The Karns Cross Country 2025-2026 team completed their season running many successful races, and beating their best times. KHS’ cross country has a long history, including 25 team appearances and one state championship in 1998. The team has also started individual state championships, most recently in 2024. The program has a consistent presence at the state level, with recent team appearances in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, with multiple individual champions across different years.
Nathan Rupeka is the head coach of the KHS cross country team. This is his first year coaching for them, and he is also a 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Karns Middle School.
“I started cross country in 7th grade, but high school cross country was a whole new experience,” said Emersyn Lowry, a freshman at KHS, “The practices are longer, and there is more involved with conditioning, but it is so worth it.”
High school sports tend to be a lot different from middle school sports, because everything that comes with it is more intense. Although, it’s easier to bond with teammates, and create new friendships due to the longer practices and added events.
“The best memory from this year was when we had a cross country meet at Norris Dam,” said Russel Hankins, a junior at KHS, “We got to run along the dam, and we got to hear the water streaming as we ran.”
It is important to create memories when one is doing something they love, because what is remembered shouldn’t only be through the pictures that are taken. Always try to live in the moment, and stop and look around for a while.
“My favorite moment from this year was when we were at Norris Dam,” Rupeka said, “The race went so well, that after, the students got to jump in the water and swim.”
Like Hankins, Rupeka’s favorite moment was Norris Dam. It’s important to focus on one’s sport when in a situation where you have to make it your main priority, but it’s also important to have fun in moments where possible to cherish those moments forever.
Some previous notable runners are Rowen Moser-Bryan: A standout runner, he has achieved impressive times in both 2-mile and 5,000-meter events, and Rylee Glifford: A successful female runner, she is listed as a top-performing female runner with a time of 14:09.0 in the 2-mile race. Another important person in the KHS cross country history is Rick Cathey, who coached at KHS for 43 years. He was previously inducted into the Karns High School Hall of Fame earlier this year.
If you are interested in trying out for cross country at KHS, don’t hesitate to try out. Cross country is a sport where you can build relationships with your teammates, run at interesting locations, and pass your goal. Run! Don’t walk to tryouts, and contact Nathan Rupeka if you have any further questions.
