Peachtree City Flash advances 63 runners to Dec. 9 national meet

By Caleb Tysor
Starr’s Mill Class of 2015

On a picture perfect autumn day, the Peachtree City Flash hosted the largest meet in team history. The USATF Region 3 Meet was held at Heritage Christian Church in Fayetteville on Saturday, November 17.

The property was transformed into a miniature village packed with a field of tents and more than 900 athletes from over 30 teams in participation. The region meet consisted of the top runners from the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. The top twenty athletes and three teams from each age group in attendance advanced to the national meet which will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico on December 8. The top-ranked athletes from the 15 other USATF regions will join the Flash and other Region 3 champions next month to compete for the top rankings in American youth cross country.

The Flash has had one of its most successful seasons ever this year. A team record of 63 Flash runners, including teams from seven age groups, qualified for the national meet. This excellent group of athletes includes some already nationally ranked individuals as well as several teams that should finish in the top ten US teams for their age group.

This is the first year that the Peachtree City Flash will bring a large group of athletes to a venue in the Western United States, since last year’s Nationals meet was in South Carolina and the year before that was in Alabama. Athletes from the eastern United States are hoping that the longer journey to nationals combined with the different time zone and higher altitudes will not hinder their race day performance. The Flash will spend the next couple weeks in preparation for their adventure in Albuquerque.

Top Flash Times
8 & Under Girls 2K, Dashana Morris, 7:33, 1, 1st Place Team

8 & Under Boys 2K, Julian Rush, 8:01, 4, 4th Place Team

9-10 Girls 3K, Allie Walker, 11:53, 3, 2nd Place Team

9-10 Boys 3K, Derek Ewers, 11:53, 16, 1st Place Team

11-12 Girls 3K, Caroline Baynes,2:29, 30, 7th Place team

11-12 Boys 3K, Vladimir Zander-Velloso, 10:33, 5, 1st Place Team

13-14 Girls 4K, Sarah Foreman, 15:36, 11, 1st Place Team

13-14 Boys 4K, Jordan Jones, 14:14, 22, 6th Place Team

15-16 Girls 5K, Hailey Gollnick, 19:36, 6, 3rd Place Team

15-16 Boys 5K, Sam Bowie, 16:29, 6, 2nd Place Team

17-18 Girls 5K, Lindy Long, 18:23, 3, No Team

17-18 Boys 5K, Andrew Coggins, 16:41, 6 No Team