The New Prairie boys cross country team competed on their home course Saturday morning in the IHSAA Regional. Facing a competitive 250-runner field under ideal racing conditions, the Cougars battled with grit and composure to cap off a strong postseason performance. Braden Bachmann led the charge for New Prairie, crossing the line in 15:56.0, a new home course personal best, and secured 6th place overall. Braden earned individual qualification to the IHSAA State Finals next weekend in Terre Haute, continuing New Prairie’s proud tradition of state qualifiers. Great job Braden! Ayden Carpenter turned in one of the most remarkable moves of the meet. Ayden surged through the field to place 35th overall in 16:54.8, a massive 50-spot improvement from his pre-season regional projection of 85th. Evan Thibodeau delivered a strong breakout race to place 88th in 17:36.7, a new home course personal best. Aidan Jaronik ran an excellent gutsy race in 17:59.6, placing 129th. Isaac True rounded out the scoring top five for New Prairie with his 18:13.88 for 147th place. Lukas Hannewyk (201st, 19:02.6) and Chase Shelton (203rd, 19:10.1) pushed each other throughout the race and gave a great overall effort. With Braden advancing, the Cougars will once again be represented at the IHSAA State Meet next Saturday. The team, coaches, and community celebrate the hard work of the entire squad and look forward to cheering Braden on at Terre Haute. Full results: https://in.milesplit.com/meets/772816-ihsaa-cross-country-regional-1-2026/results?type=formatted Check out New Prairie's all-time home-course list and other historical data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aVM63H2RBD-YZLgUFo_qlZjiEBLNKc8RUS0QWuEf4vg/edit?usp=sharing