McCallie’s cross country dynasty keeps on running.
The Blue Tornado were dominant on the way to winning their third straight Division II-AA title – and the eighth TSSAA team state championship in program history – on Friday at Hendersonville’s Sanders Ferry Park.
Coach Mike Wood‘s top five runners sailed through the 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) course at the state meet with an average time of 16 minutes, 16 seconds to finish with a team score of 54, which was 15 points better than runner-up Brentwood Academy.
McCallie’s top finisher was sophomore Evan Simpson (15:59.98), who was fourth overall at state for the second straight year but improved upon his 2020 time by more than half a minute. The other scoring runners for the Blue Tornado were freshman Jack Bowen (16:07.37, ninth) and juniors Hugh Carlson (16:12.98, 11th), Grady Outlaw (16:26.35, 13th) and Nate Armstrong (16:37.35, 17th).
The Blue Tornado won their first TSSAA team state title in the sport in 2001 and added championships in 2005-06 and 2012-13 before beginning their current streak.