Coming into the season, many members of the Atherton cross country team realized that this year was going to be very different from teams in years past. After graduating 13 seniors and losing the top boys runner the previous two years, the team had a much different feel.
“That senior class felt almost like their own team, because they all knew each other really well, and they had a great team culture,” says Coach Brian Hancock. “But coming into this season, I knew that we needed to develop a new culture.”
That graduating class had a lasting impact on the team, and made up a major part of the varsity squad last year. In cross country, the top seven runners for each gender make up the varsity team and the top 5 runners score. Scoring determines the team placement for a meet, and is determined by where each runner places in the meet individually. All of the scores are added up and the team with the lowest score wins, second lowest gets second.. This year there were five “regular season” races, as well as JCPS Championships, Regionals and State.
Preseason
Atherton’s boys varsity team graduated four seniors out of the seven on varsity, and the girls graduated 3. The boys team also was without top runner Whitman Goodwin, who transferred to Trinity last winter. That meant that coming into this season, only two members of the varsity would be returning: Avery Powell (12) and Nate Celello (12). The girls team returned 4 of the varsity team: Wesley Drake (11), Hannah Cooksey (12), MC George (12) and Lillian Borkowski (11).
“Coming in, I knew that the team was going to look very different. I knew that we needed our senior leaders to step up and help craft a team culture. I knew that we needed some of our underclassmen to step up too, especially after our freshman runners ended the year well last year,” says Hancock. Many freshman runners had major personal records (PRs) at JV regionals last year.
“I was also doubtful that our freshmen this year would have as good of a season as those last year,” says Hancock
As is tradition, Hancock and other parent chaperones took the team to the Smoky Mountains around Gatlinburg for a preseason trip in late July, focused on team bonding and training. Many runners had a great time, and recognized that as the true beginning of the season.
Otis Schreck (10) says, “That was when I first started to believe, and really started focusing and grinding.”
Going into the season, the team had one goal: make state as a team. This was something that Atherton hadn’t done since 1987.
Tiger Run & Rumble Through the Jungle
On August 24th, 2024, the Atherton Ravens traveled to Champions Park on River Road to compete in the Tiger Run, their first race of the season. The girls team ran first. MC George had a fantastic performance, finishing 12th in a huge field of 202, containing top runners from around the area, and running a massive PR of 19:47. This was also the first time ever, George broke 20 minutes, breaking a huge milestone in her high school running career. Lillian Borkowski followed closely behind, finishing 20th. These two led the team to a 9th place finish out of 26 teams.
The boys team had less success, with Nate Celello leading the ravens, taking 87th place out of 287. Preston Goodwin (11) followed with a big PR of 17:45.22 in 101st, and Avery Powell was third, placing 112th.. Overall, the boys team got 21st out of 33. It was a somewhat disappointing start for a team that had high hopes coming in, and some comparatively slower times on a faster course.
Other noteworthy performances from Tiger Run were debuts from Milo Westbrook (9) and Avag Pavlov (11) with times of 19:15 and 20:04. Ian Matthews (10) also had a solid performance, running a 19:25.
Rumble Through the Jungle at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve took place two weeks later.. Coming off of a solid couple weeks of training, Atherton was ready to have fun at one of the tougher courses on the schedule. With multiple laps around the nature preserve containing several steep hills, there were low expectations for time but high expectations for place.
The girls team was running without their #2 runner, Lillian Borkowski. Because of this the team was likely not going to have as good of a performance as the previous race. George once again had the top performance, this time running a solid 20:36 on a tough course, which secured her 25th place. Elise France (10) and Wesley Drake followed, each in the low 23s, with a 23:11 and 23:13 respectively. As a team, the Ravens finished in 14th out of 23, just ahead of regional foes South Oldham and Mercy.
For the first mile and a half, Powell and Celello were inseparable, and were within a second of each other the entire time. Eventually, Celello moved up a bit in the second half of the race and finished in 56th with a 17:49, but Powell was able to hold on for an 18:03 and finished 67th.
Overall, Atherton finished 14th out of 37 teams, and had a decidedly much better result than the season premier. Atherton finished just behind their regional foes, with Eastern, Collins and South Oldham.
“We were right there, and it made us realize that our goal was very real and very tangible. It was something we could do,” Coach Hancock said.
The Rumble Through the Jungle is also a runner favorite, and something that some members of the team look forward to.
