CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Rossview Middle School cross country competed in the TMSAA Cross Country State Championships Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Hilldale Family Life Center.

“We did really well,” Rossview Middle School cross country coach Mark McNiel said of his team. “Clarksville-Montgomery County this year had cross country put into all the middle schools,” McNiel said. “We went from around 40 kids in middle school participating in cross country to about 310. It’s been a huge increase and a big boost in morale to the performances of the kids.”

As a team, the Rossview Middle School boys group took third place in the TMSAA Cross Country State Championships.

Three Hawks rounded out the top three in the 3,200-meter run, as Cade Detering took first with a time of 12:14.21 while James McNiel ran a 12:16.74 and Hayden Hilliker finished third with a time of 12:37.67.

Heading into Knoxville to compete in the KYA State Championships Saturday, Oct. 19, McNiel likes his boys’ team’s odds.

“That looks really good for our boys,” McNiel said. “Hopefully we can have a top-five performance. Most people don’t realize this, but the difference between the TMSAA championships and the KYA in Knoxville is it has everybody. It has private schools and public schools. There are no divisions. You have to be a public school to belong to the TMSAA not a private school. We’ve been in Division II-2A which is a smaller school division.”

The Rossview Middle girls’ team has also excelled this year and placed 10th in the TMSAA Cross Country State Championships on Saturday.

In the 3,200-meter run, Rossview’s Cassandra Rosencrants recorded the fastest time on the girls’ side with a 13:20.21 while Hailey Rowland ran a 15:21.86.

“It’s been awesome,” McNiel said. “We’ve had the best season we’ve ever had. It’s been really fun and exciting. Our girls also qualified for KYA also. They ran at the NYA to qualify on Sunday and finished fourth there.”

 

In middle school cross country, it takes a total-team effort to succeed in a race. McNiel touched on what makes his individual groups so special.

“Cade Deterding has been predominantly our number one runner,” McNiel said. “In cross country it’s individual performance, but it adds to the team dynamic. You have to have at least five good runners. We’ve been very blessed to have a great group of runners. From James McNiel to others on our girls’ team Hailey Rowland. Our eighth graders that have also come out this year have been wonderful.”

McNiel believes that middle school cross country in Montgomery County will only continue to gain momentum moving forward.

“It’s been fabulous to see the growth within our team this year,” McNiel said. “I mean who would’ve expected us to do this well? I will tell you a lot of the motivation has to do with our school system adding it as a sport. It’s been tremendous county wide. A week ago, we had our first ever Montgomery-County Middle School Cross Country Championships at the FLC. It was phenomenal just to see all of the teams from the county, including Clarksville Christian and Clarksville Academy.”