The Warsaw Boys Cross Country team put together one of its strongest performances of the season Saturday at the IHSAA Manchester Regional, finishing sixth and narrowly missing a team berth to the IHSAA State Finals by just seven points. Despite the disappointment, the Tigers delivered an impressive performance, scoring 212 points with a top-five average of 16:49.79. Warsaw's top five runners finished within just 31 seconds and 33 places of one another, demonstrating the pack running that had been a focus throughout the season. The Tigers were led by senior Jaxon Lehman, who finished 31st in 16:34, followed by sophomore Luke Vander Bie in 42nd (16:41), senior Nolan Stump in 43rd (16:45), sophomore Eli Swinehart in 56th (16:58), and junior Keenan Lyions in 64th (17:05). Freshman Brady Dewey finished 73rd (17:15), while senior Jack Boggs rounded out the Warsaw lineup in 80th (17:22). Head Coach Matt Campbell felt his team executed the race plan but came up just short of the outcome they had hoped for. "If you would have told me before the meet that our top five would average 16:49 and we'd put all seven of our runners ahead of Bishop Dwenger's fifth runner, I would have bet that would be enough to get the job done," Campbell said. "Having five guys run 17:05 or faster is a darn good day. Unfortunately, we just came up a little short of our team goal of getting back to the State Finals." Bishop Dwenger was led by runners finishing 19th (16:17), 27th (16:32), 44th (16:47), 45th (16:47), and 91st (17:31), ultimately edging the Tigers by just seven points for the final team qualifying position. While Warsaw placed all seven runners ahead of Dwenger's fifth finisher, the Saints' strong front-running proved to be the difference. "We knew it was going to come down to our pack, and we did exactly what we hoped to do by getting all seven of our guys ahead of Dwenger's fifth runner," Campbell added. "Unfortunately, we just didn't get enough runners from other teams between us to secure that State berth. You walk away from these meets playing the 'what if' game, but the bottom line is that we had a great day. We just didn't quite have the day we needed." Warsaw's performance was even stronger than the coaching staff's pre-race projections. Based on previous performances and available data, the Tigers had projected that a solid day would put their five scoring runners in approximately 38th, 41st, 43rd, 45th, and 56th among team-scoring athletes, giving Warsaw an estimated 223 points. Instead, the Tigers exceeded those projections, finishing with 212 points. "Going into the meet, we had done a lot of homework looking at the data and trying to figure out what a solid day would look like for us," Campbell said. "Our guys went out and exceeded those expectations. That's what makes this one tough. We ran better than what we had projected as a solid day, and it still wasn't quite enough. It's hard to be disappointed in the way our boys competed, but it's also hard knowing how close we were." Lehman Earns Trip to State Finals While the Tigers fell short of advancing as a team, senior Jaxon Lehman earned an individual berth to the IHSAA State Finals with an outstanding performance. "Jaxon was incredible today," Campbell said. "He's been aggressive all season, and that paid off in a big moment. He wasn't afraid to go out with the leaders, and he's become comfortable racing at that pace. We're extremely happy that he gets the opportunity to represent Warsaw at the State Finals." Lehman's journey to becoming a State qualifier makes the accomplishment even more meaningful. "Jaxon was an alternate on some very good Tiger teams his freshman and sophomore years," Campbell said. "Then, as a junior, he had a really tough race at the Regional and finished near the back of the field. He could have let that moment define him, but instead, he continued to show up and put in the work. To see him come back a year later and qualify for State is pretty special. We couldn't be prouder of him." Seniors Deliver in Final Regional Appearance The Tigers also received outstanding performances from seniors Nolan Stump and Jack Boggs. Stump ran a personal-best 16:45, improving his previous best by 20 seconds in one of the biggest races of his career. His performance left him just six seconds shy of an individual State qualifying position. Boggs closed out his Warsaw cross country career with his third-fastest 5K performance, following a summer and fall filled with consistent training and dedication. "I'm really proud of how our seniors competed," Campbell said. "Nolan running a 20-second PR in the biggest meet of his career says a lot about the work he's put in. Jack has invested so much time and effort into this program, and it was great to see him finish his career with another strong performance. Those guys have been through a lot together, and they left everything they had out on the course." Senior Owen Meerzo also played an important role in the team's postseason journey, serving as an alternate throughout the tournament. "Owen deserves a lot of credit, too," Campbell added. "Not everyone gets to be one of the seven guys on the starting line, but that doesn't mean they aren't a huge part of the team. Owen continued to show up, support his teammates, and do everything we asked of him. We're thankful for all of our seniors and what they've given this program." Campbell acknowledged the disappointment of not being able to send the entire senior class to the State