OWENSBORO, Ky. — The 2026 high school cross-country season got underway Tuesday at Yellow Creek Park as local teams joined schools from Kentucky and Indiana for the Kentucky/Indiana Border Clash.

The opening meet provided the first look at several of the area’s runners as teams begin what will be a long season of competition, with athletes immediately facing a 5,000-meter varsity race.

Redfern Leads the Boys

Daviess County senior Judson Redfern opened the season with a dominant performance in the boys race, winning the 5K in 16:34.08.

Redfern finished more than 11 seconds ahead of Evansville Memorial senior Landon Hartman, who crossed the line in 16:45.11. Castle’s Austin Carlile and Ethan Morris followed in third and fourth, respectively.

Apollo freshman Axton Alvey was the top local finisher outside of Daviess County, placing seventh overall in 17:10.65. Alvey’s performance helped Apollo secure fourth place in the team standings.

Castle High School took the boys team championship with 39 points, placing three runners in the top seven. Daviess County finished second with 58 points, followed by Evansville Memorial with 70 and Apollo with 79.

The Daviess County squad also received a strong contribution from Redfern’s individual victory as the Panthers opened the season with a second-place team finish.

Apollo Freshman Wins Girls Race

The girls varsity race featured another impressive individual performance from a local freshman.

Apollo’s Addy Alvey won the race in 19:21.17, more than a minute ahead of Castle senior Molly Yunker, who finished second in 20:44.29.

Alvey wasn’t Apollo’s only strong finisher. Freshman Stella Clark placed seventh in 21:36.04, followed by Lola Falloway in eighth at 21:39.89 and Makaylee Denton in ninth at 21:41.94.

Those performances helped Apollo finish second in the girls team standings with 44 points, just two points behind Jasper High School.

Jasper claimed the team championship with 42 points, led by four runners finishing inside the top 10. Castle finished third with 53 points, while Evansville Memorial placed fourth with 78.

An Early Look at the Season

With the first meet now in the books, the Border Clash offered an early snapshot of the local cross-country landscape.

The results featured strong individual performances from both experienced upperclassmen and freshmen making their varsity debuts, including the Alvey siblings for Apollo.

For the local teams, however, Tuesday’s races were only the beginning. With the bulk of the season still ahead, the Border Clash gives runners and coaches an early benchmark as they work toward the championship portion of the schedule.

The season is underway — and the opening results suggest there will be plenty to watch as local cross-country competition continues.