Kendall Cancel, a junior from Stuttgart High, eyes the finish line of the Mel Dunn Invitational in Vilseck, Germany, on Sept. 12, 2026. Cancel won the 5,000-meter cross country event with a time of 20:55. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
VILSECK, Germany — The Stuttgart cross country team fired a warning shot at any and all challengers on Saturday as they swept the top 10 slots for boys and top five for girls at a four-team Bavarian invitational.
Senior Nathan Kaley finished the 5,000-meter Mel Dunn Invitational course with a time of 17 minutes, 32 seconds, while teammates Henry Arnold and Ronin Phillips finished just behind with times of 17:57 and 18:02, respectively.
For the girls, sisters Kendall and Cora Cancel took the top two spots, with times of 20:55 and 21:50, and Jada Gould nabbed third place in 22:30.
The Panthers hope their deep bench can propel them to a third consecutive Division I crown in what could be coach Lisa Welsh’s last season with the team.
“We are bringing back five of our top seven from Euros last year,” Welsh said, adding that there are about 10 others working to get into that mix. “I think that’s one of our strong points is that we always have a really deep team.”
Nathan Kaley, a senior from Stuttgart High, crosses the finish line of the Mel Dunn Invitational in Vilseck, Germany, on Sept. 12, 2026. Kaley won the 5,000-meter cross country event with a time of 17:32. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Caleb Madsen, a senior cross country runner from Ansbach High School, spreads his arms in triumph as he crosses the finish line of the Mel Dunn Invitational in Vilseck, Germany, on Sept. 12, 2026. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Jada Gould, a sophomore at Stuttgart High, enters the final turn of the Mel Dunn Invitational in Vilseck, Germany, on Sept. 12, 2026. Gould claimed third-place in the 5,000-meter cross country event with a time of 22:30. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The sun was shining at Rose Barracks as boys and girls from DODEA-Europe schools Stuttgart, Vilseck, Hohenfels, and Ansbach took the field. The Vilseck course meandered from the sports fields adjacent to Big Mike Lake through the woods and over a couple of hills.
Kaley pulled away from the pack early on and built up a sizable lead that he never relinquished. He attributed his strong performance to offseason lifestyle changes.
“I’ve changed most of my meals to high protein stuff and just every vitamin and nutrient I need, plenty of training,” he said after his victory. “I really want to do well this season.”
He hopes that the squad’s depth propels them past a very tough Ramstein squad.
Vilseck’s Hunter Dahle was the first non-Stuttgart finisher, crossing the line at 19:38.
For the girls, junior Kendall Cancel likewise jumped out front from the start and never looked back, finishing nearly a minute before the next place, which happened to be her sophomore sister, Cora.
Being so far ahead may have hurt the 16-year-old as she was unsure how to pace herself. She credited team training on hills for Stuttgart’s strong showing.
“We love hills,” she said at the finish line. “We have a really good team.”
The Vilseck girls put in a strong performance as well, taking places six through nine. Junior Aaliyah Barcenas said she enjoys facing bigger powerhouse schools such as Stuttgart.
“It just pushes us to become better,” she said. “We did really, really well.”
