When it comes to Louisiana girls in the Class of 2026, Baton Rouge's Lucy Thomas is in class all by herself. She leads the Top 250 rankings by almost a minute with her time of 17:29 at the D1-Region 2 Meet.
While there is separation between the No. 1 ranked runner in the class and the reaminder of the field, it doesn't mean that there is a lack of talent among Louisiana's junior girls.
At the top are a handful of familiar names. This pack is led by Academy of Sacred Heart's Leah Varisco (18:22), St. Amant's Ella Willoughby (18:29), West Ouachita's Emma Bielkiewicz (18:35), and Episcopla's Lauren Bradford (18:44).
Also in the Top are Mt. Carmel's Stella Junius (No. 8; 18:53) and Lucy Quintana (No. 10; 18:53.90). That level of depth and talent give the Cubs a legitimate shot to do something no team in Division 1 has been able to do in the last years--finish ahead of St. Joseph's Academy at the LHSAA State Cross Country Championship.
Other runners making the Top 10 in the Class of ...