This past Saturday brought the arrival of one of my favorite times of the year--cross country invitational season. When the weather is crisp and clear and every single run, be it a training run, an interval workout, or a race, makes me feel on top of the world. There isn't much better than that.
In case you missed it, Saturday brought about the Tennessee Classic in Nashville. And the weather was beautiful. Sean Keveren led the Gold Division race home with a course record 15:46 and a 24 second margin of victory while Baylor's Red Raiders dominated the team match up with 57 points--a full sixty-one points over second-place Maryville! Baylor showed their muster Saturday after Friday afternoon brought Dyestat's weekly rankings release, with the Raiders cracking the list at number ten in the Southeast for the first time.
In the Silver Division race at Classic, Macon County junior Brandon Mahaney continued to represent after his 3200m victory at State this spring, with a nine second victory over David Lipscomb senior Ryan Johnson. Martin Luther King High School men showed that they want to win state, with four in the top fifteen and five in the top thirty. David Lipsomb wasn't far behind though with two in the top ten and four in the top thirty. University School-Johnson City chose not to show up, however, and the assumption is they will be in the mix with David Lipscomb and Martin Luther King come State.
On the ladies' side, freshman Kacey Nobert of St. Agnes Academy ran 19:12 in the Gold Division race and reportedly missed the start of the race by 20-30 seconds for second place behind Jennifer Dunn, a senior from Austin HS (KY?). The Gold Ladies race had seven under 20 minutes and two more within four seconds, a very fast race. Science Hill took the team title with Bob Jones HS (AL) coming in second and Harpeth Hall third.
The women’s silver division had two under 20--St. Benedicts' senior Elizabeth Altizer and Chattanooga Christian's Jessica Duble. Ensworth dominated the team race with a finish of 4, 5, 7, 9, and 13 for 38 points.
After their dominance at Classic, Baylor's men will look to test their metal again this coming Saturday at the McCallie Invitational, with powerhouses Oak Ridge, Hoover (AL), Brentwood HS, Collins Hill (GA), Parkview (GA) and Trinity (KY) lining up at Greenway Farms in Chattanooga. As far as girls teams go, Science Hill, Harpeth Hall, GPS, Webb School of Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Parkview (GA), Hoover (AL) Collins Hill (GA) and Dobyns Bennett will be showing up to race. If you're in the area and can make it, that race will be a great one! Also on Saturday will be the Chattanooga Cross Country Festival on one of the most difficult courses in the state and the A.F. Bridges Invitational on the Steeplechase course. You can keep up with all of these races on TennesseeRunner.com, which will have extensive coverage of the Chattanooga Festival, including photos, coverage of the McCallie Invite, and results from Bridges. Remember: you can be a part of TennesseeRunner.com. If you have pictures or a race recap, please feel free to email them to Jasen Parks - coachparks@tennesseerunner.com.
Enjoy the beginning of fall, and runSTRONG!
"No negative thoughts cross my mind on race day. When I look into their eyes, I know I'm going to beat them." - Danny Harris