Finals. "That's probably the toughest part of today," Campbell said. "You want to see your seniors finish their careers on the biggest stage. They've invested so much into this program, and you want them to have that opportunity. I'm bummed for those guys because they deserved a chance to experience it together." Young Tigers Take Major Steps Forward While Warsaw will graduate several key contributors, the Tigers return a talented group of underclassmen who made significant improvements throughout the 2026 season. Sophomore Luke Vander Bie was one of the team's biggest success stories, improving from 17:39 as a freshman to 16:41 this season. Vander Bie narrowly missed an individual State berth by just two seconds. "Luke's development has been incredible," Campbell said. "He dealt with injuries during his freshman cross country season and again during track, so to see him bounce back and run 16:41 is awesome. He's become one of our biggest contributors, and the exciting thing is that I don't think he's even scratched the surface of what he's capable of." Sophomore Eli Swinehart also emerged as a consistent varsity contributor, finishing among Warsaw's top four runners in nearly every meet after an up-and-down freshman campaign. "Eli took a huge step forward this year," Campbell said. "The biggest difference was his consistency. He became someone we could count on week after week. Both Luke and Eli have a lot of room to grow, and we're excited to see what they can accomplish over the next two years." Junior Keenan Lyions was another steady presence for the Tigers, finishing among the team's top five runners in every meet this season. "Keenan might have been our most consistent runner all year," Campbell said. "He showed up and competed every single week. Having someone like that returning as a senior is going to be huge for us. His experience and leadership will be extremely valuable for this team next fall." Freshman Brady Dewey also made a strong impression late in the season, recording two of his best performances in the Tigers' biggest meets, running 17:15 on both occasions. "Brady really came on strong when it mattered most," Campbell said. "He's one of those kids who is going to keep showing up, putting in the miles, and doing things the right way. That consistency is going to pay off. I think he's going to make a tremendous jump over the next year." The Tigers also saw promising performances from freshman Jadon Flamm and sophomore Logan Martin. Flamm recorded times of 17:16 and 17:17 before an injury brought his season to an early end. Martin, competing in his first season with the program, broke the 18-minute barrier twice. "Jadon's injury was unfortunate because he was really starting to show what he was capable of," Campbell said. "And Logan has a ton of potential. He broke 18 minutes twice in his first season with us. If he really invests himself over the next year, he has an opportunity to become a difference maker for this team." A Season That Exceeded Expectations While the Tigers narrowly missed their ultimate goal of reaching the State Finals, the 2026 season represented a significant step forward for the program. Entering the fall, Warsaw was preseason ranked 69th in the state, 10th in its Regional, and sixth in the Northern Lakes Conference. The Tigers went on to finish third in the NLC and sixth at the Regional, coming within seven points of a State Finals berth. "When you look at where we started and where we finished, I think it's safe to say these boys exceeded expectations," Campbell said. "They continued to improve throughout the season and put themselves in a position to compete for a State berth. Obviously, we wanted to take that next step, but these boys accomplished a heck of a lot. I'm proud of how they responded to challenges throughout the season and continued to get better." While disappointed to miss the State Finals as a team, Campbell believes the experience will serve as motivation for a talented group of returning runners. "Selfishly, I really wanted our younger guys to advance and get a taste of the State Finals experience. There's a lot of value in being at that meet and seeing what it takes to compete at that level," Campbell said. "But I also think coming up seven points short is something that will stick with these guys. They know how close they were, and hopefully that motivates them to put in the work to take that next step." With several key contributors returning and what Campbell believes is the program's strongest incoming freshman class on the way, expectations will undoubtedly be higher heading into 2027. "We have a really talented group coming back, and we have some incoming freshmen who are going to have an opportunity to make an immediate impact," Campbell said. "I believe we have the boys who are willing to put in the training, but I think team chemistry is going to be a huge factor in how far we can go. Are these guys going to show up and run together, push one another, and build something special as a team? That's going to be the challenge. It comes down to holding each other accountable, setting a standard, and making the commitment to something bigger than themselves. Talent and hard work are important, but the teams that accomplish special things are the ones that truly buy into each other." "There's a lot to be excited about if you're a Tiger Cross Country fan. I'm proud of what these boys accomplished, and I'm excited to see where we can take this program next year."