XC teams win titles at Middle Region Championships
USN’s High School cross country girls team is the 2023 region champion and boys team is the region runner-up following the Middle Region Championships at Warner Parks’ Vaughn’s Gap on Tuesday, October 24.
By George Flatau, Cross Country Coach and HS Science Teachers
The girls collectively ran a nearly perfect team race with incredible tactical execution joined with determination. Madeleine Wiseman ’27 led the way, hanging near the front pack the whole race; Morgan McAteer ’26 was in the next group and Liv O'Hara ’25 a little further back. As the race developed and the infamous "Sideways Hill" took its toll, Morgan and Liv found themselves moving up near Madeleine, ending with a 3-4-5 finish (Madeline, Liv, and Morgan) all within seven seconds. It takes five runners to complete a team score, and not far behind, Grace Boero ’24 had herself a day, finishing in 15th place (All-Region), with Olivia Hess ’24 placing behind her in the 16th spot. Not too far off, Jackie Seale ’27 and Chloe Cmelak ’24 were in 21st and 22nd places, meaning USN's seventh runner was faster than every other region team's fifth runner. It all added up to a 20-point win for the team, its first Region title since 2011 and a great momentum builder for next week's State meet.
The girls collectively ran a nearly perfect team race with incredible tactical execution joined with determination. Madeleine Wiseman ’27 led the way, hanging near the front pack the whole race; Morgan McAteer ’26 was in the next group and Liv O'Hara ’25 a little further back. As the race developed and the infamous "Sideways Hill" took its toll, Morgan and Liv found themselves moving up near Madeleine, ending with a 3-4-5 finish (Madeline, Liv, and Morgan) all within seven seconds. It takes five runners to complete a team score, and not far behind, Grace Boero ’24 had herself a day, finishing in 15th place (All-Region), with Olivia Hess ’24 placing behind her in the 16th spot. Not too far off, Jackie Seale ’27 and Chloe Cmelak ’24 were in 21st and 22nd places, meaning USN's seventh runner was faster than every other region team's fifth runner. It all added up to a 20-point win for the team, its first Region title since 2011 and a great momentum builder for next week's State meet.
The boys did battle with a very strong front pack from Columbia Academy, and for a time, a group of seven (5 Columbia Academy, 2 USN) controlled the front of the race. Once again, as the hill had its impact, the group splintered a bit, but Eli Galentino ’24 stayed close to the front and finished in 4th place. Not far behind was Jack Fruin ’27 in 7th place, and then the Tigers' team race came down to the rest of the team's positions. The boys were up to the challenge with Griffin Davidson ’27 (in his first 5K) running spectacularly to take 16th place, just a literal step ahead of Clay Payne ’25 in 17th place. Caspar Schmidt ’25 was just seven seconds behind them in 19th place, and Simon Fox ’24 and Brandon Fonseca ’24 showed the team's depth with 22nd and 25th place finishes. Columbia Academy was too strong to beat, but the team finished a strong second, continuing a more than decade streak of finishing either first or second in the Region.
Not to be outdone, the junior varsity took complete control of the race, flirting with a perfect score (1-5) for a time. In the end, the Tigers took seven of the top ten places en route to a dominant team win, as well as Drew Brackett's ’24 first overall victory (followed by Adam Wang ’24 and Paulo Saoud ’26). There were many impressive performances, especially the first 5K for Henry Baxter ’27 and Gabi Ackerman-Lieberman ’24, as well as the first seasonal 5K for Daniel Guo ’25. The girls had a small but mighty crew with final races for seniors Cléo Gauthier ’24 and Alice Frein ’24, and first Region races for Norah Harrison ’27 and Adelaide Ritter ’27.
A huge shout out to the 18 seniors without whom this season would not have been nearly so successful, fun, or memorable. The Tigers will continue to work for a week or so, then, the teams will compete at the State championships on Thursday, November 2 at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville.
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Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
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2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.