As extreme summer heat persists over the River Valley this week, the Greenwood High School cross country program is preparing to make its mark, hopefully under cooler conditions ahead. Head Coach Jim Andrews enters the 2026 campaign with a robust program of 75 runners strong across both junior high and varsity ranks.

Blending veteran leadership with an injection of promising young talent, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs have their eyes fixed on personal bests, conference positioning, and strong November showings at the state meet. For athletes, parents, grandparents, and fans, here is your in-depth guide to the 2026 squads with a full roster breakdown and insights straight from Coach Andrews.

Meet the squads: 2026 varsity rosters by class

To recognize every student-athlete putting in the early-morning (5:30 AM) miles, here is the complete 2026 Greenwood varsity cross country roster broken down by class. Nineteen boys spanning grades 9-12 comprise the Bulldogs’ roster. Coach Andrews has four seniors, but he is counting on younger runners to have the biggest impact this season.

The seniors include Ridik Lawless, James Rust, Mickey Joe Thurman, and Jaden Tafoya. A small junior class includes Dexter Coston and Miles Wead. The sophomores are Mark Archdeacon, Zert Bridges, Alec Hayward, Skye Johnson, Logan Wead, Landon McCorkle, and Tegan Owens. The freshmen, who will likely run as junior high athletes this season, include Canon Borum, Rhyder Brazel, Connor Chambers, Jace Skinner, Gage Steinkamp, and Gavin McGown.

With similar numbers as the boys, the Lady Bulldogs have 20 names on their 2026 roster. Also like his boys, Andrews expects some of his younger ladies to be the heart and soul of his program this fall, while getting quality leadership from his seniors.

Those seniors are Afton Bridges, Kiera Johnson, Meri Grace Finley, and Myah Lawrason. The team’s four juniors include Presley Zimmerman, Lyla Loera, Claire Rozell, and foreign exchange student Sophie Zacho, who has been running well. The team’s sophomores are Mabrie Cash, Samantha Linn, Blair Thompson, Chelsea Wells, and Harper Rogers. The larger freshmen class includes Ragean Dutton, Alyssa Scarbrough, Haddie Trice, Makayda Youngblood, Madelynn Erickson, Emery Ciesla, and Eiley Cotton.

Building Momentum: Coach Andrews looks ahead

The boys team is looking to build on last year’s seventh-place state finish, leaning heavily on a competitive core that includes consistent early-season frontrunners like Mark Archdeacon, Alec Hayward, and Miles Weed, alongside key contributors like Dexter Costin, Landon McCorkle, and senior Mickey Joe Thurman.

"We went to Shiloh Christian our first week, and a lot of our conference opponents were there. We were fifth overall, so we still need to get a little faster. But I like the improvement that our guys are making. I think that's what's important right now – just seeing themselves make some big gains," said the coach.

"Our conference is tough,” he continued. “We’ve had the state champion the last five years,” referring to Mountain Home. “So, the conference is very deep and it's going be just as deep this year, I'm afraid." The GHS boys finished third in their second meet at Elkins earlier this month.

On the girls' side, Greenwood carries a proud tradition – including a couple state titles over the past decade – and high expectations for 2026. Coach Andrews points to a strong leadership group anchoring the varsity squad, including experienced seniors like Afton Bridges, Kiera Johnson, Meri Grace Finley, and Myah Lawrason, alongside key upperclassmen like Presley Zimmerman and Lyla Loera. But Andrews expects reliable sophomores Mabrie Cash, Samantha Linn, and Blair Thompson to lead the way for their teammates.

Despite his young ladies’ roster, the GHS head coach is hoping for a top-five finish at state this year. “Oh, yeah, I believe that can happen," Andrews shared. "I think that beyond Shiloh Christian, who probably has the best team in our conference, it's anybody's game for second place. It's going to be a fight."

Mastering Bell Park: The 2026 schedule

A major advantage for the Bulldogs this season is friendly territory. Greenwood will heavily utilize Bell Park for practice – aiming to get out on the course multiple times a week to prep for two crucial home events. The first being the annual “Thrill of the Hill” on October 8th before hosting the conference meet there on October 27th.

Besides the two mentioned above and the two already completed, there are four additional meets on the schedule, including the Siloam Springs Invitational (Siloam Springs, AR) on September 26th; the Chile Pepper Festival at Fayetteville on October 3rd; the Panther Invitational [Jr. High] at Clarksville on October 12th; and the Class 5A state meet at Hot Springs Oaklawn Park on November 6th.

Hosting the Thrill of the Hill and the conference championship gives Greenwood a tremendous opportunity to rehearse on their home turf. "We're going to try to do more out at Bell Park this year because of the conference meet," Andrews noted. "We’ve done a lot more practice there already during the early days of summer. We want to get there at least a couple of times a week."

Wrapping up

While the conference meet is basically just for bragging rights, it does take place prior to the state meet, so it will be a good warmup event. The state meet is open to all qualifying runners and teams across the 5A classification and Greenwood has a history of doing well, especially the Lady Bulldogs.

Both GHS teams will rely on younger runners this season, so the brass ring may still be a year or two away, but there is every reason to be excited about these varsity runners and those talented ones in the junior high pipeline. So, good luck to Coach Andrews and both GHS squads this season.