News

COCHRAN, GA – Both the Stem Academy Middle School girls' and boys' cross-country teams turned in top-three finishes at the Georgia Middle School Cross Country (GMSCC) State Championships on October 14, 2023, at Bleckley County Middle School in Cochran, GA. Stem Academy competed in the GMSCC Division 2 Championships. There were four divisions of schools based on enrollment. The Ravens team girls team placed second overall out of 16, while the boys team finished third out of 18.

The high finishes for both teams helped earn the Ravens the overall State Grand Champions in Division 2 of the Georgia Middle School Cross Country State Championships!

In girls' action, Maya Lilja-Vazquez, an eighth grader, was the first Lady Raven to cross the finish line. Lilja-Vazquez finished 14th out of 117 competitors in a time of 14:39.22. Mayas' eighth-grade teammates, Reece Creeden, finished 15th right behind Lilja-Vazquez with a time of 14:41.85, and McKay Bennett was the next in Lady Raven to cross the finish line, as she finished in 16th place in a time of 14:49.72. Other Lady Ravens who turned in strong performances are as follows:

Individually, the boy's team was led by eighth grader Quinlan Jama, who finished the race in 6th place out of 134 competitors in a time of 12:45.60. Jama's teammate, eighth grader Eli Dean, finished in eighth place in a time of 12:49.10. Other Stem Academy boy runners who turned in solid performances are as follows:

Stem Academy's co-head coaches, Angela Keel and Stephanie Creeden, praised their team for their hard work and dedication throughout the season. "We had a team with total dedication from the start of the season and a consistent practice time. Also, working with an enthusiastic and energetic team helped. Many of the students at The STEM Academy at Bartlett are highly motivated and competitive by nature. Having those characteristics helped as well as many of the athletes are also involved in other sports (soccer, golf, swimming, dance, basketball)," stated the coaches. "Our runners encourage each other to work hard. They would motivate each other to work hard. The 8th-grade boys and girls team mainly comprised 8th graders and were motivated to win a 2nd district championship for the boys and a 3rd championship for the girls."

When asked by the Prep Sports Report what it was like to see your team win the combined grand state championship after placing third in the boys' race and second in the girls' race? The coaches said, "Proud and disbelief. We were not expecting to win with our first attempt at state. We went for the experience and to have fun. The win made the experience even sweeter."

Both coaches felt that the middle school cross-country programs in Savannah Chatham County Schools are strong. This year's team graduates a lot of runners. The coaches think seeing the Raven athletes continue in high school will be exciting. They commented about the following year's goals for the program, "Even though we will have a young team, we hope to continue our winning streak and make it back to the State Meet." 

2023 The Strem Academy Ravens Cross Country Rosters

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy STEM Academy at Barlett

FOLLOW the Prep Sports Report on Twitter @PrepSav, Instagram savannahsportsreport, or if you have a story or recap, contact PSR at https://prepsportsreport.com/Contact or kdemasi@prepsportsreport.com