THE SOUTHERN ATHLETICS 15-18 TEAM FINISHED FIFTH AT AAU CROSS COUNTRY NATIONALS
Louisiana athletes had another fine day at AAU cross country nationals on a muddy course in Knoxville, TN. Several would walk away with medals, and additionally, a national champion would be crowned.
Three full LA teams finished the competition, all from club team Southern Athletics under head coach Chaz Caiado. The girls' 15-18-year-old squad finished 5th overall, while the boys' 15-18 squad repeated last year's finish in 7th place.
In the girls' 13-14 year old race, Southern Athletics finished 11th overall in a race that featured the likes of athletes with the last names of Rohatinsky and Hedengren!
Individually, several national medals were earned, and All-American honors were bestowed. Grace Keene (Northshore HS) of Southern Athletics was the girls AAU national champion in the 15-18 race, improving on her runner-up placing from last year. She joins the likes of current professional runner Gabrielle Jennings, who was also an AAU cross country champion in high school.
Emmy Hope (Southern Athletics/Northshore HS) finished as the runner-up in the 17-18 age division, earning AAU All-American status.
Max Gennaro (Southern Athletics/Zachary High) earned AAU All-American honors in the boys 15-16 age division, finishing in the 6th place spot.
Other LA athletes earning top 25 finishes include Celia Adams (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Nora McLarty (St. Jean Vianney) in the 13-14 girls' race.