Full Stride
Defending five-time state champions, the Blue Jays open the 2026 cross country season ranked No. 1 in Louisiana with dominant performances at home and in Alabama.
Coming off a fifth consecutive state championship, cross country has opened the 2026 season with strong performances from top to bottom. The Jays enter the fall ranked No. 1 in the Boys Large School division of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches Association Top 10 rankings, receiving eight first-place votes as they look to build on the program’s recent championship success.
The season began close to home on Sept. 12 at the Mount Carmel Cub Run in City Park, where the pre-freshmen Jays made an immediate statement by winning both the varsity and open divisions. In the varsity race, the Blue Jays turned in a perfect team score by sweeping the first five places. Thomas Vocke crossed the line first, followed by Carter Crowson in second, Henry Leckert in third, Levi Dominguez in fourth, and
Traveling to Huntsville, Alabama, for The Southern Showcase on Sept. 19, Blue Jays competed across several divisions against a large field of runners from throughout the region.
In the Boys 5,000-meter Championship Division, Jesuit finished second as a team, led by senior David Quintana, who placed seventh overall. Junior Wills LeBourgeois added another top-10 performance for the Jays, finishing eighth in the Boys 5,000-meter Blue Division.
The depth of the program was especially evident in the Crimson Division, where the Blue Jays captured the team title and placed four runners among the top 10. Sophomore Konnor Jenkins led the group in fifth place, followed closely by sophomore Reid Kennedy in sixth and senior Ashton Hall in eighth. Freshman Harrison Moran rounded out the group of top-10 finishers in 10th.
The pre-freshmen Jays carried their early-season success with them to Alabama. Competing in the two-mile junior high race, Jesuit placed three runners among the top 10 with finishes with Leckert in third, Crowson in fourth, and DeLong in seventh.
From a perfect score in City Park to a team victory and several top-10 finishes against regional competition in Huntsville, the opening weeks have provided an early look at the depth throughout the cross country program. With five consecutive state championships behind them, the Jays now look to build on that start as they continue through the fall schedule.