By Kevin Askeland - MaxPreps Carmel (Ind.) cemented a wire-to-wire triumph in capturing the 2025-26 MaxPreps Cup recognizing the nation's top overall high school sports program. Carmel captured state titles in girls tennis, girls track and boys lacrosse during the spring to give it 2,906 points in the MaxPreps Cup standings, outdistancing second-place St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) by 164 points. The Greyhounds were ranked No. 10 in the MaxPreps boys lacrosse national rankings to pick up additional points. In total, Carmel won eight state titles in 2025-26, adding boys and girls swimming in the winter and boys soccer, boys tennis and girls cross country in the fall. For the second year in a row, the MaxPreps Cup winner held the lead from wire-to-wire. Carmel held the Cup lead in the fall and winter standings updates, just as Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) did in 2024-25. The Cup victory is the second for the Greyhounds, who also won during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. "The past school year was tremendous in many ways for our Greyhounds," Carmel athletic director Jim Inskeep said. "The recognition from MaxPreps is truly a testament to the partnership between our community and the school district. The City of Carmel has a tradition of setting out to reach the highest of goals in everything that we do as a community. The student-athletes and coaches embrace this same philosophy. There are so many terrific athletic programs across the country and to be in the MaxPreps Cup conversation with them for the top spot is an honor." St. Thomas Aquinas made a strong run with a state championship in baseball and runner-up finishes in girls flag football, boys lacrosse and girls track. The Raiders were also nationally ranked in baseball and boys lacrosse. Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) had its strongest finish in the MaxPreps Cup, finishing third with 2,423 points. Greenwich (Conn.) and Marvin Ridge (Waxhaw, N.C.) also had their highest finishes ever at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. The MaxPreps Cup recognizes the best all-around high school sports programs in the country. The competition uses an algorithm that awards points for state championships, runner-up finishes and national rankings based on size of state, popularity of the sport, size of school and number of teams in each playoff division. The top 100 schools in the final standings are listed below with total points, fall state championships, fall runner-up state finishes and national rankings placement. Rankings are provided by MaxPreps for all sports except for cross country (DyeStat), golf (HighSchoolGolf.com) and swimming (Swimcloud). Past MaxPreps Cup Winners 2011-12 — American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 2012-13 — Westminster (Atlanta, Ga.) 2013-14 — Bentonville (Ark.) 2014-15 — Bentonville 2015-16 — Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) 2016-17 — St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 2017-18 — American Heritage 2018-19 — Jesuit 2019-20 — Carmel (Ind.) 2020-21 — Marist (Atlanta, Ga.) 2021-22 — Westminster 2022-23 — Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 2023-24 — Wayzata 2024-25 — Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) Final 2025-26 MaxPreps Cup standings 1. (No. 1 winter standings) Carmel (Ind.) — 2,906 Spring state championships: Girls tennis, girls track, boys lacrosse Spring national rankings: Boys lacrosse No. 10 Winter state championships: Boys swimming, girls swimming Fall state championships: Boys soccer, boys tennis, girls cross country Fall state runners-up: Girls soccer Fall national rankings: Boys soccer No. 1, boys swimming No. 8, girls soccer No. 3, girls swimming No. 14 Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/MaxPrepsCupChampions