IHSAA cross country regionals took place on October 24.
Just like sectionals, the top five teams advance to semi-state — as do the top 15 individuals from non-advancing teams. Southwestern Indiana advancers from Bedford North Lawrence (Sectional 22), Jasper (Sectional 23), and Gibson Southern (Sectional 24) all competed in the Crawford County regional.
On the line was a ticket to the state finals in Terre Haute on October 31. Here’s how it played out for the boys and girls of SW Indiana.
More: These Southwestern Indiana athletes advanced from the 2026 IHSAA cross country sectional
IHSAA boys cross country regional advancers
Barr-Reeve and Reitz were the two teams that advanced to state. The Vikings earned 146 points and finished second. That Panthers earned 173 points and finished fifth.
Barr-Reeve is heading back for a second consecutive season. Reitz is back in the state finals after a year away.
Columbus North, Bloomington South and Bloomington North were the other three teams to advance out of Crawford County.
Reitz’s Carter Zieren (second place) and Signature School’s Jack Wilbourne (third place) had the best finishes of the SW Indiana athletes competing. Zieren finished with a time of 15:15.30, while Wilbourne finished with a time of 15:16.60.
The two are heading back to the state finals for a third consecutive season. For Zieren, a senior, this is his fourth in as many seasons.
Other SW Indiana individuals advancing from Crawford County: Jaxon Seger (Northeast Dubois), Evan Atkinson (Signature School), Lincoln Willoughby (North), Nate Hollinden (Tell City), Austin Carlile (Castle), Landon Hartman (Memorial), Ethan Morris (Castle) and Gaige Lubbehusen (Tecumseh).
IHSAA girls cross country regional advancers
Jasper was the only team from SW Indiana to advance to state.
The Wildcats finished with a score of 155. Jasper is heading back to the state finals after missing out last season.
The other teams to advance were Floyd Central, Columbus North, Bloomington South and Greensburg. Mater Dei finished in sixth place — missing out by just four points.
Heritage Hills’ Kylee Waninger and Mater Dei’s Ruth Dickason both finished in the top 10. Waninger, a freshman, finished in sixth with a time of 18:53.90. Dickason, a junior, finished eighth with a time of 19:07.90.
Both Waninger and Dickason are making their first state finals appearances.
Other SW Indiana individuals advancing from Crawford County: Eve Vinson (Heritage Hills), Lucy Scherer (Gibson Southern) and Rowen Englebright (North Posey).
Markos Tsegaye is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. He can be reached at mtsegaye@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @10_Markos_.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA cross country regionals recap for SW Indiana