“I’ve ran at this race for 12 years, since I was in first grade, so yeah, I’ve run it a lot. I would say that it’s one of my favorites, it has such a good atmosphere,” senior Avery Powell said.
The majority of the course is in the woods, but there is a small stretch where spectators can watch, and that area is usually flooded with spectators. The finish area is also located within a tunnel of trees, and spectators line the sides to cheer on their runners. This, combined with the fun but challenging course, creates a great atmosphere and an overall fun race.
Fairground Frenzy, Flying Raven Challenge and Hillbilly Run
After Rumble, the Ravens had one week until the next race in Hardin County: The Fairground Frenzy. This was a new experience for everyone on the team, and was a good opportunity for some PRs.
The girls were again without Borkowski, but had a phenomenal race with runners stepping up and filling the gap. George led the girls to a third place finish, and had a fantastic race, finishing sixth out of 166. Wesley Drake had her best race of the season and high school career, finishing with a 22:44 in 31st place. Callie Whitham (11) was the third Atherton runner to cross the line, with a major PR of 23:24 in 41st place. Elise France and Ava Llaguno (10) rounded out the top 5. Every point ended up counting as the ravens secured a third place team finish by just three points over Meade County.
The boys race started and Celello and Powell again led the team, securing themselves in the top 10 by the one mile mark. Powell and Celello once again were neck and neck the whole race, and this paid off for the duo, both marking season best times and finishing in 9th and 10th place out of 216, with a 17:25 PR for Celello and a 17:26 for Powell.. Goodwin had a rough race, battling a side stitch, and Otto Selbig (12) and Elliott Williams (10) both had mediocre races by their standards.
“Yeah, I think that this was a tougher race for me, and going in I expected to be under eighteen minutes, and a lot closer to Nate and Avery. I wanted to catch Preston as well, but he had a nice race. I also was super proud of Milo for how he ran.” Selbig was returning to running after a year of football, and was looking to regain the momentum he had left behind.
Milo Westbrook had an incredible race, finishing fourth on the team and beating out Selbig and Williams in the final 100 meters and carding a PR of 19:00, but unfortunately got disqualified due to profanity.
“The top two were great, [Celello] and Avery ran very well and this is probably [Celello’s] best race all season if not [his] whole time running with me. But I wish that we would see the same results in races that we do in practice,” Hancock explained after the race. In the early part of the season, the top group of boys all ran together and worked off each other for at least the beginning of workouts. Hancock noticed that a lot of the guys on varsity would try to stay with Celello and Powell for the first mile of races but then fall off hard in the next two miles.
Over the next two weeks in the leadup to Hillbilly Run, another fairly flat course, Hancock urged all runners to go out more controlled in races so that people wouldn’t get burnt out in the later stages of the race, which had been a trend throughout the early part of the season.
“We needed to be smarter, we needed to realize that you can’t win the race in the first 800 meters of it. That works for some people, but it just didn’t seem to be working for us.”
Before Hillbilly Run, the ravens had another major event: The Flying Raven Challenge. This is an elementary and middle school meet hosted by Atherton on campus. Originally meant to be in late August, it was canceled due to heat. Rescheduled for September 24, the hope was that the weather would be better for the new date. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
On the day of the meet, Hancock enlisted the members of the team to help set up. However, as the runners took out water coolers, tents, tape, wooden stakes, spray paint, and concessions, it started pouring. There had been a chance of rain, but not this bad. This was a major blow to the setup process and team morale. The runners were called back inside and had to wait 30 minutes to go back outside due to lightning in the area.
30 minutes later, the runners emerged from the school to find clear skies. But as they walked the course, they came across massive puddles that took up the entire trail behind the football stadium, on which the course runs. The entire course was mud, and grip was basically nonexistent. Regardless, the team pressed on and scrambled to get everything set up for the meet, which started at 5:30.
Everything was running smoothly, and everything got set up in plenty of time. As the first race approached, a light drizzle started falling, but everyone tried not to worry. There were five total races, and a sense of excitement was in the air. The first race went on without a hitch, but the issue was when the second race began. As the runners gathered on the start line, it started pouring again, and as the race was about to start, more lightning was spotted and thunder was heard.
“I think that was the most publicly upset I’ve ever been. I honestly was about to cry. There was so much work put in and so much at stake that it was just very upsetting to me.” Hancock said this directly after the races, and was right to be upset. The team had spent a lot of money on timing, trophies, concessions, and other things that were part of the race. The team also was using this as a fundraiser for a trip to St. Louis later in the season, which would be in jeopardy without the funds from this race.
