As Paul Van Laningham neared the finish line at the Kentucky Horse Park, the Cooper senior raised four fingers in his left hand.
“Fantastic Four” may have inspired the gesture, but for Van Laningham, it meant four state championships and a historic finish on Saturday in Lexington.
“It’s not just for four state championships. The bigger reason is me and my friends went to see the Fantastic Four movie and that’s a big meme from the Fantastic Four,” Van Laningham said. “So I wanted to do that for my friends.”
The University of Wisconsin commit torched the Class 3A course in a state-record 15:01, breaking his own mark by 18 seconds and finishing 13 seconds ahead of Lafayette’s Xavier Richardson. With the victory, Van Laningham became the first 3A boy to repeat as state cross country champion since Greenwood’s Ryan Eaton in 2008–09.
Everything, Van Laningham said, went exactly as planned.
“I just knew I was gonna have to go out hard to drop some guys, and I was gonna do whatever it took to win,” Van Laningham said. “I was really up pushing the front with just me and him (Xavier Richardson). It was really a two-man race most of the way after, because I pushed that first mile so hard. I don’t think many guys can come through in a 4:47, 4:48 first mile and feel as good as me and Xavier did. That was kind of a plan. I didn’t want the kickers hanging around that much.”
Once an eighth grader who placed 220th at the state meet, he’s now one of the most decorated distance runners in Kentucky history. Over the past year alone, he’s collected an impressive list of accomplishments:
- KHSAA Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year (2025)
- 33rd at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon
- 3A state indoor 1,600-meter champion (March)
- 3A state outdoor 1,600-meter champion (May)
- Runner-up in the 3,000 meters at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon
- Committed to the University of Wisconsin (September)
His father Eric has been there through it all, the longtime cross country coach at the school and former state cross country champion himself at Boone County.
“His maturity is really good. He takes it all in stride,” Eric Van Laningham said. “Some days you may not have it, but Paul never has a bad race. He’s a kid that stays grounded and doesn’t get a big head. I’m just so proud of him.”
But what Van Laningham said made this season special wasn’t just the medals — it was the people beside him.
“My team was really supportive this year,” Van Laningham said. “We had a really good team and we were trying to do something special. This was the greatest year, the most fun year I’ve had with the team. They motivated me a lot this year, to get out the door, get out of bed.”
Cooper finished fourth overall in the team standings with 164 points, behind Lafayette (56), Trinity (61), and St. Xavier (106). The Jaguars’ top five runners were:
- Grayson Parker, 28th (16:42)
- Micah Brandeberry, 36th (16:51)
- Aaron Foote, 44th (16:59)
- Shaun Halik, 62nd (17:14)
“We’ve been growing this squad for a couple years. I think the goal was always to dream big and try to win,” Eric Van Laningham said. “Coming into today, I felt like we were going to be top four, just a matter of where. So they went for it. We knew we had an ace in the hole with Paul and the other guys really, really dug deep. We had one kid that missed a couple weeks because of a foot injury, so he was a little off today, but it probably didn’t make a big difference. I’m just really proud of them. It’s been a couple years growing this. They saw the success we had two years ago and filled in the kids we lost just like that. We can get back on the podium, not every year, but pretty commonly, and I can bring new kids in and do it again. So it’s really cool for them.”
Other Northern Kentucky boys’ results included Conner’s Ethan Mann, who reached the podium with a seventh-place finish (15:51). Teamwise, Conner placed 11th, Campbell County 15th, Ryle 18th, and Dixie Heights 19th. Dixie Heights’ Drew Carskadon finished 30th (16:44).
On the girls’ side, Ryle just missed the podium with a strong fifth-place team finish (196 points). Assumption won the title with 129 points, followed by Sacred Heart (159), Lafayette (162), and DuPont Manual (168).
Among Northern Kentucky girls, Notre Dame’s Norah Barker led the way with a 22nd-place finish (19:41). She was followed closely by Ryle’s Stella Carpenter (24th, 19:43), Notre Dame’s Maggie Durrett (26th, 19:47), and Campbell County’s Lila Dunlevy (29th, 19:59).
Other local top-50 finishers included:
Ryle’s Sadie Chalfant (36th, 20:09), Conner’s Ellie Frey (37th, 20:09), Highlands’ Ella Taylor (40th, 20:11), Conner’s Avery Vanlandingham (42nd, 20:15), Campbell County’s Katherine McKee (43rd, 20:15), Ryle’s Audrey Buschmann (44th, 20:15), Notre Dame’s Abigail Carnes (46th, 20:17), Ryle’s Aubrey Poore (47th, 20:17), Highlands’ Lisa Zengel (48th, 20:18), and Cooper’s Faith Foote (50th, 20:24).
For full results of the 3A meet, click on this link.