Preseason 5k Rankings: Top Returning Girls Class Of 2026

Everything to help prepare you for the upcoming 2023 cross country season from rankings to predictions to runners to watch!

Preseason Rankings

Class Leaders By Division

Division	Runner	School	Time
Division I Class AAA	Larkin Johnson	Centennial	18:00
Division I Class AA/A	Brynn Balturshot	Station Camp	18:29
Division II Class AA	Carolina Areheart	Webb School of Knoxville	17:46
Division II Class A	Hadley Bell	CAK	21:53
Home School - HXN	Micaiah Roberts	Knoxville Ambassadors	19:30

Click Above ^ To View Full Class Rankings

Seeing Green

In our preseason coaches's poll that we published yesterday, the Webb School of Knoxville Spartans took the top spot and now, after seeing every class ranking, you can see why. Every runner in their top five is ranked in the top ten of their respective class and all of them are eligible this year including the Class of 2026's leader Carolina Areheart. It's an interesting spectrum of experience because on one hand you have Jazzlyn and Calysta Garmer who are basically veterans since they've been running varsity cross country since eighth grade paired with Areheart who will technically be entering her first scholastic season. It's an exciting team to watch on the heels of a Team Nationals qualification and what their ceiling on the national stage is in the coming seasons. It will also be worth monitoring Brynn Balturshot who moved down from Class AAA to Class AA/A and now sits as the top overall returner. 

Centennial's Larkin Johnson finished runner up in Division I Class AAA as a freshman and in the spring set a state record in the 4x800m relay.

Class Of 2026 Overall

Continue To Full Class Of 2026 Rankings >>>

Catch up with all our previous coverage in this series below.