the junior high boys again overwhelmed the competition.
Senior Alan Aguilar and eighth-grader Astrid Seely for the junior girls continue to add to their medal collection along with freshmen Will Henry Hogue, Rees Brown and Nate Mason.
Junior boys ran first at the Lyon Invitational on the course introduced in 2024. The race starts in the Scots practice soccer field, which had been heavily watered the day before. Racing the biggest field to date, Hogue, Brown, and Mason got off the line fast and into the front pack. Hogue benefited from a larger lead pack, finishing strong as the hunter rather than the hunted as at previous races. He finished fourth in 8:58, with Brown growing stronger each week close behind in 11th at 9:26 and Mason returning to form 13th in 9:31.
Everett Fisher ate up ground in the final 200 yards to finish 24th in 10:10, third-fastest seventh-grader in the field, just 10 seconds off the fastest. Teammate Jude Swanson ran aggressively throughout and came home as the fastest eighth-grader, 27th in 10:14. Classmate Braden Grant (32nd, 10:25) and freshmen Risley Walker (34th, 10:28.2), Corbyn Wooldridge (35th, 10:28.9), and Dash Carpenter (37th, 10:31) gave the Pioneers nine runners in the top 40 of 225.
Wooldridge and Carpenter bookended fifth finisher for closest competition and team runnerup St. Joseph of Conway. The remaining junior Pioneers, all underclass or freshmen beginners, also showed the work is paying off as they narrow the gap race by race on the veterans. The boys were first of 22 scoring teams with 32 schools represented.
With so many runners, strong starts were the order of the day. Seely did her job well in the junior girls race, running more confidently week after week Her fast start and fighting spirit earned her another medal Tuesday at 11:49 for 14th place among 207. Ninth-grader Lea Wilson finished strong in her best race of the season, 16th in 11:56, just ahead of classmate Jalyn Insell, 19th in 11:59. Eighth-grader Kenzie Rodgers, 38th in 12:29, gave the Lady Pioneers a solid four in the top 40 to power them to fourth place of 19 scoring teams among 32 schools entered. Ninth-grader Scout Nappi ran well as fifth scorer.
The senior boys ran about a half mile less than a 5K, as the new race director misunderstood the previous director’s 2024 course design and map. The lead vehicle cut off the starting loop for the boys but after the fast finishes, the route was restored for the senior girls.
As with junior high, the number of runners made a fast start important. Aguilar, Hayes Yarnell and Samuel Swanson took the mission to heart, fighting into the top 30 early despite the challenging sharp hillside turn of the misdirected start. Aguilar ended up 13th in 15:04 for a listed 2.6 miles, with sophomore Yarnell 23rd in 15:34 and senior Swanson 30th in 16:17. Brother Luke Swanson again ran as fourth scorer, 65th in 17:19, and senior Carsten Byers scored fifth. The squad took fourth place of 16 scoring teams with 35 schools competing.
Junior Darcy Nikkel led the ladies on the full 5K, 46th in 26:43. Sophomore Aurora Tickner returned from EAST Beta Club activities to finish 58th in 28:12, and senior Ava Jeffery returned from precautionary rest for 63rd in 28:31. Senior Lydia Montgomery and sophomore JulieAnna Chunn filled out the scoring group for ninth of 12 teams among 30 schools entered. Senior Nallely Cruz ran under a swapped chip from the ailing Scarlett Tickner, but her time was not captured between Milly Newton-Crowe at 34:45 and Genesis Garcia at 42.20. Coaches will check through the timer’s camera backup for her result. UPDATE: Nallely Cruz, 35:54.2, her third-fastest ever, on a more challenging course than the two faster races.
RESULTS: 2026 Lyon Invitational results at ar.milesplit.com
NEXT UP: Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock
Timberwolf Invitational, Sept. 22
The junior high boys dominated the Cedar Ridge Timberwolf Invitational on the rebound from their narrow runnerup finish at Paragould. The junior girls took runnerup honors and the senior boys were third of 10 scoring teams Tuesday at Newark City Park.
Will Henry Hogue and Rees Brown earned top 10 medals for the junior boys, as did Alan Aguilar and Hayes Yarnell for the senior high.
