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.

Bella Guillamondegui - Harpeth Hall

Bella Guillamondegui won the Louisville Classic on Saturday by a full 30 seconds essentially equaling her PR with a time of 17:38. At no point this season has Guillamondegui run slower than her personal best from 2021 with times of 17:40, 17:38, and now 17:38 again and yet this was her first victory of the season with the only in state runners she has finished behind are Stegall and Halterman. If she races at the MSCCA Championship at Buckner Park in a couple of weeks, I suspect she'll stay in this window of time again as that course is notoriously fast.

Anna Graves - Webb School of Knoxville

Last week we spotlighted up and coming Spartan Carolina Areheart, this week it's Anna Graves turn. The junior from the Webb School of Knoxville dipped under eighteen minutes for the first time just a week after breaking the nineteen minute barrier. She crossed the finish line in 17:54 at Jesse Owens on Saturday placing second behind only Claire Stegall. Year over year she has improved by 1:40.

Larkin Johnson - Centennial 

Finishing two spots behind Graves, the next Tennessean to cross the finish was freshman Larkin Johnson. Johnson ran 19:05 in her opener and has been under that mark every since and came narrowly close to running under the eighteen minute mark on Saturday crossing the finish in 18:00.74 placing 4th overall. Though she will rank 3rd among freshman after results are process, she ran a faster time on Saturday on the same course than the two ranked ahead of her.  

Gracey Owens - Houston

Earlier this season, we talked about Gracey Owens' consistency and maturity after finishing 10th at Memphis Twilight. Those attributes are now turning into results after the Senior from Houston finished runner up in the Gold Division at Saturday Light Fever. Just take a look at this progression year over year at Sanders Ferry Park. 

• 2020 - 21:08
• 2021 - 20:04
• Saturday - 19:00

It was ever so close to her PR of 18:59 but given the confidence she may gain from this performance I suspect it won't stand for much longer.