Confluence Running | Section IV XC | November 5, 2026
Jaden Lewis Wins as Delhi-South Kortright Turns a Six-Point Title Into a 37-Point Victory
Delhi repeats with 31 points, Emmett Tweed improves by 71 seconds, and Watkins Glen climbs from eighth to second.
Chenango Valley State Park | 5,000 meters | Class D Boys
Delhi-South Kortright came into the 2026 Section IV Class D boys championship as the defending team winner. Last year, the margin was six points. This year, senior Jaden Lewis won the individual race in 17:18.1, sophomore Emmett Tweed finished third in 18:00.6, and Delhi scored 31 points to beat Watkins Glen's 68. The winning margin expanded to 37 points, and Delhi's young runners gave the program another reason to look ahead.
Delhi Takes Control: 31 Points to Watkins Glen's 68
| Delhi-South Kortright scorer | Grade | Class D place | 5K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaden Lewis | 12 | 1st | 17:18.1 |
| Emmett Tweed | 10 | 3rd | 18:00.6 |
| Augustus Green | 9 | 8th | 18:49.7 |
| Liam Munro | 8 | 9th | 18:59.9 |
| Jason VanMaaren | 11 | 13th | 19:23.9 |
Delhi's team-scoring positions were 1, 3, 7, 8 and 12, totaling 31 points. Lewis and Tweed provided the front-running results, while ninth-grader Augustus Green, eighth-grader Liam Munro and junior Jason VanMaaren completed a strong five-runner lineup. Only five finishers score, and Delhi had all five inside the first thirteen overall Class D finishers.
Watkins Glen finished second at 68, with Isaac Hendrickson leading the team in fifth overall at 18:12.4. Benjamin Henry (19:15.2) and Dominic Lewis (19:32.3) added important results behind him.
Watkins Glen scored 154 points and placed eighth in the 2025 Class D team standings. One year later it scored 68 and finished second. The field composition changed, but the jump in team standing is striking.
Jaden Lewis Moves From Third to First
Lewis had finished third overall at the 2025 Class D championship in 17:21.7. He returned in 2026 to win in 17:18.1, improving his sectional time by 3.6 seconds while moving to the top of the podium.
Elmira Notre Dame's Gavin Meier was second in 17:54.2, 36.1 seconds behind Lewis, and Delhi teammate Tweed finished third in 18:00.6. Meier and Tweed were only 6.4 seconds apart. Unadilla Valley's Jake Favinger followed in 18:10.9, 10.3 seconds behind Tweed, while Watkins Glen's Hendrickson ran 18:12.4 just 1.5 seconds after Favinger.
That compact group from second through fifth provides a strong individual focus beyond the team champion.
2025 to 2026: Tweed's Podium Leap
| Runner | 2025 5K | 2026 5K | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmett Tweed, Delhi | 19:11.9 | 18:00.6 | 1:11.3 |
| Isaac Hendrickson, Watkins Glen | 18:48.0 | 18:12.4 | 35.6 sec |
| Logan Benjamin, Trumansburg | 19:11.3 | 18:40.0 | 31.3 sec |
| Gavin Meier, Elmira Notre Dame | 18:00.1 | 17:54.2 | 5.9 sec |
| Jaden Lewis, Delhi | 17:21.7 | 17:18.1 | 3.6 sec |
Tweed's result is especially notable. In 2025, he finished 15th in Class D in 19:11.9. This year he was third in 18:00.6, moving up twelve places and cutting 71.3 seconds from his championship time. The change strengthened Delhi at the exact place where low team points matter most.
Six Points Last Year, Thirty-Seven This Year
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Delhi-S Kortright, 58 | Southern Cayuga, 64 | 6 pts |
| 2026 | Delhi-S Kortright, 31 | Watkins Glen, 68 | 37 pts |
Delhi defended the title by a substantially wider margin. The repeat also reflects how a roster changes: new contributors Green and Munro occupied meaningful scoring positions alongside returning runners.
A Cluster of Finishes Behind Lewis
While Lewis controlled the front, the contest behind him was tighter. Meier's 17:54.2 and Tweed's 18:00.6 were separated by 6.4 seconds. Favinger ran 18:10.9 and Hendrickson followed 1.5 seconds later at 18:12.4. Each place mattered for individual qualification and for the teams represented.
Brady Young of Southern Cayuga finished in 18:30.0, and Logan Benjamin of Trumansburg in 18:40.0. Both were within 22 seconds of Hendrickson. In 2025, Young finished fourth in 17:37.5 and Benjamin ran 19:11.3. Benjamin's 31.3-second improvement is another notable returner result.
Who Advances to Queensbury?
Delhi-South Kortright qualifies as a team. Removing its runners from the individual order produces the following calculated five state positions:
| Berth | Runner | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavin Meier | Elmira Notre Dame | 17:54.2 |
| 2 | Jake Favinger | Unadilla Valley | 18:10.9 |
| 3 | Isaac Hendrickson | Watkins Glen | 18:12.4 |
| 4 | Brady Young | Southern Cayuga | 18:30.0 |
| 5 | Logan Benjamin | Trumansburg | 18:40.0 |
Thomas A. Edison's Aidan Stein ran 19:07.1 and is the next eligible finisher in this reconstructed order, 27.1 seconds behind Benjamin. The individual qualifier list remains subject to the Section IV official selection record.
Why This Championship Stands Out
Delhi took the closest Class D team victory in 2025 and turned it into a decisive repeat. Lewis moved from third to individual champion. Tweed made a 71-second leap to the podium. Watkins Glen's dramatic move in the team standings deserves recognition, too. For the athletes advancing, the November 14 state championships at Queensbury provide the next opportunity to build on these results.
Sources and comparisons
Sources: 2026 official class results (TAJ Timing/MileSplit), 2025 official class results. Year-over-year times compare published championship clocks without adjusting for course layout, conditions or tactics. Individual state berths calculated by removing the championship team, under Section IV's winning-team-plus-five framework; final official qualifier list takes precedence.
Open the official Class D Boys result report. Class scoring and calculated qualifier analysis in this article remain separate from combined meet standings.
Class D Boys Photo Gallery
Confluence Running's full race-day gallery from the 2026 Section IV Championships is below the analysis so photo loading does not disrupt section navigation.
