AHSAA 2024 Cross Country Season: Top Girls Return to Defend Titles and Set New Records

The 2024 AHSAA girls' cross-country season promises intense competition as four reigning state champions lace up their running shoes once again, including the fastest runner in Alabama last year.

Returning to defend their titles are Sarah Tole, a junior from Auburn High School (Class 7A), Homewood's Emma Brooke Levering (6A), Katie Mae Coan of Lawrence County (5A), and Maddyn Conn of White Plains (4A). Tole made headlines with her blistering 17:37.19 run at the 2023 Jesse Owens Classic, the fastest time recorded in Alabama last year. Meanwhile, Levering showcased her endurance by posting an 18:41.80 at the North/South All-Star meet, despite challenging weather conditions.

As the season kicks off with 14 scheduled competitions this week, all eyes are on these returning champions and the 22 runners who clocked sub-19-minute times last year. Speculation is rife: could this be the year someone finally challenges the all-time AHSAA state-meet record of 17:03.04, set by Montgomery Catholic's Amaris Tyynismaa in 2014, or even her remarkable 16:57 at the Foot Locker South Regional?

While new faces will undoubtedly emerge, especially with new champions to be crowned in Class 3A and Class 1A-2A, the return of seasoned competitors raises the stakes. Notably, Providence Christian, after clinching four consecutive titles, will face new challenges in Class 5A due to the AHSAA’s competitive balance factor. Several other schools are also on the move: American Christian and Bayside Academy to 6A; Altamont, Bayshore Christian, and Whitesburg Christian to 4A; and St. Luke’s Episcopal to 3A. Meanwhile, Montgomery Academy drops down to Class 4A from 5A, stirring up further competition.

The cross-country season officially begins on Thursday, with section meets slated from October 31 to November 2. The much-anticipated 2024 AHSAA State Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, November 9, at the Oakville Indian Mounds Park.

On the boys’ side, Bayshore Christian's Caden Phillippi is the lone returning state champion, having secured the 3A title last year. As Bayshore moves up to Class 4A, the field is wide open for new champions across all classifications.

Among the boys, Oak Mountain’s John Shoemaker and Huntsville High’s Eric Moore stand out as top contenders, having finished second and third, respectively, in the 2023 Class 7A state championship. Moore currently holds the fastest time among returning athletes, with a remarkable 14:56.17 at last year's Alexander/Asics Invitational in Georgia. Shoemaker, however, recently claimed victory at the North/South All-Star meet with a time of 15:39.27.

Other boys to watch include Luke Alverson from James Clemens, William Porr from McGill-Toolen Catholic, Southside-Gadsden’s Evan Christopher, and Pell City’s River Richard. Hewitt-Trussville’s Noah Jordan and Mountain Brook’s Brooks Bazemore, two standout sophomores last year, are expected to make significant strides this season.

Cold Springs’ Ethan Edgeworth, now a collegiate runner at the University of Tennessee, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy, having set the all-time boys’ AHSAA state cross country meet record with a 14:34.29 finish in the 2023 Class 1A-2A state championship. His performance, 26 seconds faster than the Class 7A winning time, capped off a high school career with four consecutive individual state titles.

In the team competition, Auburn High School aims for its eighth girls’ Class 7A title in nine years. Mountain Brook (6A) and Lawrence County (5A) will both be vying for their fourth consecutive girls’ team titles. On the boys’ side, Cold Springs (1A-2A), Mountain Brook (6A), and Vestavia Hills (7A) are each on the hunt for their third straight team titles. Bayshore Christian is also seeking a fourth consecutive crown across three different classifications.

As the season unfolds, Alabama's cross-country landscape promises thrilling races, emerging stars, and possibly new records. With so much talent on display, the 2024 AHSAA season is set to be one for the books.

2024 AHSAA Cross Country Meet Schedule:

• Thursday:

  • Bayside Academy Admiral Twilight Invite, Daphne
  • MAxing 100-Minute MAsh, Montgomery
  • Smiths Station Panther Stages, Smiths Station HS
  • SPREAD the LIGHT Glow Run, Dothan
  • Tadd’s Two-Mile Race, Scottsboro
  • Wildcat Twilight Race, Anniston

• Friday:

  • Friday Night Lights Distance Carnival, Cullman
  • Bull Frog Pond Classic, Odenville

• Saturday:

  • Bob Jones HS Friendly First Chance 2-Miler, Madison
  • Brooks High School Tennessee River Classic, Florence
  • CCS #1 Race, Andalusia
  • Northridge Black & Blue Invitational, Tuscaloosa
  • Pisgah Invitational, Pisgah
  • Wildcat Invitational, Mobile