Performer of the Week

Every week this season we will be conducting a poll from beginning Monday and ending Thursday to highlight performances from the previous week. This will give us an opportunity to showcase the best talent in Tennessee. Though some athletes will likely run times every week that are worthy of being in the poll, our goal is to cast a wide net and showcase a vast array of athletes from all parts of the state. 

Lauren Rutlin - SGIS

Lauren Rutlin opened her season at Coleman Midgett where she kept Cromwell and Haws of Brentwood in contact long enough to make a last mile surge and sandwich herself between the two teammates en route to a 3rd place finish. She employed a similar race strategy on Saturday. For most of the race at Memphis Twilight, the Senior from SGIS sat behind the chase pack for the first two miles or so and again, was able to pull away over the final mile again to finish 2nd and the first Tennessean across the line. Though she hasn't been threatening her PR in either race, she's displaying a level of race maturity she lacked when her focus wasn't solely on running. 

Rutlin and Cheeseman are on a collision course again this season in Division II Class A and it's hard to determine who has the edge given the history of their previous encounters. 

Sarah Potter - Dickson County

Even though Sarah Potter is only a freshman, most who engage with this site on a regular basis already know her by now. She's the only runner to win the State Middle School Championship in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Now she's in high school and she opened her career with a victory at her home meet with a 19:08. The time currently ranks 6th overall. The top six freshman will be on the line at Voyles on Saturday so it'll be a good litmus test to see how she fairs in a large field for the first time. 

Hailee Gorham - Hendersonville

When Hailee Gorham of Hendersonville High School qualified for the state championship last season, she was the first female runner to do so as a Commando since 2012. She finished 84th. Last season, she consistently ran under twenty-two minutes but was never able to eclipse the twenty minutes barrier. So far this season, she hasn't run over it. With two 5ks under her belt so far she's run 19:59 en route to a 3rd place finish at the Green Hill Invitational and 19:44 this past Thursday in a head to head battle with other in Region competitors at Welch where she finished 2nd. 

Maddie Archdale - Hardin Valley

With the head coach changing and the boys graduating six of seven, the only thing that may feel familiar about Hardin Valley this year is Maddie Archdale. The junior opened her season with a similar performance to last year's in much more challenging conditions.  

Archdale took the victory at Victor Ashe in 19:16 gapping the field by thirty seconds. Out of design, HVA will likely avoid most in KIL competition again until this year's county championship where Archdale will look to defend her title in an ever evolving Knoxville Cross Country landscape.