Athletics

Head Coaches:

Kelly Morton

Dawn James

Lakeside Lion Links:

2019 Cross Country Roster

2019 Cross Country Schedule

2019 Cross Country Calendar

2019 Lakeside Results

Thursday, September 26th: 
Lakeside Cross Country Lions showcased their peak performance at the Forsyth County MS Invitational on September 26th. Facing off against their county competitors, the Lakeside Cross Country Lions varsity girls hit the trails first and astounded spectators with their speed and agility. Crossing the finish line first, Mayla Merhai achieved her best time of the season as she led the varsity girls to a first-place finish. Kennedy Roberts and Leah Bagwell followed closely behind Mayla, and all three girls medaled for their top ten finishes. JV girls continued the remarkable performance by earning 5 of the top 7 places in the race. Kaveri Prashar led the JV girls to the most impressive finish of the season, followed by Natalie Peterson, Angel Gilchrist, Danielle Schmuckal and Ashley Teal. Combined, the varsity and JV girls took home 2 first place medals and 6 other top 10 finish medals. It is no wonder that seven of the girls earned PR’s in this race.

The boys kept the winning streak going, finishing 2nd place in the varsity race. MacKane Parkman and Noah Anderson each crossed the finish line as a top 10 racer, both finishing just seconds off their season PR. Sam Lagac and Bryson Woolard ran strong and earned remarkable PR’s for the season. The JV boys started this race with a winning mindset, and their finishes were sights to behold. Jimmy Blair led the Lakeside Cross Country JV Boys with his best running of the season, earning a PR nearly a minute below his previous best time. Reese Mutter and Grady Williamson finished closely behind Jimmy, and all 3 boys were recognized for their top ten finish. Overall, the boys teams earned 5 top ten medals and 6 PR’s for the season. With a combined 13 top ten medals and 13 PR’s, this was undoubtedly a peak event for our teams and a great meet to prepare for the upcoming Georgia Middle School Cross Country Championships in Blechley, Georgia on October 12th. Go Lions!
Timing Records

Saturday, September 21st: 
Lakeside Cross Country Lions faced off against some of Georgia’s top-performing teams on the most technical trail run of the season. The experience challenged all runners in speed, agility, ascents, descents, and mixed terrain. For the ladies, Mayla Merhai led the team and medaled for her amazing top ten finish. Leah Bagwell followed close behind and earned a top 10% finish in the field as well. Overall, the Lakeside girls' team finished in 4th place and within arm’s reach of the 3rd place team. The girls held an impressive lead over the teams that followed, showcasing their months of training and skill development on this challenging course. Incredibly, three girls achieved PR’s in this race, despite the course difficulty. Congratulations to Angel Gilchrist, Natalie Peterson, and Danielle Schmuckal. The Lakeside Boys team also had some shining moments this weekend as they went head-to-head with last year’s state champion teams. Facing off against nearly 200 runners, Noah Anderson crossed the finish just one second out of 10th place. Ethan Lava and Zyaan Rhaman rounded out Lakeside’s collective of top 25% finishers. The boys finished 6th place overall, and within seconds behind the 3-5th place teams. 

With two meets remaining, the Lakeside Cross Country Lions are setting their sights on strong season finishes. Later this week, the Lakeside Cross Country Lions will race against their Forsyth County competitors in the 1st Annual Forsyth County Middle School Invitational at Vickery Creek. Following the county invitational, the team will gear up for the state cross country championships in Blechley, Georgia. Good luck, Lakeside Cross Country Lions!

Saturday, September 14th:
The Lakeside Lions XC Team had an outstanding performance at the 25th Annual Warpath Invitational this past weekend. Nineteen middle school teams competed and over 500 runners took to the trail in the middle school races.  

