Watch Out For These Tennessee Runners At Brooks XC South

Brooks XC Championships South
Ben Thompson

Greeneville's finished first in every race except his most recent where he finished 12th at the NXN Southeast Regional and will make another attempt at qualifying at McAlpine Park this Saturday.

Brooks XC Championship South

New Championships, same course, same stakes. The top ten boy and girl finishers this weekend at McAlpine Park will advance to the first Brooks XC Championship presented by Fleet Feet that will take place at Balboa Park on December 13th. Every year since 2016, Tennessee has had representation in San Diego and I don't anticipate there will be any difference this year. Here are a few names that I anticipate will keep the streak alive. 

I think there are two tiers of competitors entering Saturday, Contenders and Competitors. Contenders are runners who would not surprise me if they qualify. Competitors are those who I anticipate will be in the mix for a qualifying spot and would be icing on the top if they make it. 

Contenders

  • Asher Oates - Independence: Oates qualified a year ago finishing 20th overall at the National Championship. He forwent Nike to go all in on this race and I anticipate a return trip this year for the NC State Commit. 
  • Owen Clemons - Cleveland: I don't actually know if he is registered for this meet but after beating Asher Oates at state, finishing 12th last year, and not competing at Nike, I can't imagine he's going to sit out the post season. For a runner like him to come in with such a bang, it's only fitting he ends with one. 
  • Calysta Garmer - Webb: Of the three Webb runners, she's the only one that hasn't qualified for a National Meet individually but has been consistently the top runner for the Spartans this fall. This is just gravy on top after finishing runner up last week leading the Green and White to a Southeast Team Title
  • Jazzlyn Garmer - Webb: She qualified for Nationals last year but hit a hiccup right before KILs that has caused her to drop off the pace just a little from twin sister Calysta. Still wouldn't surprise me to see her grab on of the final qualifying spots. 

Competitors

  • Trey Bailey - Greeneville: As stated above, he hadn't lost until last week but even though he has 11 wins that means he also has 12 races on his legs making this Saturday number 13. I feel like he's a year away from moving up into contention and will get valuable experience before he returns as a senior. 
  • Eli Wharton - Davidson Academy: This was another name that caught my attention. I view him in the same regards as Bailey. If he is fully recovered from the illness that bogged DA down during state he has a similar level of upside. 
  • Carolina Areheart - Webb: After qualifying for both national meets last year, Areheart has had trouble matching the performances this fall. But she keeps closing the gap to both her teammates each week. 
  • The Rest: As stated at the outset of the season, the girls in Tier 2 take turns on who is going to win each week. I feel like one of the following will either qualify or get really close: Ava Moody, Larkin Johnson, Brynn Balturshot, Addi Cotter, Sienna Anderson