Switzerland County Athletics

HANOVER, Ind. – The Switzerland County High School cross country teams competed in the 2026 IHSAA Sectional at Southwestern (Hanover) on Saturday, October 17, highlighted by a third-place team finish for the Lady Pacers and two individual Regional qualifiers on the boys side. The Lady Pacers finished third overall with 66 points, earning a spot in the IHSAA Regional. Switzerland County placed four runners among the top 16 finishers, led by sophomore Claire Boggs, who finished seventh overall with a time of 21:36.74. Senior Kaylynn Schaefer followed in 12th place (22:17.55), while senior Jazmyn Blevins finished 15th (22:56.25) and junior Taylor Kappes placed 16th (22:58.91). Senior Ellie Keith rounded out the Lady Pacers' scoring five in 27th place (24:27.16). Southwestern (Hanover) claimed the girls Sectional Championship with 31 points, followed by Madison Consolidated with 55 and Switzerland County with 66. On the boys side, juniors Landon Gross and Aillan Hartley each earned individual berths in the IHSAA Regional. Gross led the Pacers with a 14th-place overall finish in 17:51.94, while Hartley finished 40th overall in 19:22.98. Both runners secured spots among the top 15 individuals from non-advancing teams. The Pacers finished ninth overall with 213 points. Junior Michael Gross placed 47th (19:55.05), followed by junior Sam Rogers in 61st (20:20.17) and sophomore Bryson Archer in 66th (20:33.02). Junior Leo Oatman (68th, 20:54.48) and sophomore Paxton Mathew (73rd, 21:11.13) also competed for Switzerland County. The Lady Pacers, along with Landon Gross and Aillan Hartley, will compete in the IHSAA Cross Country Regional on Saturday, October 24, at CERAland Park in Columbus. The girls race is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by the boys race at 11:15 a.m. ET. Congratulations to all of our Pacer runners on their performances at the Sectional, and best of luck to our Regional qualifiers!