Class B girls season preview
- jayslagle
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Contributor: The Nerd
Class B top returners
’25 State Finish, Name, ‘26 Grade, School, Track PRs
1, Cecilia Kramper, 12, Omaha Duchesne (4:57, 10:47)
2, Sophia Reynolds, 12, Hastings (59.54, 2:10, 5:01, 11:00)
3, Lucy Zabloudil, 12, Gretna (2:16, 5:05)
5, Haylen Holliday, 11, Seward (59.2, 2:15, 5:07)
8, Malia Woosley, 12, Lincoln Pius (2:24, 5:16, 11:16)
9, Kathryn Roberts, 12, Elkhorn (2:21, 5:23, 11:52)
11, Sierra Regan, 11, Gretna (2:20, 5:19, 11:25)
13, Addison Washburn, 12, Elkhorn (2:20, 5:13)
16, Annah Perdue, 12, York (2:28, 5:13, 11:05)
18, Klaira Sander, 12, Lincoln Pius (2:19)
19, Natalie Ramirez, 12, Lexington (2:34, 5:25)
22, Emily Sroczynski, 11, Lincoln Pius (2:26, 5:33)
23, Clare Lickteig, 12, Omaha Duchesne (5:45)
24, Emma Oliver, 11, Lincoln Pius (5:35, 11:45)
26, Lydia Dominy, 12, Norris (1:01, 2:18)
27, Jordyn Samuels, 11, Seward (1:00, 2:23)
32, Eleanor Richard, 12, Omaha Duchesne (6:06, 13:36)
35, Blue Dugan, 10, Omaha Skutt (5:51, 12:34)
Other top returners
Lily Philips, 11, Seward (2:26, 5:36, 11:35)
Addy Brewer, 11, Crete (2:31, 5:29, 11:38)
Nora Ivanov, 11, Lincoln Pius (2:33, 5:33, 11:49)
Ella Carlson, 12, Norris (2:33, 5:35, 11:52)
Potential freshman additions
Rinlee Blomstedt, McCook (2:27, 5:28)
Nina Polk, Scottsbluff (2:36, 5:34)
Kynli Oltman, Ralston (2:38, 5:41)
Quinn Sorben, Waverly (2:29, 5:45)
Kynley Fairbanks, Beatrice (2:44, 5:47)
Classification changes
Thanks to a new way of classifying schools, Class B consists of just 24 boys schools and 26 girls schools. Elkhorn North, Bennington, Lincoln Northwest and Lincoln Standing Bear move from Class B to A this fall, while Plattsmouth, Omaha Gross, Platteview and Aurora are moving to Class C. The loss of these eight schools is slightly mitigated by the addition of North Platte and South Sioux City, who are moving down from Class A. However, the diminutive size of the Class B field is ridiculous, and I hope the NSAA member schools rectify the situation for next year.
Individual outlook
Despite the significant classification changes, eight 2025 medalists return for the 2026 season, led by defending champion Cece Kramper (4:57, 10:47) of Omaha Duchesne. Kramper’s track season ended in late March after she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of her toes; in the months prior to that, she posted indoor marks of 5:08 and 10:39 (converted). She returned to running in July and may not be at top fitness until October.
Sophia Reynolds of Hastings did take part in the track season; to be honest, she murdered the track season. Her State meet consisted of a 2:12 800 split, a 2:10 open 800 (2nd), a 5:01 PR in the 1600 (1st) and a 11:00 PR in the 3200 (1st). Sophia had never raced the 3200 before her conference meet in May, and she has run 11:38, 11:39 and 11:00 in her three attempts. She’s apparently a fast learner. If Nerd HQ has a a recency bias, Sophia could earn the top spot in our preseason rankings.
The next three returners are no slackers. Lucy Zabloudil (2:16, 5:05) of Gretna and Haylen Holliday (59.2, 2:15, 5:07) had exceptional track seasons, and I’d consider them to be in the same tier at Kramper and Reynolds. Malia Woosley (2:24, 5:16, 11:16) of Lincoln Pius posted the third-fastest 3200 this spring among returners, while Annah Perdue’s 11:06 from 2024 reflects how elite Annah can be.
Elkhorn returns two medalists in Kathryn Roberts (2:21, 5:23, 11:52) and Addison Washburn (2:20, 5:13). If both girls were able to have uninterrupted training this summer, I can see both of them as top-ten finishers.
Class B will have a nice group of freshman runners, but at this point I don’t see anyone threatening for a top-ten finish. However, freshmen girls are full of surprises, so we should expect at least two medalists from that class.
Ignoring the freshmen, I’ve listed about 30 girls above who have a legitimate shot at a medal. It’s a long season and so much of success depends on summer conditioning and injury prevention. The Class B State race should be thrilling.
As in past years, we’ll be posting individual rankings every Tuesday during the season. As a reminder, we provide rankings to generate increased interest in the sport, and we’re not out to hurt anyone’s feelings. The great thing about cross country is that the State meet represents the only rankings that matter. Even then, that’s just one day and just one race, a snapshot in time, and it in no way reflects an athlete’s future or their chance of success in life. We don’t love distance running because of the medals; we love distance running because it makes us better people. Keep that in mind if you face a few struggles this season.
Team outlook
The Class B team race changes significantly this year with defending champ Elkhorn North pushed up to Class A. Elkhorn North finished 7th in 2020 in the school’s first year; since then the girls’ squad has finished 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and 1st. While Bennington, also now in Class A, was last on the podium in 2021 and 2022 with 2nd-place trophies, none of its six 2025 State competitors were seniors, and they would have been a title contender if they had remained in Class B.
Assuming no injuries or retirements, Gretna returns four girls from its 2nd-place team, Pius five girls from the 3rd-place team, and Duchesne all six girls from its 4th-place team. I suspect that the 2026 team champ will be from one of those three teams, and Gretna gets a slight edge with Lucy Zabloudil and Sierra Regan returning.
Seward only loses one of its 2025 competitors to graduation and they should get back Lily Philips (2:26, 5:36, 11:35). Lily’s 2025 XC season ended after the UNK meet, and her track times suggest she’ll slide into the #2 or #3 spot for the Bluejays.
As noted above, Elkhorn returns two medalists and a little sister (Peyton Washburn) who doesn’t have freshman track marks. I’ve heard a few inspirational huddle speeches from Coach Stednitz, so don’t be surprised to see at least four solid runners for the Antlers.
The departure of Bennington and Elkhorn North provides opportunities for other teams to break into the top five. Norris and Omaha Skutt seem to be the best candidates to move up the standings this year.
Nerd predictions
1. Gretna
2. Lincoln Pius
3. Omaha Duchesne
4. Seward
5. Norris
Errors and omissions
Our season previews are based on prior results and an assumption that underclassmen competing at State in 2025 will run again this year. If you’re aware of an error in the article above, or have information on an impactful runner not listed above, please email jayslagle@hotmail.com so we can determine whether the article should be updated. Our goal as volunteers is to be a resource for fans of Nebraska high school country, but we readily acknowledge that we need feedback from followers and coaches to provide accurate information.
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Originally written and published in August 2026 at www.preprunningnerd.com.
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