Bright future - and present! - at Chickasaw Trails

Perfect weather for early September in Alabama greeted the runners on Saturday morning - mid 60s, cloudy, even a breeze.  The runners took full advantage of the conditions and made the most of a fast course, bringing home lots of personal bests and a trophy!

 

The girls led things off as the first race, and Madeleine Wiseman established herself near the front from the start of the race, ably supported by Jackie Seale and Norah Harrison. Madeleine would finish in the top 10, and Jackie and Norah would finish side by side in the top 40. Running spectacularly in her first trip to Chickasaw was Laura Fonseca, and Adelaide Ritter secured a big improvement from her first race of the season. Sevi Bruce, our reigning Tiger of the Meet, also knocked over four minutes off her time from two weeks ago. Those performances helped the girls take 7th in a field of 24 teams.

 

The varsity boys were the next to toe the line, and they did not disappoint. All 10 boys finished under 19 minutes, and there was a small gap between our scoring runners, led by Drew Zwerner, who dipped under 17 minutes. Close behind were Griffin Davidson, Jack Fruin, and Clay Payne (all under 18 minutes), followed by some huge performances from the boys’ co-reigning Tigers of the Meet, Caleb Freifeld and Caleb Little. Sophomores Dylan Omary and Henry Baxter ran personal bests, as did James Little, who improved from over 20 minutes two weeks ago to under 19 today.  Caspar Schmidt is rounding into form and closed out the team positions. The boys’ depth helped them win, taking top honors in a field of 36 teams, as the second-placed team had higher-positioned runners in spots 1-2-3, but USN’s 4-5 runners more than made up the gap. I believe it is our first victory here since 2014, when the team had won four straight titles. 

 

The JV boys were our final race of the day, just as the sun peeked out. A retired coach from MBA noted our large team, asking, “how many runners do y’all have?” That large team had great energy, and it showed in the performances. Gryffin Anderson, after battling illness for a few weeks, had a breakout race, as our 11th runner under 19 minutes on the day, with Binyam Dunne right behind ( it just over 19!). There were too many PRs to regale here, but some notable performances from first-timer Ebe Asfaw, Chase Ginsberg, Beau Jones, Finch Fleming, Bennett Paddon, and Mario Tedeschi should be documented. 

 

All in all, a great day. The teams will compete locally on the famed steeplechase course on the 17th, and then again nearby in Dickson on the 28th. Thanks to all for your support!