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.
Daniel McGuire - Sovereign Grace
On Monday, Daniel McGuire won the TSIAA Weekly contest that takes place at the Hermitage running a 16:20. Through three weeks of this meet series, this was the first time a boy ran under seventeen minutes. McGuire placed 7th at Voyles a couple of weeks ago running a 16:33 on this same course. Given the drastic difference in weather conditions for these two events, Voyles was cool and overcast and last Monday the temperature touched the mid-90's in Nashville, its surprising he was able to improve his time as most had significant PRs at the contest two weeks prior. He's clearly on the right trajectory to challenge for the HXN Individual title in November.
Cade Crum - Bearden
After being part of the Class of 2025 freshman in Tennessee that ended 2021 as the best in the nation, Cade Crum did not have the opening to his sophomore season we would've expected based how he closed last year. He ran the same or slower times at both of his first two races of the year. As he discussed after the race, he was battling some illness at the opening of the season. He's better now and started trending in the right direction last week defending his title at the Johnson University Invitational running 10 seconds faster year over year and followed that up with a runner up finish at Bristol Cross on Saturday. While he did not defend his title this week, it was a 30 second year over year improvement from last.
Bearden travels west next weekend to take on the state course where he finished 13th last season in Division I AAA.
Every year, a different McCallie runner seems to make headlines. In 2020, Evan Simpson was the only freshman in the state to run under sixteen minutes. Last year, Jack Bowen ended the season ranked #4 nationally for freshmen, and this year it seems to be Hugh Carlson's turn. The senior came on strong last season winning the state's 3200m run in dramatic fashion outsprinting the field in the final 100 meters and carried that momentum into this cross country season as he won the McCallie Invitational with a new PR of 15:30. McCallie placed six in the top seven and leapt from outside the top ten to number three in our overall team rankings.
Sticking with Division II Class AA, Grant Rehm, sophomore at Ensworth won the Speedway Shootout on Saturday crossing the finish in 16:48. It was his first time under the seventeen minute mark for 5k after coming within .23 seconds of doing so at state last season where he finished 30th. While the Tigers may not have the up and down depth of a McCallie or BA, Rehm currently ranks 9th among sophomores for this division. In a couple more seasons and continued improvement you may see single digits next to his name at state before he graduates.
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.
Daniel McGuire - Sovereign Grace
On Monday, Daniel McGuire won the TSIAA Weekly contest that takes place at the Hermitage running a 16:20. Through three weeks of this meet series, this was the first time a boy ran under seventeen minutes. McGuire placed 7th at Voyles a couple of weeks ago running a 16:33 on this same course. Given the drastic difference in weather conditions for these two events, Voyles was cool and overcast and last Monday the temperature touched the mid-90's in Nashville, its surprising he was able to improve his time as most had significant PRs at the contest two weeks prior. He's clearly on the right trajectory to challenge for the HXN Individual title in November.
Cade Crum - Bearden
After being part of the Class of 2025 freshman in Tennessee that ended 2021 as the best in the nation, Cade Crum did not have the opening to his sophomore season we would've expected based how he closed last year. He ran the same or slower times at both of his first two races of the year. As he discussed after the race, he was battling some illness at the opening of the season. He's better now and started trending in the right direction last week defending his title at the Johnson University Invitational running 10 seconds faster year over year and followed that up with a runner up finish at Bristol Cross on Saturday. While he did not defend his title this week, it was a 30 second year over year improvement from last.
