We are nearing the end of week 5 of the 2026 cross country season and, after another long wait, the MSHSAA District assignments have finally been released. Another later than preferred release predicated on the reporting of teams as to whether or not they will be participating in the postseason has coaches, athletes, and fans adjusting to a new XC landscape for the second half of the season. Here are five big takeaways from Friday's drop.
1. SLUH Moves to Class 5 District 3 from District 1
After a handful of years in District 1,
SLUH has moved back to where they had been for much of the early 2000s and 2010s. Their move, as well as
Farmington's move down to Class 4, opens the door for a bubble District 1 team to make a trip to the Class 5 State meet now. Teams like
Eureka,
Kirkwood, and
Parkway South benefit the most, as well as
Westminster Christian Academy who made the leap from Class 3 to Class 5 after finishing second in the lower class last fall.
The final development here is that it is now likely that 14 of the 30 qualifying spots in District 3 will belong to two teams, meaning several individuals will be fighting for a measly 16 spots. There may be several state qualifiers outside of the top 30 this year in District 3 as these bubble teams battle it out with their backend scorers.
----
2. Cor Jesu Academy, Notre Dame Cape Make Class 4 District 1 the Toughest in the Entire State
We have already mentioned several times that the Cor Jesu Chargers were going to take Class 4 by storm when the inevitably dropped down this year, but their placement in District 1 adds another wrinkle to the Class 4 girls outlook. Not only did Cor Jesu move down into Class 4, though, but Notre Dame Cape Girardeau, the Class 3 champions, moved up, too.
The district was already stacked with reigning State champs Festus, 2026 fourth place team Webster Groves, and an up and coming Rockwood Summit squad with an elite frontrunner, but they have now added two powerhouse private schools, as well as Farmington and Westminster Christian.
This district may have three of the top four teams at the State meet and five of the top ten individuals. What a beast.
3. Father Tolton Girls Will Drive Past CPS Schools, Head West to District 4
In a truly stunning development, the Father Tolton girls will not be competing with the three public schools in their vicinity and heading to Class 5 District 4 instead.
As a result, Liberty, Liberty North, Blue Springs South, Blue Springs, and the rest of District 4's contenders will have to compete with the perennial powerhouse led by Angelina Cottone and Ellie Lucas, among others. They will not have to contend with St. Teresa's Academy as they head down to District 2 in Bolivar, but it does appear that one strong returning squad will not be qualifying for State out of District 4 now.
District 3 bubble teams on the girls' side rejoice, though, as Francis Howell Central, Liberty Wentzville, Francis Howell, and Ft. Zumwalt West's paths all just got a little easier.
It stands to reason that this move is a result of the boys' team's move to Class 4 District 4, but an interesting geographic overlap will take place in Class 5 nonetheless and shake up the western side of the state's already hyper-competitive district meet.
----
4. Thomas Jefferson Independent, McAuley Catholic Boys Move Up to Class 3, Springfield Catholic Moves Down to Class 2
The move we expected was completed as cross-town rivals
Thomas Jefferson Independent and
McAuley Catholic will both make their second move in as many years up to Class 3. Both teams earned podium finishes in Class 2 in 2025 and will look to carry that momentum into a new look Class 3.
Will Twiss has already had a strong season debut at last weekend's
SWCCCA Richard Clark Invitational, but he is seeking help from his backend scorers. McAuley is in a similar boat, but both teams have time to build up toward a date with
Herculaneum and others at the Class 3 State meet. Lutheran (St. Charles) is another team benefiting from a move into Class 3 as they appear to now be a bubble team in the race to the podium.
Springfield Catholic's move to Class 2 greatly helps the two Joplin teams, as well, as now they will not have to compete against each other in either of the postseason meets. Springfield Catholic is now among the contenders for a Class 2 championship led by senior
Kyle Hathcock, who has already run 16:03 this season.
----
5. Collegiate School of Med/Bio, Houston Move Down to Class 2
Two significant public school movements occurred on Friday, specifically two moves from Class 3 to Class 2.
Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience became the first member of the St. Louis Public Schools to earn a state trophy since Southwest High School did it in 1968. They will now occupy one of the spots vacated by McAuley Catholic and Thomas Jefferson Independent as one of the team title contenders along with Springfield Catholic.
Clyve Cameron-Jackson is the big winner here for the Owls. He opened his season with a 7th place finish at the Fleet Feet Cross Country Classic and may be poised to improve upon last year's 78th place finish in Class 3, possibly by 70 places or more.
Houston's dynamic duo of Lyla Huffman and Myles Copley add a new wrinkle to the Class 2 landscape as they move in for the 2026 season. Lexington's girls were looking to dominate once again, but they will now have to contend with two girls who have already ran 19:25 and 19:46, respectively, the latter in her high school debut. While they may not necessarily affect the team scores at State, these two will certainly put pressure on the Minutewomen and other top returners already housed in Class 2.
We are nearing the end of week 5 of the 2026 cross country season and, after another long wait, the MSHSAA District assignments have finally been released. Another later than preferred release predicated on the reporting of teams as to whether or not they will be participating in the postseason has coaches, athletes, and fans adjusting to a new XC landscape for the second half of the season. Here are five big takeaways from Friday's drop.
1. SLUH Moves to Class 5 District 3 from District 1
After a handful of years in District 1,
SLUH has moved back to where they had been for much of the early 2000s and 2010s. Their move, as well as
Farmington's move down to Class 4, opens the door for a bubble District 1 team to make a trip to the Class 5 State meet now. Teams like
Eureka,
Kirkwood, and
Parkway South benefit the most, as well as
Westminster Christian Academy who made the leap from Class 3 to Class 5 after finishing second in the lower class last fall.
The final development here is that it is now likely that 14 of the 30 qualifying spots in District 3 will belong to two teams, meaning several individuals will be fighting for a measly 16 spots. There may be several state qualifiers outside of the top 30 this year in District 3 as these bubble teams battle it out with their backend scorers.
----
2. Cor Jesu Academy, Notre Dame Cape Make Class 4 District 1 the Toughest in the Entire State
