MILLEDGEVILLE — History was made Saturday at the Georgia Children's Home in Macon as the Georgia Military Prep School cross country teams established themselves among the tops in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class-A Public School League.
The boy's captured the first state title for GMC Prep since 1976 with a score of 39 points, 14 ahead of second place Jenkins County, while the girl's squad came home a strong fourth overall with 119 points.
“We couldn't be more proud. There wasn't a question in my mind that everybody was going to do everything they could to win that title,” Stacie Stevenson, head coach, said. “They knew what they wanted and they got it.”
GMC Prep's runners packed well, and leading the way once again for the boy's team was Will Archer with a third place finish overall and a time of 18:15 for the 5k course, followed by a Bulldog duo in Tom Drew and Matt Wilson each of whom came away with top 10 finishes.
Drew ran 18:47 for sixth place individually, while Wilson followed closely behind in ninth place with a time of 18:51.
Rounding out the scoring for GMC Prep was Ethan Spires in 14th with a time of 19:08 and Cody Meeks finishing in 17th with a time of 19:26.
Other runners competing for GMC Prep Saturday were Logan Kelleher in 19:51 and Seth Lowery in 21:51.
“We did expect it just because of how determined they were,” Stevenson said. “I think our people came in where we expected them to, but they were very focused.”
The Lady Bulldogs were paced by Elizabeth Savage, who capped off a stellar rookie season with a runner-up spot individually out of 75 runners with a time of 22:29 for the 5k distance.
“I was so proud of her,” Stevenson said. “She started out the season just getting in shape for soccer and she's just pushed herself everyday.”
Also performing well for the girls team was Rebecca Vaughn, who managed a 26th place finish with a time of 25:39, trailed closely by Hannah McTyre in 25:59 for 30th individually.
The fourth and fifth runners for the Lady Bulldogs came in less than a second apart, as Kimmi Lebendiger and Kailey Calhoun both finished in 26:53 for 36th and 37th respectively.
Both Taylore Brooks and Kemara Fraley also competed for GMC Prep on Saturday, with Brooks finishing in a time of 30:38 and Fraley in 30:43.
“They all did well,” Stevenson said. “Everyone bettered their time, at least a minute and a half from area. They all pushed themselves.”
Stevenson admits that the fourth place showing for the girls helped them realize their potential.
“I think it bonded them a lot,” Stevenson said. “I think it helped them realize what they are capable of, and with the boys winning, it was nice for them to bring a trophy home too.”
Bringing home hardware from the GHSA Class-A Public School State Championship meet brings a season that saw GMC Prep runners consistently win meets and run many personal best times to a historic close.
“I think it just kind of shows you what anybody can do if they put their mind to it,” Stevenson said. “This just speaks volumes, and I'm just so excited for what it's going to do for the program. We couldn't be happier.”
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