Twenty-six boys represented Lakeside at Saturday's meet, and together they achieved their highest ranking of the season - both individually and collectively. Noah Anderson led the way for the boys, finishing in the top 6% of the field. MacKane Parkman, Ethan Lava, Collin Woolard, and Landon Salvador followed closely behind our lead runner, resulting in nearly 20% of our boys' team finishing in the top 15% of all runners. Incredible course performance gains were made by Zyaan Rhaman, Andrew Payne, Aaron Parsons, and Garth Mayard, each of whom bested their previous Warpath trail time fbetween one and 5 minutes. The boys finished in an impressive 4th place overall and within close striking range of the 2nd and 3rd place teams.

The girls' team again brought incredible competitiveness to the starting line, and our 19 girl runners celebrated a 4th place overall victory. Mayla Merhai gave her most impressive performance of the season, finishing as the lead runner for the girls and in the top 9% of all runners. Leah Bagwell and Kennedy Roberts crossed the finish neck and neck, bringing our totals to 3 runners in the top 10% of the entire race. This weekend confirmed, yet again, the immense talent and competitive spirit of these girls. Notable course performance gains were made by Leah Bagwell, Mayla Merhai, and Ashley Teal, each improving their time over last season’s times by up to 3 minutes. 
Time Results

Thursday, September 5th: 
This week’s race at Vickery Creek Middle School showcased some of the Lakeside Lion’s best cross country running of the season. The race was divided into 3 runs: Varsity Boys, Varsity Girls, and JV Co-ed. Running first, the Varsity girls led the pack of competitors and dominated at the finish line. Kennedy Roberts, Mayla Merhai and Leah Bagwell all finished within the top 5 positions, earning individual medals for their incredible course performances, and the varsity girls claimed the honor of 1st place overall. The team talent continued into the girls' JV race with Ashley Teal and Annalise Woolard, each crossing the finish line as a top 10 runner. An impressive 68% of our girls improved their running times this week, and 6 earned record-breaking personal performances: Mikala Clark, Angel Gilchrist, Emma Isakbayev, Vanessa Mueller, Ashley Teal, and Pratima Yellayi. These performances led to a remarkable 3rd place finish for the JV girls.

Our boys’ teams had their most impressive race performances to date. The Varsity team was led by two top ten finishers: MacKane Parkman and Noah Anderson, and the varsity boys finished in 3rd place overall. Some of the most remarkable performances of the night were made by the JV boys. 5 of our runners finished in the top ten, earning individual recognition for their achievements. Topping those stats, 32% of the boys achieved PR’s: Grady Williamson, Landon Salvador, Eric Rivadeneira, MacKane Parkman, Sam Lagac, Maddox Ferrell, James Blanton, Jimmy Blair, and Sid Biggers. Another 11 boys improved their time over the last race, bringing about a 71% overall improvement in times for the boys. These time improvements are no small feat given the incredible difficulty of this race! The JV boys commanded the course with agility and speed, earning a solid first-place finish overall! 
Time Results

Thursday, August 29th:
For the 3rd week in a row, the Lakeside Cross Country Lions gave a strong performance on the middle school racing circuit at the 16th Annual War Eagle Invitational. This was not only the largest race of the season, but it was also the most competitive in both boys and girls divisions. The 2-mile course presented runners with a mix of open fields, forest trails, and short but steep gravel hills. Lakeside Cross Country girls competed alongside 19 teams from across north Georgia, and they raced head-to-head on a field of 254 runners in the intense late afternoon sun. Their strength and talent enabled fierce competition, and the girls were awarded a 2nd place overall finish, earning continued recognition as one of the most solid performing teams in middle school cross country racing. Kennedy Roberts continued her streak of top 10 finishes, ending the race in 9th place individually and within the top 3% of the field. Mikala Clark and Pratima Yellayi each earned PR’s, and 6 others decreased their time over last week’s performance. The Lakeside Cross Country boys brought their endurance to the starting line as well and made remarkable strides against some of the most challenging competition in middle school racing. The starting line was packed with 299 runners from 20 area schools. Finishing 7th place overall, the boys demonstrated consistency and endurance as they outpaced their competitors to a solid finish. Mackane Parkman and Noah Anderson each earned a top 10% finish, striking the course with a solid mid-six minute pace. Landon Salvador, Grady Williamson, Maddox Ferrell, Sid Biggers, and Mackane Parkman each earned a season PR, while 12 others decreased their times over the last race. WOW! Good luck Lakeside Cross Country Lions at next week’s meet - Vickery Creek Middle School Meet 2.  Time Sheet Link

