The Highland High girls team knows what goes into winning a state championship.
Through the opening few weeks of the 2026 cross country season, the defending AIA Division I champions are quickly showing that they have the pieces to make another run for the state title.
Championships have become the standard at Highland. The Hawks have captured five consecutive AIA Division I state titles—including a dominant win in Division I a season ago in which they scored just 40 points. This year's group has its eyes set on making it six.
While the Hawks graduated a few runners from last year's championship team, plenty of talent returns.
The Team
Leading the way is Natalia Morris.
Morris finished fifth individually at the Division I state championships as just a sophomore last fall, racing to an 18:54.60 performance. Morris is the state's highest placing returner from last falls championship.
At the Western Equinox XC Invite, she clocked 18:53.36, good for third overall, already running slightly faster over 5k than she did at the state championships a season ago.
Behind Morris, the Hawks have plenty of depth.
Junior Katelyn Anderson has already run 19:12.55 this fall after finishing 14th at the Division I state championships a season ago.
Senior Laneah Kapeliela brings more experience to the lineup and has run 19:35.33, while sophomore Ariana Hurtado has stepped up with a 19:46.62 performance.
Junior Lily Oplinger rounds out Highland's current top five at 19:48.41.
That is five girls under 19:50.
There are just 55 seconds separating Highland's No. 1 through No. 5 runners.
That's some serious depth.
Winning Ways
The depth and experience of this group is already translating into wins.
At Western Equinox, the Hawks scored 51 points to capture the team title, putting together another impressive pack performance early in their title defense.
For Highland, the pack could be what makes this team so dangerous as the season progresses.
They do not necessarily need to have the individual race winner, although Morris gives them an established runner near the front after her fifth-place state finish last season.
Anderson gives them another returning top-15 state finisher.
Kapeliela and Oplinger bring even more experience from last year's championship lineup.
And Hurtado has already emerged as another key piece.
Season Ahead
We are still early into the cross country season as it is only September. There is plenty of racing left before the Division I state championships.
But Highland has already shown that last year's championship was not the end of something.
It may have been the beginning.
The Hawks are defending champions.
They are already strong in depth and winning again.
With a deep group of returning runners leading the way, Highland has its eyes set on another big November.