Parkwood’s Cooke wins state title as Union County runners shine at cross country championships

Parkwood’s Bryce Cooke captured an individual state championship, while Marvin Ridge and Cuthbertson recorded outstanding team finishes to lead Union County Public Schools at the 2026 N.C. High School Athletic Association cross country state championships.

Cooke, a senior at Parkwood, won the 5A boys individual state championship with a time of 15:28.23 at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex.

He finished more than 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Eli Rush of North Lincoln, who crossed the finish line in 15:48.95.

Union County was also well represented near the top of the 7A standings, with Marvin Ridge and Cuthbertson finishing second and third, respectively, in both the boys and girls team competitions.

In the 7A boys race, Marvin Ridge earned the state runner-up trophy with 115 points. Cuthbertson finished third with 123 points, just eight points behind Marvin Ridge. Weddington also recorded a top-10 finish, placing eighth with 216 points.

Cuthbertson junior Joshua Palmer led the district’s 7A boys runners, finishing third individually in 15:30.47. Weddington senior Vedant Rai added a 10th-place finish with a time of 15:43.97.

The Marvin Ridge girls were especially impressive, finishing second in the 7A team standings with just 43 points. Cuthbertson placed third with 100 points.

Cuthbertson junior Colby McCollum earned the individual state runner-up finish, completing the course in 17:37.30.

Marvin Ridge had three runners finish among the top 10 in the girls race. Freshman Athena Pluchos placed third in 17:49.33, senior Caitlin Kasten finished seventh in 18:15.89, and junior Ella Harbaugh took 10th in 18:34.15.

The Mavericks’ depth was evident throughout the race, with all five scoring runners finishing among the top 12 overall.