2024 Wingfoot XC Classic presented by Publix: Championship Preview
In the last decade, Wingfoot XC Classic presented by Publix has seen a steady rise in participants and a drop in race times as competition grows fiercer, especially in the Boys and Girls Championship races.
On Saturday, Sept. 21, the entire event will unfold in one action-packed day, culminating with the Championship races under the lights at Sam Smith Park. Over 6,000 middle and high school runners will compete for individual titles, team victories and the prestigious Wingfoot Cup, awarded to the team with the best combined score in the girls and boys Championship races.
Boys Championship:
A familiar name for this event, and for multiple long-distance events across Georgia, is Marist School's Tommy Latham. The seven-time Georgia State Champion, state record-holder in the 1600m and 3200m, University of North Carolina commit is currently ranked number four in the country. It's likely Latham is looking to achieve back-to-back victories in this event — an accomplishment achieved one other time by Joe Sapone in 2021 and 2022 — after winning the 2023 Boys Championship race with a 15:02. So far this season, his fastest time has been a 15:04 at the AT&T Starr's Mill Panther XC Meet at the end of August.
Latham's battle will likely be with out-of-state competitors, such as John Shoemaker of Oak Mountain High School in Alabama or Brady Mullen of Jesuit High School in Louisiana. Shoemaker joins the field undefeated and recently set a personal best in Chickasaw Trials with a 15:01. On the other hand, Mullen broke a 30-year-old Louisiana state record in the 3200m this past April with a time of 8:47:59. Will Mullen translate this accomplishment onto the cross country course for his first time racing on the Wingfoot course?
Coming in as the top boys' team by national ranking standards is Jesuit High School of Louisiana. The team is currently ranked 13th nationally and hosts two other podium contenders in addition to Mullen: Brady Monahan and Joe Accardo.
Another competitor to Latham and the strong Jesuit trio is Luke Alverson of James Clemens High School. Although Alverson was runner-up to Latham at this event in 2023, he defeated him at the Southern Showcase with a time of 14:49 last week.
At the 2023 LA D1 XC Championships, Mullen took second place behind teammate Monahan, forming a solid 1-2 punch for Jesuit into the 2024 season. These two, with the assistance of Accardo and his personal best of 15:13, could carry the team to a monumental performance for their first time at this event.
Other athletes to keep an eye on are Wyatt Windham of Lumpkin County High School and Zachary Youngblood of Chattanooga Christian School in Tennessee. Windham is coming off a victory in North Georgia, while Youngblood has a 5K personal best of 15:20.
Joining Jesuit, Marist School and Oak Mountain High School in the mix for the overall team titles are Beavercreek High School from Ohio with their top runner Jackson Davis (personal best 15:32) leading the pack, and Brentwood High School, one of the two teams that has received the Wingfoot Cup twice in the event's history.
Girls Championship:
Coming in as the top-seeded runner in the girls' field this year is undoubtedly Zahara Bernal of Pace Academy. Earlier this season, she set a personal best with a time of 17:30 at the Bob Blastow Invitational and enters the field undefeated. Before this season began, Bernal was a part of the inaugural High School Elite Field in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race and placed second in the competitive field.
Contending for a podium spot against Bernal are three additional runners all from Brentwood High School in Tennessee: Lauren Banovac, Lia Banovac, and Lydia Cromwell.
Twin sisters Lauren and Lia Banovac both hold impressive sub-18:00 personal bests, and with Cromwell, the defending Tennessee D1 3200m champion assisting, this 1-2-3 punch has a likely chance of bringing a third Wingfoot XC Classic team title back home to Tennessee.
Paige Comstock, best known at this event for her historical back-to-back wins in the youth events, will bypass the JV and Varsity events to take on the Championship race. The freshman from Harrison High School was voted as MileSplit Georgia's "Girls Performer of the Month" after winning the first two races of her high school career.
As for the overall teams, Pope High School stands as a strong competitor to Brentwood High School based on their top seven, of which four are freshmen. With such a young lineup, Pope has a strong upside, giving spectators a glimpse into the team's potential future success. Leading their pack is junior Josie Hutchinson, who has gone second and third in all her races so far this season and holds a personal best of 18:18. This past spring, Hutchinson ran a personal best at the inaugural adidas Atlanta City Games - Midtown Mile with a time of 4:50.
Track live results of all races at the 2024 Wingfoot XC Classic presented by Publix here. Follow along on our social media channels for live coverage.
This is the third and last in a series of the 2024 Wingfoot XC Classic event previews. Read the Youth and Varsity previews here.