Everyone retreated to their cars and the Atherton runners retreated back to the school, in the hope that the races could be restarted after another 30 minute period of waiting. And that hope became true as 30 minutes later runners headed back to the race area.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I went from being crushed to being on top of the moon. I was like, ‘are we really going to pull this off?’” Hancock said. The races that still needed to be run were all condensed, and girls ended up running with boys, but the coaches, spectators, and volunteers didn’t care just as long as the meet got to happen.
The course was a mud pit, and made for some slower times for those racing, but the runners had fun, and will remember the race as a good time.
“It was certainly a memorable race. I think the runners had fun with it though,” Noe Middle School Coach Dave Powell said with a laugh. At the end of the day, everyone got to race and the meet was a success–as much of a success as it could be.
“This race showed the character of our team and I was really pleased with the effort from everyone there. A lot of people just wanted to help and wanted to make this meet a success. It made me really happy that we were able to pull it off,” Hancock said.
The hope was that this weather would change for the Hillbilly run that Saturday. Unfortunately, this was just before Hurricane Helene, and the region got drenched on the Friday before. That evening, the runners gathered at Callie Whitham’s house for the second spaghetti dinner of the year. The first had been before the Tiger Run in the early stages of the season, and these spaghetti dinners were fun ways to bond as a team and prepare for the race the next morning. There was a feeling of excitement, but many runners were aware that they would face similar conditions as those on Tuesday at the meet they hosted.
As the Ravens traveled to Thomas Nelson High School in Bardstown, Kentucky, a steady rain fell. The two JV teams raced first, and by the time the varsity teams lined up, the course was a mess, just like on Tuesday. The girls had Borkowski back, and were looking for another big result. George led the pack once more, and finished in sixth place overall with a 21:11. Borkowski followed 40 seconds later with a 15th place finish. Tabor Boggs (11) finished third on the team and 42nd overall with a time of 23:46. The team finished in second place, and beat the third place team by a single point. This was another fantastic result, and the season was looking like it could go down in Atherton history.
Everyone’s times were at least a minute slower than their PR, which was unfortunate, especially for a course that typically contains PRs, but there was little the runners could do about that. The amount of mud and water on the course was ridiculous and made it incredibly difficult to run efficiently. As the boys lined up, Hancock told them to just have fun and to not really worry about time.
Celello and Powell once again headed the Atherton team, and battled the slower conditions. As they reached the second mile, Celello started to fall back a bit, and Powell started to move up. But as they reached the final half mile Celello worked back up and they switched positions. Once again, they finished within seconds of each other, with Celello running an 18:35 and Powell four seconds behind with an 18:39. The team was without Preston Goodwin, who was battling pneumonia, and was a major blow on a team that had state aspirations. As a result, Elliott Williams was the third runner, finishing a minute back of the top 2. Overall, the boys finished in eighth place as a team.
“I honestly didn’t know what to expect coming in, so I wasn’t really upset that our boys team had the performance they did. Obviously It was awesome to get a second place finish on the girls side, but this race was basically a wash so I didn’t put too much stake in either race,” Hancock said. This was because the race was so different from every other one this season in terms of conditions. “I think that we were ready to move on and certainly ready to leave the rain behind.”
Missouri
As September came to a close, the team got excited about the upcoming trip to St. Louis, Missouri. The team departed on October 11th, and ran the course as a preview when they arrived. The course was three loops around the park, and featured several hills. Afterwards, they went to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. The next morning, the team woke up and went to Blackburn Park for the Patriot/Statesmen Classic.
In the girls race, George and Borkowski once again lead the team, finishing 10th and 12th with a 20:14 and 20:31 respectively. Drake, Boggs and Llaguno rounded out the top 5 and helped the team to a 7th place finish. The course was tough, and many members of the team ran well.
On the boys side, Powell and Celello once again went out hard together, but Powell widened the gap after mile 1 and finished in 25th place with a 17:39. Celello came in later with an 18:14, good enough for 41st place. Selbig had his best race of the season, finishing in 50th place with an 18:29.
In the boys freshman race, many runners had their top performance, and four Atherton runners finished in the top 20: Westbrook, Logan Cissell, Worth Dewees and Tabor Schureck. Isaiah Cooksey completed the top 5, and finished in fourth place as a team.
