The Savannah Arts girls cross-country team is on a mission to win its third straight GHSA team title and fourth in the last five years when the Panthers travel to Carrollton to compete in the Class 2A
State Meet on Saturday, Nov. 7.
The Panther girls have won team championships in all six races in which they have competed this season,
led by senior Francie Tedder, who has four wins and a second place in five starts.Savannah Arts has a deep lineup featuring McKay Bennett, a junior with four Top 5 finishes in five stats. Ava Treece, a junior, has four Top 10 finishes, and junior Madeline Balthrop has finished in the Top 9 of all five of her races. Junior Morgan Irvine has three Top 10 finishes, and sophomore Eleanora Smith is another strong contributor with five Top 20 finishes.
Tedder, who was second as an individual in the cross-country state meet last year before winning the 1,600-meter state crown and finishing second in the 3,200 meters in the Class 2A State track and field meet in the spring, has had a senior season to remember.
"I've been impressed with the way the girls run for each other," veteran Panther Coach Steve Ricciardi said. "They have a great connection and have bought into the culture from Day 1, and that's something I've been really lucky to have as the coach of this team. They are self-motivated kids, and they pass that on from year to year, which is pretty neat.
"Francie is probably the most steady runner I have ever had as far as her mental approach ― she doesn't let stuff rattle her, and she never really has bad days. If she has a lower performance than usual, she doesn't let it get to her. That level of consistency is amazing, and it's great for our younger girls to see it, too."
Tedder's best time this year in the 3.1 mile cross-country races is a 19:06.44 she posted when she won the 5K on Sept. 26 at the Farm. Her personal best at the distance came when she won the Ninth Annual Run the Plank race last season with a time of 18:36.00.
She is a straight-A student with interest in attending schools such as Georgia Tech or the University of Chicago. She wants to pursue a degree in Public Policy.
"I've think staying committed to the training throughout the season has definitely helped me improve," Tedder said. "It's my senior season, so I'm definitely focused on trying to win every race I'm participating in, if that's possible. Coach Ricciardo has helped by keeping our training really consistent. Out team has some great friendships, and I think that we push each other to be better. We're going for the Threepeat, so hopefully we can get it."
Tedder said Ricciardi has a big impact because of his coaching experience and his background in endurance sports.
"Coach Ricciardi used to be the wrestling coach, and he's competed in two Ironman Triathlons," Tedder said, "so he understands this is a sport that takes so much grit to be successful in ― you have to put yourself through so much pain ― and he knows what that's all about."
The Savannah Arts boys team had its first State podium finish last season with they finished fourth. This year they have won all five races with their top runners competing.
Nico Klaras has five finishes in the Top 8 of his races with a season-best time of 17:23.92 at the 5K at the Farm race. Walter Yang has four Top 4 finishes with a season best of 17:26.25 at the 5K at the Farm. William McCarn have five Top 10s, and Logan Broadhead has three Top 10s. Aleksander Domazet is another big-time contributor who has finished in the Top 6 of all three of his events. He always seems to peak at the perfect time for the state meet, Ricciardi said.
Ricciardi said Bleckley County is the top team with which both the boys and girls will be competing when the state meet rolls around. The Bleckley County boys have won the last two Class A Division I team state titles.
The Panthers will compete in the 10th Annual Run the Plank race on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Brunswick and have a week off before a state-qualifying Sectional Meet set for Oct. 31 in Hazlehurst.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Arts girls cross country team led by Tedder looking to threepeat