Cooler weather and a slightly short course made for good-looking times as the junior high 2.4K shaved 25-45 seconds off a typical 2.5k, and the 4.8K should be 30-65 seconds less for senior high.
The junior girls ran first on the new course with eighth-grader Astrid Seely leading the way just outside the medals in 12th place at 11:16. Ninth-grader Jalyn Insell, first lady at the first two meets, sped in a few seconds behind in 16th. Eighth-grader Kenzie Rodgers (20th) and ninth-graders Lea Wilson (21st) and Tess Gunter (26th) bunched within 15 seconds for the best group finish of the year. All five finished in the top 30 of 149, just 37 seconds apart and all before champion Cave City’s fourth scorer. They were second of 13 scoring teams.
The junior high boys raced next, back at full strength with the return of freshman Dash Carpenter. With Carpenter (16th) fourth scorer behind classmates medalists Will Henry Hogue (3rd), Rees Brown (6th), and Nate Mason (15th), the Pioneers flipped the script on Annie Camp, winners the previous week at Paragould. With Everett Fisher (18th) the first seventh-grader to finish, all five were before Annie Camp’s third finisher. Risley Walker (25th), Corbyn Wooldridge (26th) and Jude Swanson (27th) charged in 3 seconds apart, making eight ahead of Annie Camp’s fifth. The Pioneers placed nine in the top 35 of 185, first among 16 scoring teams.
Aguilar and Yarnell started fast on the firm grass flat, pacing in the top 10 senior boys throughout the winding course. Senior Samuel Swanson just missed a medal in 11th at 19:05, and sophomore brother Luke Swanson continued to improve as fourth scorer (27th in 20:31). Carsten Byers finished 51st of 115 as fifth scorer, giving the Pioneers third place among 10 scoring teams, just a few points behind 5A East rival Marion.
The senior girls missed a teammate for the second week in a row with Ava Jeffery out as a health precaution. Sophomore Aurora Tickner took advantage of the cooler weather for her best performance of the season (24:51), 17th of 88 finishers. Twin Scarlett Tickner stepped up as fifth scorer behind junior Darcy Nikkel, senior Lydia Montgomery, and classmate JulieAnna Chunn.
RESULTS: 2026 Timberwolf Invitational results at MileSplit
NEXT UP: Lyon Invitational, with stiff competition from 50 schools expected.
Paragould Ram Invitational, Sept. 15
Another year older, another year faster! “New and improved” sums up the day at the Paragould Ram Invitational. Organizers modified the start of the course, introduced just last year, eliminate a crosspoint for better flow. Directors also adjusted the scheduled start time 45 minutes later to avoid the worst of the heat.
The Pioneers likewise were better, as nearly every returnee beat last year’s time at the course, and nearly all new to the course stepped up from the week before at Melbourne.
The younger ones topped the list, with personal records for Junior Lady Pioneer Kenzie Rodgers and Junior Boys Will Henry Hogue, Graydon Harn and Kip Eoff.
Junior boys raced first, and freshman Hogue took control less than a quarter mile in, leading through a mile and a quarter. Brookland’s Dexter Mellow paced behind and had a bit more finish to win in 8:40 as Hogue held off a MacArthur challenger and finished second in 8:51.5, 2 seconds faster than ever before. Freshman classmate Rees Brown stayed in the top five through the mile and a quarter as well, but with a bit of space ahead and behind he missed a late turn and ran extra, dropping to 13th in 10:13. That was still faster than his run at the course in 2025. Classmate Nate Mason paced in the top 10, medaling in seventh just steps behind a pair from team champ Annie Camp on the downhill finish.
Next three Pioneer scorers are new to the team this year: Eighth-grader Jude Swanson finished 15th in 10:15, freshman Corbyn Wooldridge 21st in 10:24, and seventh-grader Everett Fisher 23rd in 10:28. All were nearly a minute faster than at Melbourne. Swanson was the second-fastest eighth-grader in the field and Fisher the fourth-fastest seventh-grader.
