Eagle Cross Country concludes season at GHSA State 7A Championship Meet
November 4th | Carrollton, GA | by Andy Carr
The Milton high school cross country teams ended their 2023 season today at the GHSA 7A Championship meet with some very outstanding individual and team performances.
BOYS
Senior captain Zach Patell (15th-16:08) completed his career at Milton with a race that saw him stay within the top-10 competitors for much of the race. Early on, Patell was a contender for even a top-7 finishing position after a successful second start of the race due to a fall and the initial race being called-back for a restart. In the last mile, Patell ended up fading a bit, but he gamely hung on for a 15th place finish out of 220 recorded finishers.
GIRLS
The Lady Eagles came into the meet GHSA Region 6 Champions with their 10th-consecutive state meet appearance and proved once again they are one of the elite programs in Georgia. Milton (7th-197 pts) defeated 25 schools to just miss making the awards podium by 22 points. The Lady Eagles recorded their 12th top-10 state meet finish in the last 13 years! Marietta (1st-32 pts), Walton (2nd-104 pts) and Harrison (3rd-116 pts) were the top-3 teams. As she has done all season, senior captain Ella Grace Malcom (14th-19:34) led Milton with her best time ever on the state course. Starting outside the top-20, Malcom methodically kept advancing her position the entire race to lead the Lady Eagles in her 4th straight state meet race. Like Malcom, senior captain Calista Cacciatore (32nd-20:20) ran a course personal best and became one of a very special group, like Malcom, to race at the state meet all four years at Milton. Another stellar performance was turned in by junior Macy Schadt (45th-20:41) whose effort at region helped lead the Lady Eagles to that title. Senior Leelah Dennis (54th-20:52) closed her race with a ferocious kick and moved up almost 10 places in the last 150 meters. Sophomore Caroline Spain (57th-20:57) ran with Dennis the entire race to really push Milton to a top-10 team finish. Junior Ella Franke (66th-21:11) bid her time early which then saw her pass many during the entire race, especially in the last mile. Concluding for the Lady Eagles racing at the state meet was senior captain Emerson Armistead (86th-21:50). 224 finishers completed the race.
Congratulations to the Milton Cross Country teams for a very successful 2023 campaign.
