FL South Regional
For the second time in as many weekends, the best from the Southeast descended on North Carolina to try to advance to one of the national meets. While some of the higher caliber boy runners from Tennessee attempted both, most of the higher tier girls forewent the festivities in Cary the weekend prior to go all-in in Charlotte and it seemed to pay off. Three girls qualified this year matching the most Tennessee girls in a singular to do so. (This was previously reported incorrectly)
Webb's Abby Faith Cheeseman placed runner up finishing in 16:50 making this her third trip to San Diego. Right behind her would be Nolensville's Claire Stegall who finished 4th in 16:51. Grabbing the final qualifying spot was Independence's Jaynie Halterman who finished 10th in 17:10. This would be both Stegall's and Halterman's first time racing at the regional. The other time three Tennesseans qualified was in 2006. Here's the full list of Tennessee Girls who have raced at the National Meet:
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATE PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17:13.40 | The Webb School | 2025 | |
| 2 | 17:16.10 | Science Hill High School | 2022 | |
| 3 | 17:28.00 | Independence High School | 2009 | |
| 4 | 17:29.00 | Independence High School | 2009 | Foot Locker Nationals 1st F |
| 5 | 17:31.00 | Knoxville Catholic High School | 2012 | Foot Locker Nationals 5th F |
| 6 | 17:35.43 | Christian Academy of Knoxville | 2018 | Foot Locker Nationals 3rd F |
| 7 | 17:42.00 | Independence High School | 2009 | Foot Locker Nationals 6th F |
| 8 | 17:43.40 | Science Hill High School | 2022 | |
| 9 | 17:46.00 | Knoxville Catholic High School | 2011 | Foot Locker Nationals 10th F |
| 10 | 17:57.00 | Independence High School | 2009 | Foot Locker Nationals 16th F |
| 11 | 17:57.32 | King's Academy | 2017 | Foot Locker Nationals 15th F |
| 12 | 18:22.70 | The Webb School | 2025 | |
| 13 | 18:32.00 | Brentwood High School | 2005 | Foot Locker Nationals 19th F |
| 14 | 18:34.50 | Cookeville High School | 2021 | |
| 15 | 19:03.30 | Christian Academy of Knoxville | 2018 | Foot Locker Nationals 34th F |
| 16 | 19:24.00 | Gallatin High School | 2001 | Foot Locker Nationals 32nd F |
| 17 | 19:39.00 | White Station High School | 2007 | Foot Locker Nationals 38th F |
| 18 | 19:43.00 | West High School | 1999 | Foot Locker Nationals 32nd F |
| 19 | 20:25.00 | White Station High School | 2008 | Foot Locker Nationals 40th F |
The next best finishers would be Cookeville's Katie Hetzel (25th) and Hardin Valley's Maddie Archdale (27th) who finished in 17:46 and 17:49 respectively.
Complete Girls Championship Race Results
On the boys side, most were making their second trip to NC after failing to auto-qualify in Cary a week prior and the top finisher from last weekend was the top finisher again this weekend. Colin Eckerman didn't leave it up to a selection committee this weekend and secured his trip to the West Coast with a third place overall finish of 14:55. Later that day, he would also get the news he was selected as an At-Large to compete in Portland this upcoming weekend. Four other Tennesseans placed in the top thirty led by Luke Thompson (16th), Keegan Smith (18th), Matteo Tonnos (21st), Radek Molchan (26th).
Complete Boys Championship Race Results
Eckerman's fellow Webb girls, who were also on the bubble as a team to get an At-Large bid, were not selected.
Congratulations to these qualifiers and good luck in your next meet. Hope to see everyone else in Huntsville next weekend for the RunningLane Cross Country Championships!