West Tennessee Jamboree
Memphis East graduated zero runners 1-7 from a squad that finished 3rd overall in Division I Class AA/A and still seem to be riding that momentum into this season. On Saturday, they placed five runners in the top 20 (From left: Gabriel Farr, Sawyer Twombly, Charlie Palmer) en route to a team total of 32 points. Gabriel Gutierrez (12:17) led the way with a 3rd place overall finish. It's too early to tell if they have what it takes to jump Signal or Central Magnet in November but they're definitely no longer a team that is flying under the radar. Host team Madison Academic placed 2nd with a pack of runners finishing between 13th and 25th place. They'll also be looking to improve on a 15th place finish but it'll be a little bit of a tougher climb with a younger roster that graduated five in 2023.
More Coverage: Photo Album | Results
The individual races were dominated by two of our top returners for their respective classes. Hutchison's Meriel Rowland, the 4th ranked runner for the Class of 2024, traversed the 2.2 mile course with over a minute faster than her next closes competitor crossing the finish line in 14:01. After a junior season that saw 18's across the board during the fall and PRs in all of her distances in the spring, nothing will surprise me this season. On the boys side, Nathan Smith, the top returning home-school based runner for the Class of 2026, debuted a new jersey on Saturday donning a Jackson Heat en route to a 25 second victory over the next best finisher. Last season, Smith competed for Augustine High School where he was the top finishing freshman at HXN.
The Crockett Co. High School girls won the team competition with a 20 point victory over Trinity Christian. The team amassed 56 points led by Sophomore Claire Evans who placed fifth overall with a 15:48 who, as a freshman, placed 91st at state for Division I Class AA/A. The team finished 21st and only graduated one from last season.