Eighth-grader Braden Grant scored displacer points as seventh Pioneer in 29th at 10:36, two minutes faster than a year ago. Classmate Graydon Harn’s 11:18 PR was a few seconds faster than his 2025 race in great conditions at Cave City, and 90 seconds faster than on this course. Eoff ran more than a minute faster than ever, 11:48 in his first time under 13 minutes. Harn’s 46th place finish behind teammates Risley Walker, Oliver Kempf, and Ray Sullins gave the Pioneers 11 runners in the top 50 of 124 finishers in all.
The depth was not quite enough on the day to keep the junior boys undefeated string. With last week’s second scorer Dash Carpenter out, the Pioneers 58 points fell just short of Annie Camp’s 52. Annie Camp’s advantage was small with three in the top 10 between Batesville’s two, and five in the top 20 ahead of fifth Pioneer Wooldridge in 21st.
The numbers and success of the junior high boys make for a long text run before we get to the ladies, but their race and story is worth the wait. Multisport newcomer Jalyn Insell continues to lead the young ladies, just missing a medal in 11th place Tuesday in 11:39, faster than any Lady Pioneers at last year’s meet. Eighth-grade returnee Astrid Seely stayed close on her heels, 13th in 11:57, a 2:20 improvement from 2025 on the course. Ninth-grader Lea Wilson was not far behind in 16th at 12:09, better than her 27th at 12:27 in 2025.
Aside from Insell in new from soccer, the ladies also got a boost from eighth-grade triathlete Kenzie Rodgers, 18th in 12:18, her first time ever under 13:00 and a two-minute improvement over the same course last year. Fifth and sixth scorers Litzy Dionicio and Scout Nappi took big steps forward from the week before at 14:17, four minutes better for Dionicio in 48th place and two minutes for Nappi in 49th. Just as last week the ninth-graders ran in a close pack with classmate Viga Morales-Szulga, 53rd in 14:45, 2:30 better than a week ago in Melbourne. Marceya Biervliet and Leann Chandler also dropped 90 seconds or more from Melbourne. The ladies had six finishers in the top 50 of 103 in all, for third place of nine teams.
A lightning flash within 10 miles of the course just as the last junior girls finished forced all into shelter in team buses for a 30-minute delay. With no second flash sighted the senior high races were set to resume at 6:40, but with sunset about 35 minutes ahead the boys and girls ran together for the second meet in a row.
Several teams headed home during the uncertain delay, so the combined field was barely more than 100 runners. Senior Alan Aguilar ran a smart race in front for the first two miles but challengers had a bit extra in the last half mile as he finished fifth in 18:39, 40 seconds faster than last year. Sophomore Hayes Yarnell also medaled in 10th at 19:04, with senior Samuel Swanson 20th in 20:42, two minutes faster than his debut with the team last year on this course. Sophomore brother Luke Swanson finished 23rd in 21:24 in his first senior high 5K. Senior Carsten Byers improved two minutes year to year in 38th at 23.10. Classmate Reece Wixson dropped a minute year to year in 26:48.
Sophomore Aurora Tickner led the ladies, 13th in 26:23 with senior Lydia Montgomery 18th in 28:13. Sophomore JulieAnna Chunn finished her first senior high 5K in 29:18 for 21st. Senior Ava Jeffery (25th, 30:41) and twin Scarlett Tickner (31st, 34:16) rounded out the scoring five. Senior Nallely Cruz improved two minutes year to year in 37:18 and junior Genesis Garcia finished with seventh displacer points in 40:54.
RESULTS: 2026 Ram Invitational results
NEXT UP: Cedar Ridge Timberwolf Invitational at Newark City Park
Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Sept. 8
Freshman Will Henry Hogue and the junior Pioneers picked up where they left off last season, continuing their unbeaten streak by winning the team championship at Tuesday’s season-opening Bearkatz Invitational. Senior Alan Aguilar finished second in the weather-shortened senior high race, and ninth-grader Jalyn Insell finished seventh among junior girls in her Lady Pioneer debut.
Good things come in threes for Hogue as he finished third for the third year in a row at Melbourne’s 2.5K/1.55 mile race. He’s been a little bit faster each year: 9:42 in 2024, 9:41 in 2025, and 9:30 Tuesday.