Postseason: JCPS Champs, Regionals and State
The Thursday after returning from Missouri, the team went to E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park for the JCPS Championships. This was a very flat, fair course, and many were going in looking for PRs after struggling through the past couple of races.
The girls varsity race was first, and George and Borkowski lead the pack once more. They ended up finishing in 7th and 9th place, with PRs of 19:47 and 20:10. This was only the second time in her entire high school career that George broke 20 minutes, so this was another great race for her. Llaguno and Drake followed, both breaking 22 minutes for the first ever time, with a 21:55 and 21:58 in 20th and 21st place, respectively. Boggs and France also had big PRs, as did Whitham, breaking 23 minutes for the first time in her high school career. Atherton finished third overall in the JCPS system, another fantastic result in what was turning out to be a historic season.
The good news continued in the boys race, where Powell led the Ravens through the 1 and 2-mile marks, until Celello and him switched positions with about 500 meters to go. Celello finished with a big PR of 17:11 in 13th place, Powell not far behind in 16th place with a 17:17. Ian Matthews (10), Selbig, Williams, and Westbrook were all in the 18:20s, and were major PRs for three of those mentioned. The boys team finished 5th place overall.
To qualify for the state meet, on the girls side a team must finish in the top 6, and on the boys side top 5. This is determined by the number of teams competing. Runners can also qualify individually, by finishing in the next 5 fastest runners outside of the teams that qualify. Atherton had not sent a team to state since 1987, and the runners were trying to change that.
The boys race was first, which was opposite of most of the year, and the team adopted the strategy of going out slower and more controlled. Unfortunately, Powell had fallen ill over the week before the meet, and was still under the weather for the race. Celello moved up through the pack during the race, and ended up finishing in 27th place with a big PR of 16:58, breaking 17 minutes for the first time ever in his career. He also ran well enough to claim the last individual qualifying bid, meaning that he would go on to compete at the state meet. Selbig had a big race as well, finishing with a PR of 17:42, and Westbrook followed just behind, with a massive PR of 17:44, claiming the fourth fastest time for an Atherton freshman ever. Unfortunately, though, the boys team was only able to finish in eighth place, well outside of the group of teams that would go to state.
The girls race started off a few minutes later, and George and Borkowski led the pack, but this time, Borkowski finished ahead of the senior runner. Borkowski finished in 19th place, and George finished in 25th, however both were able to qualify for the state meet as individuals. Unfortunately, some other team members had off days and didn’t run their best, and a day where the team had high hopes finished with those hopes dashed. The team finished in 8th, barely outside of sixth place, the mark that would send the team to state.
Borkowski also broke 20 for the first time herself, for real this time. In her very first race at Atherton, Borkowski ran a 19:56 at the 2023 Central Kentucky Run for the Gold, but, to no fault of her own, cut off 400 meters from the course. This was because the rabbit (the person who leads the race, usually on a bike or gator) took a wrong turn and led her off of the correct path. She was able to break 20, running the whole distance this time, and qualified for state as well.
And so there were 3. Two seniors and one junior, ready to race in Lexington, and ready to wrap up the season on a high note. George and Borkowski raced first, and had two very solid performances on a tough course, with George finishing in 54th place with a 20:38, and Borkowski finishing with a 20:56 in 71st. Celello raced second, and after a thrilling final mile finished in 142nd with an 18:10. It was a great day to race and a great way to close the season.
Looking forward
While the Ravens weren’t able to achieve their goal of qualifying for state as a team this year, there is certainly hope for the next couple. The girls team is only losing one senior on varsity, MC George, and eighth grader Ellie Murphy, who has committed to Atherton, will be a potential replacement for her. Boggs, Borkowski, Drake and Whitham will all be seniors, and France, Llaguno, Eden Grimm and Sofia Orlova will all be juniors. The girls team will have another very real shot at qualifying for state.
On the boys side, the top three runners will all be graduating: Celello, Powell and Selbig. They will return Goodwin, Matthews, Westbrook and Williams from the varsity squad, but will also have almost all of their JV runners return. Otis Schreck (10), Avag Pavlov (10), Logan Cissell (9), Worth Dewees (9), and Ayden Capps (10), as well as several others. There is plenty of upside and potential for the future, and the team should also have a shot at qualifying within the next few years.
Even though the team was unable to attain their major goals, there were plenty of personal battles won, and a great team culture was developed. Many runners are now looking forward to track, and looking even farther ahead to the next cross country season and the future.
