This is the first time in recent history at least the GHSA will have a separate State Meet for the A schools which is a polarizing topic for many coaches as it takes away from the luster of competing on the grand stage at Carrollton and minimizes in some eyes the importance of the meet. But 4 Class 1A champs will be recognized on Saturday.       The venue will be on a tested course at the Georgia Industrial Chjldren's home which is moderately challenging with a few rolling hills and 2 long fast downhill stretches which are grass. There are several spots on the course fans can move around to making it viewer friendly. The 1A Private races will be very competitive and the 1A Public races may remind one of similar A, AA races at Carrollton where most of the teams that fielded Area meet squads will struggle to have 30 minute team averages and many athletes will walk when out of view of the Start and Finish areas. The sad fact is a Girls Public  School Podium team could have a walker make the difference....

USATF Georgia Association (via www.usatfga.org)

These are the Final Regular Season  Runners of the Week where we have tried to recognize different athletes each week, though there were some repeat winners. Next week we will name the TOP ROW for each Class after Region competition and its logical that the Individual State Champs will be the ROY's for the season. The GISA State meet was held this past weekend at Darton State College and Kaleb McLeod of Trinity Christian-Dublin and freshman Ruthie Powell of The Heritage School were named the GISA  ROY's for 2012.

These will be the Final Cross Country Rankings of the Fall Season as Region meets have already began this past Saturday. There was only a few minor changes in the larger classes as Last Chance is now a race that coaches run JVs and get their runners aqquainted with the course changes than racing all out.   With the 1A Private Area meets,  2 ranked teams did not qualify for State and others moved up. I was finally able to rank a top 8 in Boys A Public School and GISA completed their XC competition at their State Meet in Albany. Now we will begin to really find out who the best are as nearly everyone will be running their top 7. Let the games begin...

MileSplit’s National Cross Country Rankings (via MileSplit)

As a former high school track & field athlete, a loooong time ago, I was always aware of cross-country, but it was never of any particular interest to me as a sport. I was a thrower and avoided running in any form like the plague. My distance was 7-8 feet across a circle, and my coaches were hard-pressed to get me to train for anything much longer than that. (via MileSplit)

The Nike-Fleet Feet Coach Wood race really shook up the All-Class and 6A Team Rankings this week. Marietta shot up to the top All-Class with their stellar performance. Mill Creek Boys stayed consistent placing 2nd and Norcross surpassed St. Pius X. On the Girls side its becoming a horse race between Walton and Brookwood as only a few points separated them Saturday. Milton made a big move into the 3rd spot overall after an excellent run. Marist held their ground and no one can touch them in 4A  Boys or Girls. The GISA State Championships are this Saturday at Southland Academy in Americus.

Week 9 Runners of the Week were highlighted by Allie Buchalski's Championship Race title in 18:02 and Nathan Riech's runnerup finish of 15:47 in the Boys Race. This week the Middle School Runners of the Week are also receiving the recognition of 'MS Runners of the Year' ROYS  Congrats to Kendall Nelson of Marist, Sarah Foreman of Landmark Christian and the Boys with Sean Parker of Woodstock Track and Anthony Potts of Malcom Bridge.

      The Nike-Fleet Feet Coach Wood Invitational delivered some classic racing as usual this Saturday at the Gainesville College Course. It was a best of the best fest, especially in the Championship Boys race and the Girls race was no slouch. This race was hyped and talked about the past few weeks and it must have been so great that it drained the energy of everyone there onsite from discussing it afterwards, lol. What ultimately was on display the 6A State is anyone's game and whoever 'has it, and wants it more' will be the State Champ...Austin Sprague focuses on the trail ahead of him.  

Wow, what a day of great racing this Saturday down in Cochran at the 7th Annual Georgia State Middle School State Championships! The meet was flawlessly ran by Coach Shelley Cranford's Running Royals and all the races ran on time as well. The attendance was visibly the largest and loudest ever as well. 4 Team Champs were crowned including 4 well deserving Individual Champions. The races were equally competitive in the Large and Small School divisions individually and teamwise as runners frantically battled for places all over the course and especially up the short straight final uphill stretch. Georgia HS Cross Country's future stars strutted their stuff in front of a large, loud and spirited crowd of proud parents, fans and teamates.  

Coach Cranford gives a brief history of the 7th Annual meet and what it has meant to the MS and area community. This Saturday's race promises to be the most competitive yet in every race. The JV Boys race alone will have over 300 runners.