The junior boys race also serves as part of the “something old” from the season preview (below), as Hogue took his accustomed place and the team returned with familiar depth and pack running. Six Pioneers finished top 30 in 2025; nine finished top 35 Tuesday. Part of the “something new” was heat safety delaying the start times by an hour after two weeks disrupting training. So freshman Dash Carpenter finished second for the Pioneers in 11:00, which was the time for the sixth junior Pioneer in 2025. Relative to the competition though, the junior Pioneers appear deeper and stronger than last year’s undefeated group. Better weather as the season progresses will reveal whether they are flat-out faster as well.
Freshman Nate Mason was that sixth Pioneer last year but ran seconds slower in this year’s heat, just behind Carpenter at 11:04. He is still rebuilding from a couple of weeks off with a medical issue. Classmate and usual side-by-side racer Rees Brown did not start Tuesday, taken ill during warmup in the heat. He figured to be a top five scorer, so the squad looks to have still another set of frontrunner legs available. Seventh-grader Everett Fisher excelled in his debut, fourth for the Pioneers in 11:08 and a close second among seventh-graders to Carlos Blandon (11:00) of Mountain Home. Cross-training swimmer Risley Walker, another freshman back from a couple of weeks out with health issues, ran 11:24 as fifth scorer, with classmate and new runner Corbyn Wooldridge charging in behind at 11:29.
Eighth-graders Braden Grant (11:31) and newcomers Jude Swanson (11:34.0) and Oliver Kempf (11:34.8) filled out the tight pack. They all finished ahead of team runnerup Mountain Home’s fifth scorer. The class is loaded, as Graydon Harn ran 11:54 in 42nd place, swimmer Ray Sullins finished in 12:27 and basketball’s Kip Eoff fought through distress in 13:06. Other new runners getting a hot start to their Pioneer days were seventh-grader Liam Brookshire, eighth-grader Beckham Cummings, and freshmen Tri Doan and Lucas Murrah.
For the junior girls, soccer’s Jalyn Insell is the “someone new,” finishing seventh of 201 in 12:17, faster than Aurora Tickner’s leading time in 2024 or Kambri Martin’s in 2025. She is part of “something old” as well, younger sister of twin alums Ethan and Jackson Insell. Ninth-grader Lea Wilson again finished as second Lady Pioneer on this course in 13:01, a bit off last year’s pace in the heat. Eighth-grade triathlete Kenzie Rodgers followed in 13:18, two minutes faster than last year’s debut, with classmate Astrid Seely matching the feat in 13:30. Joining Insell in pushing through a first-time trial-by-fire were ninth-graders Marceya Biervliet and Litzy Dionicio, eighth-grader Kambryn Rogers and seventh-grader Layla Cunningham.
The girls finished third of 16 scoring teams from 31 schools participating. They missed last year’s third scorer Tess Gunter, sidelined Tuesday with injury.
The forecast weather and sunset prompted the host Bearkatz to combine and shorten the senior high races, so that boys and girls raced together at the junior high distance to avoid heat illness or racing in the dark in the woods. Senior Alan Aguilar went to the front right away, third at half a mile and moving into second in the woodland climb to the mile mark. His 8:57 is a minute faster than his junior high debut on the course in 2023. Sophomore Hayes Yarnell, who edged Aguilar at state in November, finished 17th Tuesday in 9:47, faster despite the heat than his junior high race last year. Sophomore Luke Swanson (10:33.1) and senior brother Samuel Swanson (10:33.4) finished strong together in a five-way dash to the line. The team finished fourth of nine scoring and 28 entered.
Sophomore Aurora Tickner toughed out a 12:43 finish in 26th place, a bit slower in the heat than her 2024 junior high Lady Pioneer debut on the course. Junior Darcy Nikkel ran 13:36 in her fifth year at the meet, and senior Lydia Montgomery ran 13:51, her fastest pace at Melbourne also in her fifth trip there. The ladies finished fifth of nine scoring teams from 25 schools.
RESULTS: Separate division results are at RunSignup and funky all-events-combined results at ar.milesplit.com.
