Saturday was a good day for the Tullahoma Middle School Cross-Country teams as the Lady Wildcats finished third as a team at the TMSAA State Championships, while Lincoln Bitton finished fifth overall in the boys race.
Bitton led the Tullahoma runners, medaling against 127 other racers. The West Middle School seventh-grader crossed the finish line of his 2-mile run in just over 12 minutes, clocking in at 12:00.38.
Teammate Wyatt Dorsett took 56th at 13:32.72. William Nichol finished in 64th with a time of 13:44.51. Jeffery Shrum placed 103rd at 14:55.09. Davis Roberson added a 115th finish at 16:11.61, while Owen Sohrabi took 120th at 17:06.76, and Jameson Szemodis finished in 124th at 18:43.66.
As a team, the Tullahoma boys finished 11th out of 16 teams with 261 points. Team standings are based on the lowest score, and points are based on a squad’s top five performers.
On the girls’ side, Tullahoma placed third overall against 16 teams, combining for 139 points. Lake Road finished first overall in the team standings with 68 points, while Rogersville City placed second at 75.
Katie Grace Nichols led the Lady Wildcat runners, finishing 11th against 122 other runners. The East Middle School eighth-grader finished her race with a time of 14:08.32.
Teammate Addison Vincent placed 30th at 14:58.43, while Sophie Call took 31st at 15:01.23. Julianna Ites finished 38th at 15:18.33. Ashleigh Johnson placed 44th at 15:24.60. Claire Hyden nabbed 77th at 16:31.51, while Hannah Eakin took 101st at 17:54.00.
“Words cannot even describe how impressed I am with our middle school cross-country teams,” said TCS Director of Schools, Dr. Catherine Stephens. “These results don’t happen by accident. Saturday showcased how much each runner dedicates to their sport, and it also highlights our tremendous coaches. Our runners represented Tullahoma so well at the TMSAA State Meet, and I am one proud superintendent.”
Photo: The TMS girls’ and boys cross-country teams competed at the TSSAA State Meet on Saturday in Clarksville. The Lady Wildcats finished third overall, and Lincoln Bitton (second row, second from right) placed fifth overall in the boy’s race.
