XC teams finish as state runner-ups at championships
USN harriers had their best performances at the state championships on Thursday, November 2, only thwarted by strong teams ahead of them.
By Coaches Lindsey Bachman, Maxime Chevée, George Flatau, and Robbie McKay
The girls, coming off a region win last week, had an even better day as a team. Five of the girls ran lifetime personal records on a challenging course, a testament to their readiness on the biggest day. The girls were once again led by the dynamic duo of Madeleine Wiseman '27 and Morgan McAteer '26 — both All-State though Morgan flipped the script and was the team’s top finisher in sixth with Madeleine just behind in eighth. Liv O’Hara '25 finished 17th, just outside All-State, and Grace Boero '24 and Olivia Hess '24 both ran personal records and in the top 30. Chloe Cmelak '24 and Jackie Seale '27, both also running personal records, were less than 30 seconds behind and a very important part of the team’s depth. When the scoring was determined, the girls were tied for second, just five points out of first, and the second-place tiebreaker — based on the finishing position of the sixth runner - went to USN as Chloe finished a whopping 19 spots ahead of her counterpart. It was a sign of the incredible talent of the team, whose average time is fast enough to have won more than a few state meets in years past.
The boys also had a day, with a faster team average than last year’s winning team, and six of seven personal records. Eli Galentino '24 and Jack Fruin '27 once again mixed it up at the front of the field, though Jack was knocked down and had to recover and work his way back up toward the front. Both would end up All-State and lead the team. Not far behind was a dynamic duo of the future, Griffin Davidson '27 and Drew Zwerner '28, both running under 18 minutes in just their second and third 5km races, respectively. Clay Payne '25 was also under 18 minutes for the first time and closed out the team scoring, with Caspar Schmidt '25 and Simon Fox '24 just over 18 minutes in personal records as well. The boys ran very well but were up against a very strong Columbia Academy team, and they were a clear runner-up.
The teams were no doubt bolstered by the many fans who came on our spirit bus as well as parents in attendance. We greatly appreciate their support and all your support in making it this far and this high up on the podium. Thank you from the Tigers!
Librarians invite the USN community to celebrate Read Across USN Week from Friday, January 9 through Friday, January 16 and read 300K pages. Click here to volunteer during Community Night in the Hassenfeld Library, when we celebrate this week of literacy 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, January 15.
The Quiz Bowl team traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to face several top teams from across the country at this year's South Warren Tournament. USN's second-place finish earned the team an invitation to the National Academic Quiz Tournaments' National Championships in May.
In an inspiring new initiative, USN's health care career spotlight, organized by Ruchika Ramachandran ’27 and Yvonne Wang ’27, brought a wealth of alumni back to the school for an evening of shared expertise and personal stories. This first-of-its-kind event was a great example of the power of connection, mentorship, and community evident throughout the USN community.
USN Mission: 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.