NEXT UP: Paragould Ram Invitational, with heat-adjusted start time of 5 p.m. (posted as 4:30) likely but no expectation of combined or shortened senior high competition.
2026 Season Preview: New and Improved!
Excitement is in the air for 2026 cross country with new coaches, new courses, newcomers — and that age-old undaunted Pioneer spirit!
Coach Russ Stumpenhaus steps in to lead the Lady Pioneers in cross country and basketball, with Stan Fowler moved on. Pioneer alumnus Luke Tate takes the reins for the boys teams with Isaac Middlebrooks departed.
Two of the top six from the undefeated junior high boys move up to strengthen the senior roster (at right) this year, with Hayes Yarnell having come up for state last November to finish first Pioneer as a ninth grader. Classmate Luke Swanson steps up to join older brother Samuel, who ran third most of last season. They’ll accompany senior Alan Aguilar, who has been team leader since coming up himself in 2023 to lead the Pioneers at state as a freshman. Veterans Carsten Byers and Reece Wixson provide midpack depth and their improvement will be key to the squad’s chances.
The junior boys look to have reloaded to actually be faster top to bottom than last year’s undefeated crew, even though three of the 2025 top six are now in senior high. The rest of the first 10 are a year older with leader Will Henry Hogue, Rees Brown, Nate Mason and Dash Carpenter now freshmen. They are likely to bolster senior high at end of season if not sooner. All were typically top 25 finishers at meets last year, with Hogue individual champ at a couple. Mason and Hogue topped the charts in the 800 in spring track, with Brown closing in from week to week.
Jude Swanson looks ready to follow in his brothers’ footsteps as an eighth grader alongside classmate Braden Grant, who usually finished top 30 at meets in his first season. And Grant’s 2025 debut was faster than that of his older brother Brandon, who went on to win the district championship a few years back. These family ties hint at great promise for the program.
Also back a year stronger are Risley Walker and Graydon Harn, both just behind Grant last fall. Several other siblings, friends, recruits from basketball, and freshmen new to the sport joined summer practice. Summer runs have featured an even bigger front-running pack than last year’s seven or eight who were usually in the top 30.
The senior girls will miss 2025 leader Taylor Bishop, but the rest of the team returns with another year’s experience and some swift sophomores rising from the 2025 junior high group (list at left). Sophomore Aurora Tickner ran second to Bishop as a ninth-grader running senior high all of 2025, and she’ll be chased this year by classmate JulieAnna Chunn, part of a strong junior high pack in her 2025 debut with the program. Veteran seniors Ava Jeffery and Lydia Montgomery improved throughout the 2025 season and then gained speed and challenging race experience in spring track. Junior Darcy Nikkel, last year’s third, closed strong with Tickner by season’s end. They give the ladies prospects for a tight competitive pack to be further strengthened at state with a solid ninth-grade bunch. Twin Scarlett Tickner and swim recruit Milly Newton-Crowe add depth as sophomores new to senior high. Scarlett did step up for state in 2025 and has been a valuable coach on the run for younger runners in spring track and summer practice.
Ninth-graders Lea Wilson and Tess Gunter return from the 2025 junior girls top three to lead the way for another group of promising newcomers and improving returnees. Classmate Jalyn Insell brings in good wheels from soccer, along with returnee Leann Chandler and Litzy Dionicio from spring track. Eighth-grader Astrid Seely returns even stronger from spring track after a good seventh-grade season as fourth scorer. Viga Morales-Szulga, Scout Nappi, and Kenzie Rogers come back supplying midpack depth, with soccer recruits Keneley Thorne and Kambryn Rogers and cheerleader Layla Cunningham bringing multisport athleticism to the mix.
The first meet is September 8 at Melbourne. Cedar Ridge puts on its first invitational September 22 at Newark City Park, and the Pioneers return October 13 to Bald Knob for the first time in a few years. Cave City has campus construction near their course, so the Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock shifts this year to October 6 replacing the canceled Caveman Open. We await the 5A East championship schedule.
FIRST UP: Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Tuesday, Sept. 8, junior girls first at 4:15.