The annual tradition grew from three initial teams — the now-defunct South Bend Central claimed the first championship — to hosting nine teams, including Penn, in the late 1970s. In 2025, there were five teams — South Bend Adams, South Bend Career Academy, South Bend Riley, South Bend Saint Joseph and Trinity Academy — with individuals from South Bend Washington and St. Thomas More Academy as well.
For the first time, the South Bend City Meet wouldn’t even be held in St. Joseph County, let alone South Bend itself.
This location change was partly made out of convenience, as New Prairie was already hosting its annual New Prairie Kick-Off Classic that same day. Adams, Saint Joseph, St. Thomas More and Trinity — and Washington’s individual runner, sophomore Colin Shaw — were already scheduled to compete in that meet anyways.
“It holds historic significance because so many good runners ran on this course, and Erskine is its own myth in and of itself,” said Mike McCarthy, 20-year Saint Joseph head coach and 1998 alumnus. “Part of it is missing out on the opportunity to run on a very storied high school cross country course, and the City Meet is the only time you get to do that now. It’s just too bad that kids, especially seniors, don’t get a chance to run at Erskine.”
More: More: More: Unofficial 2026 South Bend City Cross Country Meet resultsBoys team scores
Girls team scores
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: