After receiving top national rankings in 2024, the cross country team is striving for another exceptional year. This season, the team is under the leadership of former assistant coach Nick Accardo. His commitment to strategic performance training has been instrumental, consistently guiding Blue Jay runners to achieve outstanding results.

At the Catholic High School Pete Boudreaux ’59 Invitational in Baton Rouge this weekend, the cross country teams delivered remarkable performances across all levels. The pre-freshman team clinched victory in their meet, with five runners finishing in the top 15. Miles Goude, Nathan Braud, Bradley Nidi, Nate Arrington, and Douglas Le each contributed to the win.

The junior varsity team also secured a commendable second-place finish in the 3-mile race. Freshmen Rhys Grant, Jackson Barnes, and Patrick Avin, along with juniors Alex Siguenza and Brady Gilbert, were instrumental, each placing in the top 15. The varsity team mirrored this success with a second-place finish, led by junior Connor Fanberg and seniors Brandt Blanchard and Jack Flanagan, all of whom placed in the top 15.

Fanberg had a 15:06 personal record. It’s the second personal record Fanberg has had this year, running a 16:07 5K earlier this year. Freshman Race Hughes marked an impressive performance at the St. Joseph’s Cross Country Invitational, clocking in at 15:44, and he ran even faster at Catholic. He finished 19th, setting a personal record of 15:34. Hughes ranks 8th all-time in the MileSplit LA database for freshmen. It is also the second-fastest time recorded by a Jesuit freshman, only trailing now-senior Leland Crawford’s 15:29 in 2021. These performances reflect the competitive spirit of Jesuit’s cross country athletes, highlighting a promising season ahead.

Beyond Baton Rouge, Jesuit outran the competition claiming the first-place title at the Wingfoot XC Classic in Atlanta on September 21, held at Cartersville’s Sam Smith Park. On October 5 at the Cary, NC Great American XC Festival, one of the premier races in the country, senior Brady Mullen—a Harvard running commit—achieved a personal record, clocking an impressive 14:56.6 to take back his 5K Louisiana state record. Called the “smartest racer in the country” by Run CCG, 9th-place finisher junior Brady Monahan had an impressive 11-second PR at 15:07.

Jesuit tops the boys large school state-wide poll with nine first-place votes. Rival Brother Martin follows in second place with one first-place vote. The top five is rounded out by Parkway, Catholic of Baton Rouge, and Dutchtown, with Mandeville positioned at No. 10.

• Jesuit (9) with 99 points
• Brother Martin (1) with 91 points
• Parkway with 77 points
• Catholic (BR) with 74 points
• Dutchtown with 60 points
• Central Lafourche with 51 points
• Ruston with 37 points
• St. Thomas More with 26 points
• Teurlings Catholic with 25 points
• Mandeville with 11 points

The season is moving along at a quick pace for the Blue Jays with the Catholic League District meet approaching October 31 at City Park.