09/15/26 – 2026 Cross Country Postseason Updates & Regional Instructions Available

September 15, 2026 Athletic Department Blog Updates

The details for the KHSAA Cross Country regional meets have been determined by local hosts. All information pertaining to the regional events, including regional instructions for participating teams, can be found here:

• Regional Managers & Meet Information
• Regional Meet Instructions for Managers/Teams/Fans
• New 2026-28 Cross Country Alignment of Teams

Other pertinent information for the regional meets has also been posted on the KHSAA website, and coaches should review it prior to competition. Regionals will take place on October 24.

The 2026 Kentucky Beef Council State Cross Country Championships will take place back at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 31. Athletes qualifying for state will have an opportunity to come to the Kentucky Horse Park course for practice on Friday, October 30, from 3-5:30 PM (ET). A coach or school representative must attend practice with the athletes.

Class 3A will kick off the state event again this year. The time schedule for the State Meet has been posted: 2026 TIME SCHEDULE

The staff is working on finalizing details for the postseason, and any updates/changes will be communicated accordingly. State meet qualifiers will be determined on Sunday, October 25, and released via the KHSAA website. There are no changes to the qualifying procedure, and for 2026, the State qualifying process for Cross Country will be:

• 1 full team enters the Region Meet, 1 team advances.
• 2-3 full teams enter the Region Meet, 2 teams advance.
• 4-5 full teams enter the Region Meet, 3 teams advance.
• 6-7 full teams enter the Region Meet, 4 teams advance.
• 8-10 full teams enter the Region Meet, 5 teams advance.
• 11 or more full teams enter the Region Meet, 6 teams advance.
• After the teams qualifying for State are determined, the top five (5) individuals from teams NOT advancing to State will qualify for the State Meet as individuals.

– KHSAA –

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization composed of 290 member schools, both public and non-public. The KHSAA crowns 74 team and 275 individual champions at 48 state championship events; funds catastrophic insurance coverage for its nearly 120,000 rostered member school student-athletes, provides coaching education and sports safety programs for more than 12,000 coaches, and licenses and facilitates the distribution of training material for over 4,000 contest officials.