5th 6th Cross Country: HVAC Championship

For our 5th and 6th grade runners, Wednesday, September 25, was the culmination of nearly eight weeks of training and racing. The Harpeth Valley Athletic Conference boasts most of the local private school junior high 5th and 6th grade teams, and the Championship Meet for 5th and 6th grade boys and girls was hosted at the University School of Nashville’s River campus.

Having had a great season so far, the Eagles came in ready to “run so as to win” and give their all. Perpetua B., Ruthie C., Audrey G., Mary Margaret K., Paige S., and Ava W. comprised the girls' team, which had placed well in previous meets. Each Eagle posted her best time of the season, with Paige taking home the individual champion honors with a 1.5-mile time of 9 minutes and 45 seconds. Ruthie placed in the top 10, and Audrey Grief placed in the top 15 of all runners. In cross country, team scores are determined by the top 5 runners from each team, and the hard work of Perpetua, Ava, and Mary Margaret ensured they fought for every place as they ran to the finish line and achieved their season-best times!

Coach Miller, Coach Kierlin, and all the parents were super proud of the team's effort and were hopeful for a top-3 finish. When the results were announced, it was Harpeth Hall with 70 points and the Girls HVAC Junior Division Champions – Overbrook Catholic School – with a score of 67!

If one of our girls had been passed or ended up passing a fellow competitor, the scores could have been reversed. But as these girls have shown all season, their belief and confidence in who they are, and that they can “run to win” gave them the opportunity to become champions.

The boys' team ran in the next race, and representing OCS well were JP B., Patrick G., and Ethan H. They all ran great races, demonstrating how well they have trained and committed themselves this season. Ethan ran a season-best time of 9:58, nearly a minute faster than his previous best, earning 12th position in the conference.

We are proud of all our runners who have committed to extra races, put in the work, and been rewarded with personal bests and team accomplishments! This crew, along with all of our 125 cross country runners, will compete on Sunday in the final Diocesan Athletic Conference meet, looking to continue the great fall we have had.