Kansas runners to watch: Class 6A girls

After more than two weeks of practice, cross country runners all across Kansas are beginning competitions this week. Here is a list of Kansas City area runners to watch in the Class 6A girls division.

1. Shawnee Mission East’s Charlotte Hardy has quickly established herself as one of the premier distance runners in Kansas. The Shawnee Mission East standout has been a fixture near the top of the Class 6A state meet since her freshman season, when she finished 15th in 2023. 

She took a major step forward as a sophomore, finishing second at state in 2024, before completing the climb to the top as a junior with a state championship in 2025. Hardy won that race in 18:23.50, finishing 24 seconds ahead of the field and capping a season in which she also broke the Shawnee Mission East school record.

Hardy's success has carried over seamlessly to the track, where she has become one of the state's top distance runners. She captured the Class 6A 3,200-meter state championship as a junior in 2026 and followed that with a runner-up finish in the 1,600.

2. Blue Valley West’s Kate Larson has steadily become as one of the top distance runners in Kansas, and her progression at the state cross country meet shows just how far she has come. 

After finishing ninth at the Class 6A state meet as a sophomore in 2024, Larson took a significant step forward as a junior, placing fourth in 18:57.31 in 2025. That performance put her among an elite group of runners at the state level.

Larson has continued to make her mark on the track, as well. As a junior in 2026, she finished seventh in the 3,200 meters at the state meet, building on a season in which she showed considerable improvement in the event. She ran 11:13.45 at the Blue Valley West Elite Meet, and her 2026 performances included a 5:20.60 in the 1,600 and a 3,200 time of 11:13.45.

3. Olathe West’s Molly DeGregorio made an immediate impact at the state level as a freshman, establishing herself as one of the top young distance runners in Kansas. The Olathe West standout finished fifth at the Class 6A state cross country meet in 2025, crossing the line in 19:00.22. 

DeGregorio continued that success on the track. As a freshman in the spring, she finished fifth in the 1,600 meters at the Class 6A state meet, running 5:09.47, while also placing 11th in the 800 in 2:21.07. She had already shown her versatility during the season, setting Olathe West's top marks in both the 800 and 1,600.

With a fifth-place state cross country finish as a freshman and a fifth-place state track finish, DeGregorio has quickly built a strong resume while still having multiple seasons ahead of her. 

4. Mill Valley’s Audrey Howard has quickly developed into one of the top distance runners in the Kansas City area, with her biggest breakthrough coming during her junior season. 

After finishing 24th at the state cross country meet as a sophomore in 2024, Howard made a huge jump the following year, placing sixth at state in 2025. That progression from a top-25 finisher to a top-six runner shows just how much she has developed as she has moved through her high school career.

Howard carried that momentum into the track as a junior in 2026. She finished third in the 3,200 meters and fourth in the 1,600 at the state meet, putting her among the state's best distance runners in both events. During the season, she also posted personal bests of 10:43.79 in the 3,200 and 4:58.40 in the 1,600, demonstrating the range that makes her such a dangerous runner across multiple distances.

5. Shawnee. Mission East’s Lyla Speicher made an immediate impression on the Kansas high school cross country scene as a freshman in 2025. The Shawnee Mission East standout finished 11th at the Class 6A state meet, running 19:18.53 at Rim Rock Farm. 

Her performance helped the Lancers finish second as a team, and she was the second Shawnee Mission East runner across the line behind state champion Charlotte Hardy.

Speicher's freshman season was impressive from start to finish. She ran 18:39.40 at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival, a time that ranked among the fastest performances by Kansas underclass runners during the season, and she finished the year with an 18:46.74 at the New Balance RunningLane XC Championships. She also finished the season as one of the top runners on a loaded Shawnee Mission East squad, giving the Lancers another young distance standout to build around for the future.

6. Blue Valley’s Paige Faulkner has established herself as one of the KC area’s top middle-distance runners, with her biggest breakthrough coming during her junior season. In cross country, Faulkner finished 12th at the Class 6A state meet in 2025.

Faulkner really made her mark on the track as a junior in 2026. She captured the Class 6A state championship in the 800 meters, running a career-best 2:14.30, winning the race by more than a second. She also finished third in the 1,600, showing that her strength extends beyond the 800 and making her one of the state's most versatile middle-distance runners.

With a top-12 state cross country finish followed by an 800-meter state championship, Faulkner put together an impressive junior season. She’s now a runner to watch entering her senior season.

7. Blue Valley West’s Bentley Blunck made an immediate impact on the scene as a freshman last year. She finished 13th at the state cross country meet in 2025. 

Blunck continued that impressive freshman campaign on the track last spring, finishing fifth in the 3,200 meters and sixth in the 1,600 at the state meet. She showed she could excel at both of the state's premier distance events, while posting strong marks throughout the season, including a 5:06.85 in the 1,600 and 11:12.40 in the 3,200.

With a top-15 state cross country finish followed by two top-six state track finishes, Blunck has already put together an impressive resume. Her combination of cross country strength and track versatility makes her one of the Kansas City area's most intriguing young distance runners, with three more years to continue climbing the state rankings.

8. Free State’s Taylor Hulcher also burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2025, establishing herself as one of the area's top young distance runners.

Hulcher finished 14th at the Class 6A state cross country meet, running 19:33.14 at Rim Rock Farm. Earlier in the season, she had already shown her potential with a 19:38.86 at the Sunflower League Championship, where she finished fifth.

Hulcher carried that momentum into her freshman track season in 2026, finishing eighth in the 1,600 meters at the Class 6A state meet with a time of 5:09.95. She also competed in the 800 at state.

9. Olathe North’s Karsyn Hitchcock has been a consistent presence near the front of the Class 6A cross country field since her freshman season. 

The two-time state medalist burst onto the scene in 2024, finishing 12th at the state meet as a freshman. She was the second-highest-finishing freshman in the race, an impressive debut against a deep field of experienced runners.

Hitchcock continued to compete at a high level as a sophomore in 2025, finishing 16th at state in 19:34.57. While her place slipped slightly from her freshman season, she remained one of Olathe North's top runners and one of the stronger young runners in the state. She also showed her potential throughout the season, including a 19:00.20 performance at the Olathe Twilight early in the year.

10. Olathe West’s McKenna Taldo emerged as one of the key young runners on a talented Olathe West team during the 2025 cross country season. 

As a sophomore, Taldo finished 17th at the Class 6A state meet, running 19:34.76 at Rim Rock Farm. She was the second Olathe West runner across the finish line, helping the Owls continue their remarkable run of success at the state level.

Taldo's state performance was part of a strong sophomore campaign in which she consistently competed near the front of a deep Kansas field. She ran a personal-best 19:03.0 during the season, a mark that ranks among the fastest 10th-grade performances in Olathe West history.

With a top-20 state finish as a sophomore, Taldo has already established herself as an important part of Olathe West's distance-running tradition. With two seasons remaining, she has plenty of room to make another jump up the standings.

11. Blue Valley’s Kylie Page was another freshman who made a statement last year, finishing 18th at the Class 6A state cross country meet in 19:39.61. 

That performance placed her among the top freshmen in the state and helped Blue Valley put together a strong team showing. Page was also one of several young runners on the Tigers’ roster who gave the team plenty of promise heading into the future.

Page continued her development on the track in 2026, finishing ninth in the 3,200 meters at the Class 6A state meet. She showed throughout the season that she was capable of competing with the state's best distance runners.

Still early in her high school career, she has plenty of opportunity to continue climbing the state rankings over the next three seasons.