Like the Boys' field, three clear contenders stand ahead of the rest, though in reality, this really is just a one horse race on paper.
Brianna Krueger - St. Charles West
Brianna Krueger's illustrious career comes to a close in 2026 as she looks to become the first athlete to win three cross country state championships in a row since Blue Eye's Riley Arnold won four straight in Class 1 from 2018-2021. She could become only the ninth girl in state history to do so and eleventh athlete overall.
A third state title would pair nicely with the myriad other accolades she already possesses. Krueger has won each of the last three GAC North championships, each of the last two District 3 championships, and was third at the State championships as a freshman. She has also been a part of two State champion teams and the runner-up team in 2025. Krueger has broken 18:00 twice, with the best one being 17:54.50, the second-best time in the entire state among returners. Her new head coach has been around for the last couple of years already as an assistant so expect the senior phenom to barely miss a beat and be the heavy favorite for Class 3 superiority once again in 2026.
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Katrina Cantwell - Fair Grove
Fair Grove's Katrina Cantwell, also entering her senior year, has been around the block quite a bit in her cross country career. Three times all-state already (7th, 9th, 5th), Cantwell has the best chance of anyone in the field at taking down the Goliath that is Brianna Krueger this fall. Cantwell's personal best is over a minute back of the leader, but the 19:00.72 she posted at last year's Richard Clark Invitational would put her much closer to the top in any other year. After adding a third state medal in the 3200 this spring, Cantwell is poised for a stellar senior season in 2026.
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Lyla Huffman - Houston
Lyla Huffman's freshman season lived up to the hype she brought with her from middle school. She made an immediate impact for the Tigers, dropping all the way down to 19:02.53 at the Clever Invitational in mid-October and then finished sixth at the State meet. Her first track season was successful, but hard luck 11th and 9th place finishes in the 800 and 1600 kept her off the podium this year. Houston will roster another freshman phenom this fall in Myles Copley, meaning Huffman is gaining a strong training partner and could take an even bigger leap forward this year.
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Honorable Mention:
Kelly Frank - Notre Dame de Sion
Notably absent in 2025 due to injury after finishing second at the 2024 Class 3 State Championships, Kelly Frank's Notre Dame de Sion squad will be back in Class 3 after the Championship Factor adjustments. She ran 19:05.00 when she earned that runner-up finish two years ago and gives us confidence as a result of her stellar track season.
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Potosi senior Peyton Heifner popped a massive personal best 19:35.17 at the District 1 meet last year, securing third behind two of the top five finishers at the subsequent State meet. Heifner's personal best is 40 seconds better than any other time she has ran in her career, but take a closer look at your will see an 11:59 3200 meter time from the Farmington Postal Meet just a few weeks earlier.
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Magdalena Barnes - Helias Catholic
Helias Catholic's Magdalena Barnes was a big part of her team's success this year even if she didn't score individual points in their impressive drubbing of the Class 5 field this spring. She did, however, run personal bests of 5:22.92 and 11:35.05, the latter being fifth among all freshmen last spring and second among Class 3 runners. Expect her to drop from the current 19:53.60 personal best she currently owns.
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Herculaneum's Amaya Ferguson had an almost identical last half of the season to Peyton Heifner, only breaking 20:00 twice, and hitting her personal best of 19:37.35. At the District 1 meet, Ferguson was fifth and ended up 18th at State. Seventeenth in 2024, Ferguson is looking to go 3-for-3 this November.