Saturday, August 24th: 
The Lakeside Cross Country Lions competed in their second race of the season on Saturday, August 24th - the 4th Annual North Georgia Championship. Taking to the trails alongside 19 middle school teams and  nearly 420 runners, both our girls and boys teams achieved remarkable finishes. Runners were challenged by a course of rolling grassy hills in the wide open hammering sunshine. The heat index took its toll on all runners, yet Lakeside ran magnificently. Coming in 4th place overall, the boys had some strong finishes by Aryan Vinay, Noah Anderson, MacKane Parkman, Ethan Lava, Zyaan Rhaman, Eric Rivendiera,  and Luca Fornaro. Remarkably, Andrew Payne shaved 40 seconds off his previous season PR, accomplishing this in the most adverse heat conditions. The girls also had another incredibly strong race performance, securing second place among all female competitors. Kennedy Roberts crossed the finish line 4th among all contenders, announcing the strength of Lakeside’s female team. Mayla Merhai, Leah Bagwell, Kendra Obahiagbon, Sofia Nigrinis, and Lou Corbitt each achieved a top 25% race finish among the field of female runners. Both teams were rewarded individually and collectively for their outstanding finishes, and Lakeside is bringing home its first trophies of the season. Good luck Lakeside Cross Country Lions at next week’s meet - the 16th Annual War Eagle Invitational.

Saturday, August 17th: Pickens Preview Announcement 
The Lakeside Lions took their months of hard work to the starting line today at the Pickens Preview cross country race in Jasper, Georgia. Lakeside was represented by 41 strong runners in this first race of the season, and their performance today set the bar high for the schedule ahead.18 teams competed in both the girls' and boys' middle school races, and Lakeside secured an impressive overall finish of 5th place in both divisions. 

• The boys started off with an imposing top 5% placement by Aryan Vinay. Individually, Aryan crossed the finish line 17th in a field of 292 runners with a time of 12:39.76. Of today’s runners, 5 returning athletes started off the season with strong personal best times: Sid Biggers, Garth Maynard, Aaron Parsons, Reese Mutter, and Zyaan Rhaman. Zyaan crossed the finish line at 13:58.26, besting his previous record by well over a minute, and earning a top 25% finish. Garth and Aaron also made significant individual improvements that deserve a huge shout out.  Aaron Parsons improved on his personal best from last season by over 3 minutes, and  Garth Maynard stunned today, improving on last season’s PR by nearly 5 minutes. Lakeside boys have certainly announced their contention as a strong and imposing running group among middle school teams, securing a 2nd place finish among Forsyth County contenders. 
• 19 girls represented Lakeside Middle School today in a competitive field of 223 runners. 7 out of 19 runners achieved a new PR (based on last season’s records), an astounding accomplishment for our returning runners. Of the 5 Forsyth County teams competing in today’s race, the Lakeside girls secured a first-place finish, setting the bar high for our neighboring schools. Setting the pace for the girls was Kennedy Roberts, crossing the finish line in 7th place with a time of 13:48.87. This time was just 14 seconds off the 3rd place finish overall. Leah Bagwell, Riley Case, Lou Corbitt, Sophia McLaughlin, and Mayla Merhai all set PR’s in this opening race of the season and are poised for impressive performances as they continue to strengthen throughout the training weeks ahead. Notable achievements came from Ashley Teal who bested last season’s PR by nearly a minute, and from Emma Thompson, who upset her personal best last season by over 2 minutes in today’s race.