As Wingfoot XC Classic Marks 10 Years, A Preview of Youth Races
Celebrating its 10th year on Saturday, the Wingfoot XC Classic presented by Publix will break at least two records before it even begins: both the boys and girls 3K races will have the most runners in the history of the event.
The 1,700 runners in grades 4-8 are among a total field of more than 6,000 youth, middle school and high school athletes who will take part in 17 races at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville, kicking off at 7:40 a.m. and culminating in the Girls and Boys Championship races under the lights. (See the full schedule here).
The four youth races will be split between the morning and evening sessions, wrapping up the morning at 10:20 a.m. and kicking off the evening at 6:30 p.m.
For the boys in the morning, Noah Wood, a sixth grader at Trinity Christian School in Sharpsburg, is the top contender after setting his 3K personal best (10:30) two weeks ago. Up against Wood is Abiezer Lopez, a seventh-grader from Summerour Middle School, who has finished in the Top 10 in every race this season and has a 10:58 3K.
Other names to keep an eye on are Ezra Stansell of Heritage Preparatory School and Ellis O'Brien of Howard Middle School. In his two races thus far, Stansell pulled out a victory in Whitefield and a personal best in the 2-mile at the Fleet Feet Warpath Invitational in 11:13. Meanwhile, O'Brien remains undefeated so far this season and could potentially break his personal best in the 3K, which was set at the 2023 Wingfoot XC Classic.
Following the boys race in the morning is the girls 3K, with Tatum Herman of Beacon Hill Middle School, Keeton Morel of Howard Middle and Norah Hickerson of Junior Hoyas as three of the top seeded athletes.
With a 3K personal best of 12:22, Herman leads a deep Beacon Hill team. Morel is entering the competition with three wins this season and a course record in the Atlanta Public Schools cross country meet series; Hickerson is undefeated this season.
Samantha Porter, a seventh grader from Cartersville Middle School, has only raced once this season in the 2-mile (12:28) but is eying a win in her hometown.
Kicking off the evening session in the boys 3K, Michael Federico of Taylor Road Middle School stands as the top contender. The seventh grader is coming off a win at Warpath Invitational, a second-place finish at Pickens Preview Middle School and a victory at the North Georgia Two Mile Stage Races.
Joseph Lee of Mill Creek Valley Junior High recently set a personal best in the 3K of 10:47 and won the Flying Biscuit Cafe Middle School Invitational but was runner-up to Federico at North Georgia.
Two other athletes to watch recently battled it out at the third Atlanta Public Schools cross country meet of the season, with Everett Teusink of Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School winning and setting a course record and Asher Lee of MLK Middle School setting a school record not far behind him.
In the Youth Girls evening 3K, Reese Vagedes of Alpha Crush, is ranked #3 in the state for 3K and stands as the top seed. The sixth grader holds a personal best of 11:29, which she set in winning the Starr's Mill Panther XC Meet in late August.
Atlanta Track Club Youth Team's Parker Emrick placed third in the 4K event at the USATF Georgia Developmental XC Meet in Milton, two spots behind Vagedes, with a time of 19:26. Emrick's challenge will be to translate her strength to the speed needed to make the podium in the 3K.
Other podium contenders include two Taylor Road Middle School athletes: Megan Boggs and Caroline Rivera. Boggs has finished in the top five at all three races she's competed in this season, including a win at the North Georgia Two Mile Stage Races. Rivera is the #2 runner behind Boggs on their team but her times are improving in every race.
As for team awards for the morning session, the top two contenders for the boys and girls champions fall to Landmark Christian School and Beacon Hill Middle School, respectively. Landmark has three boys who could contend for a podium spot, and Beacon Hill has the potential to put all five scorers in the top 15.
Meanwhile, powerhouse Taylor Road Middle School is favored in both the boys and girls evening races. The team features the top three of the five top seeds in the boys race, but that doesn't discount Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School from being a close competitor. They enter the field with three victories in a row at the Atlanta Public Schools cross country series and are undefeated in 2024.
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 first in a series of event previews, to be followed by a look at the Varsity and Championship races.
