Photo contributed by Baylor School / Emmy Davis, second from right, shown with her family, has signed with UTC's cross country and track programs.Baylor School seniors Emmy Davis and Hannah Rosser, both Times Free Press Best of Preps cross country selections this past season, will continue their athletic careers in college for that sport as well as track.
According to a Baylor release, Davis has signed with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - she chose the Mocs over another Southern Conference program, Samford in Birmingham, Alabama - and Rosser will run for Sewanee, an NCAA Division III and Southern Athletic Association member.
Both helped the Lady Red Raiders to a third-place team finish at the TSSAA Division II-AA cross country state meet this past November in Nashville, with Davis seventh overall in a time of 20 minutes, 18.76 seconds in the 5k (3.1-mile) race and Rosser 24th in 21:24.71, according to results at TSSAAsports.com.
Baylor's release noted Davis has a personal best of 19:35 in the 5k and earned medals in three events at the state track meet last spring as a junior - the 1600- and 3200-meter runs and the 4x800 relay - and had a time of 2:19 in the 800 as a senior early this season before most of the schedule was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
"UTC provides me a good balance between academics and running," Davis said in the release. "I'm so excited for the opportunities to learn and compete that UTC offers."
Photo contributed by Baylor School / Hannah Rosser, center, shown with her family, will continue her athletic career at Sewanee with the college's cross country and track programs.Rosser's best 5k time as a senior was 19:58, and as a junior at the state track meet she earned medals in the 800, 4x400 and 4x800, according to Baylor's release.
"I chose Sewanee, Rosser said, "because of the welcoming, close-knit community and because I can successfully balance my academic and athletic passions."
Baylor cross country coach Heather Ott and track coach Bill Gautier spoke highly of both runners.
"Emmy leads by example as she trains hard, races hard, cares about the girls around her, and does it all with a perspective that is inspiring," Ott said.
Said Gautier: "At UTC, Emmy will be joining a young and exciting group of runners to carry on the strong tradition of excellence on the track and in the classroom."
As for Rosser, Ott said: "Every single day and every single race, our team benefited from a girl who is humble, dedicated, talented, and kind. Hannah trains and competes with such usual consistency that one might be tempted to take it all for granted. We never did."
Said Gautier: "As she pursues her pre-med goals, Hannah's personality and strong work ethic will be a great benefit for a growing team and a second-year coach."
Compiled by Marty Kirkland. Contact him at mkirkland@timesfreepress.com.