This year is the 10th edition of the meet, and could be the most competitive one yet.  With Nike athlete Shannon Rowbury set to appear, the always popular Fleet Feet/Nike tent, and the Cross Country friendly atmosphere of Gainesville College, the “unofficial All Class State Meet” (as one messageboard poster dubbed it) should be packed with plenty of intrigue.  by Coach Andy Christie

Pictured is the Lead Pack in the Boys Race of Champions at The Asics Invite. This event produced 8 ROWs for Week 8. Pictured 6th from the left is 5A ROW Sidney Speir of McIntosh.  Image by Pinion Photography

Week 8 has a few shakeups as McIntosh Girls shot up to #1 in 5A and the Westminster Girls rose strongly to #5 All Class after their Asics race. Coach Wood should sort out the Big Guns on the Boys side as well as the Girls somewhat.  GISA Rankings are pending...  

   The Clarke-Oconee Cross Country Championships have a long tradition of competitive racing with many State Champs, Individual and Team battling it out on different venues. This season, the Championship will be contested Tuesday on the challenging Athens Academy course. Here is a meet preview by Coach Tom Pee from Athens Academy....

The Atlanta Track Club is dedicated to inspire and engage the community to achieve health and fitness through running in Georgia. (via www.atlantatrackclub.org)

In the tradition of recognizing more runners each week, here are the Ga.MileSplit ROW's. Jake Bagwell(pictured above) was the Boys 6A .  Megan Charbeneau from Lowndes was the Girls 6A ROW behind her win at Westover in 18:36. Union County had a pair recognized from The Mountain Invite in Jeremy Webb and Emma Garrison.

Brookwood Boys continued to climb up the Rankings ladder and Class A Public finally has enough data to rank a top 5! There was no movement in A Private this week.  GISA UPDATED.

  MileSplit’s National Cross Country Rankings (via MileSplit)

Week 7 provided a number of races in and out of state featuring Westover, Atlanta Classic, Cobb County Championships, Mountain Invite in White County, FSU, Wendys amongst others. Marist continued to sweep meets and there were many outstanding performances.

(via www.usatf.org) Coach Tomy Sitton of East Jackson was the men's Team Leader for the World 1/2 Marathon Championships held in Bulgaria. the US Men finished 4th and the US Women 5th! Hats off to Coach Sitton! Click on the Article Header and there is a photo of Coach Sitton with the great Sergey Bubka who was the best Pole Vaulter consistently over a long period of time for the Former Soviet Union.

28 teams will line it up Saturday morning at Clinton Nature Preserve for the 2012 Atlanta Classic.  The mostly single-loop 5,000 meter course will feature 3 hay bale jumps and an exciting 300 meter spectator-friendly finish.

Here is Preview of the 2012 Cobb County Championships by Walton Raiders Coach Travis Gower. Once again the venue is the nice Cobb County Corps Property.

Here are the 'Runners of the Week' for the 6th week of competition. Please keep in mind, that the committee attempts to recognize different athletes for each month. Course difficulty and the level of competition is taken into consideration. In the photo is Kinsee Clevinger of darlington as she cruised to victory in the Small School race at Darlington.

Great American shook up the All Class Boys Rankings as St. Pius X vaulted over 6A Mill Creek besting them head to head in the ROC. At  Aubrae Gunderson, Flowery Branch's Boys win in the White Race pushed them to the top of 5A and Greenbrier also made a big move upwards. Lakeside-Evans Girls win at AG moved them to the top spot. Wesleyan's Girls supplanted Westminster in 2A Girls after their performance at Great American.

Its gonna be another Fast and Furious race down in Albany this Saturday as 40+ schools will be converging at Robert Cross MS and fly under the pecan trees. October has arrived in Southwest Georgia and with it the 31st Annual Westover Invitational. A cool morning is in the forecast as 36 teams will toe the line to compete in one of the oldest cross country invitationals in Georgia.....

         Here is a preview  from  White County Coach Sam Borg. This year’s Mountain Invitational is bigger than ever, as 32 high schools and 24 middle schools will bring over 1600 runners ready to charge up and over that hill.  Heavy rain early in the week should calm down to give us decent conditions for Thursday’s race.  High humidity will combine with highs in the 70s, cooling down as we get to the Varsity races at 5:00 and 5:30.....

The Atlanta Track Club (ATC) today announced 26 metro Atlanta nonprofit organizations have been chosen to...» More (via atlantamarathon.org)

2012-09-28 at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary (via MileSplit) Josh Brickell, St. Pius and Mill Creek Boys were on their game garnering much respect for Georgia HS Cross Country....