Fall all-area series: Here are the top 2023 Savannah-area high school cross country runners
The high school cross country season came to an end in Georgia at the rugged state meet course in Carrollton in early November in an event that runners and coaches prepare for all season.
The Richmond Hill boys and girls teams and the Savannah Arts girls team, following its state title run last year, were the standout squads from the Savannah area.
For the second year in a row, Steve Ricciardi of Savannah Arts has been picked as the Savannah Morning News Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year, while Richmond Hill's Levi Sybert takes the honor on the boys side.
Leah Nyce of Savannah Arts and Noah Sybert, Memphis Rich and Julia Anastasio and Julia Wilson of Richmond Hill are among the first-team selections on the All-Greater Savannah Cross Country teams.
The first-team selections will be recognized at the The Coastal Empire High School Sports Awards on Friday, June 7, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre at the Savannah Civic Center, where the boys and girls Cross Country Runner of the Year will be announced. The show is produced with support from Chatham Orthopaedic Associates.
For more information about the show and to opt into email updates, visit its website and you can also follow it on Facebook.
Here are this year's All-Greater Savannah Cross Country Teams.
Richmond Hill's Rich raced with one shoe How this Richmond Hill runner finished the second half of the state meet with one shoe
Richmond Hill primed for run at state How two veterans and a newcomer have Richmond Hill cross country on track for success
Savannah Arts girls X-Country rebounds This Savannah-area cross country team remains strong after last year's historic state title
All-Greater Savannah Boys Cross Country First Team
Memphis Rich, Richmond Hill, senior
The Region 1-7A champion and defending Class 7A state champ lost a shoe halfway through the Class 7A state race and still finished 33rd with a time of 16:42.78. He broke 16 minutes on 5K courses four times, including a PR of 15:16.62 for an 11th place finish at the Alexander / Asics Invitational. Rich took fourth at the Meet of Champions with a time of 15:48.55. He has signed to run at Appalachian State.
Noah Sybert, Richmond Hill, senior
Sybert was second in the Region 1-7A meet and finished 14th in the Class 7A state finals with a time of 16:08.07, the fastest of any runner from the Greater Savannah area on the tough Carrollton course. He had third place finishes at the Wingfoot XC Classic (15:56.90) and the Orthowest Classic and ran a personal best 5K time of 15:23.23 at the Alexander / Asics Invitational. He was 11th at the Meet of Champions in 16:01.80. Sybert has signed to run at Kennesaw State.
Benjamin Hall, Richmond Hill, senior
Hall was third in the Region 1-7A meet in 16:44.50, and finished 27th in the Class 7A state meet with a time of 16:35.82, the second best among runners from the Greater Savannah area. He ran a PR of 16:31.42 at the Alexander / Asics Invitational and was 52nd at the Meet of Champions in 16:59.33.
John Dodson, Benedictine, junior
Dodson won the Region 3-4A title, his third victory of the season, with a personal best time of 16:23.20 and followed it up with an eighth place finish in the Class 4A state meet with a time of 16:39.70, the third best among runners from the Greater Savannah area in the state finals. He was 44th at the Meet of Champions (16:50.45) and had an impressive showing at the Footlocker South Region Championships, running a time of 16:26.25 to finish third.
Julian Howard, South Effingham, senior
Howard was third in the Region 2-6A finals with a time of 16:58.00 and finished 16th in the Class 6A state finals with a time of 16:55.72, the fifth best among runners from the Greater Savannah area. He set a PR of 16:24.95 with a fifth place finish at the Alexander / Asics Invitational and won the Honey Ridge 5K with a time of 16:32.96.
Hart Tedder, Jenkins, junior
Tedder ran a PR of 16:17.55 to win the Region 1-5A crown and took 40th in the Class 5A state finals with a time of 17:09.70. He had top five finishes in six of seven races he entered this season, including a win at the Blue Tide Region Preview (17:17.40).
Second team
Elijah Fitts, Richmond Hill, senior
Carter Dieterich, Richmond Hill, sophomore
Theron Claridge, Effingham County, sophomore
Henry Dickey, Bradwell, junior
Asher Herrin, Benedictine, sophomore
Tyler Phillips, South Effingham, senior
Daniil Phillips, Habersham School, sophomore
Pierce Goodman, Savannah Christian, sophomore
Eddie Howell, Richmond Hill, sophomore
Marshall Lego, Savannah Arts, junior
Caiden Mason, South Effingham, senior
Harry Cleland, Veritas Academy, sophomore
Honorable mention
Bradwell -- Franklin Delacruz
Benedictine -- Cole Minnich, Nikos Hanks, Omar Ali
Habersham -- Tyson Harper
Islands -- Spencer Shipley
Jenkins -- Lucas Klaras
Richmond Hill -- Alex Fevos, Noah Bowman
Savannah Christian -- Dylan Maher
Savannah Country Day -- Charles Pope
South Effingham -- Ben Fluegel
Woodville-Tompkins -- Isaiah McGuire
All-Greater Savannah Girls Cross Country First Team
Julia Anastasio, Richmond Hill, freshman
Anastasio burst on the high school running scene with a memorable season as she won the Region 1-7A title with a time of 19:33.80 on the 5K course. She finished seventh in the Class 7A state finals with a time of 19:48.92, the best mark of any female runner from the Greater Savannah area on the Carrollton course. She followed by finishing 11th at the Meet of Champions and then sixth at the AAU National Cross Country Championships. She was second at the Orthowest Invitational and set a 5K personal best time of 18:27.27 when she finished 27th at the Alexander / Asics Invitational.
Julia Wilson, Richmond Hill, senior
Wilson, who has signed to run at Georgia Southern, was second in the Region 1-7A race (20:14.40) and 30th in the Class 7A state finals with a time of 20:12.16, the second best mark from the Greater Savannah area. She was 8th at the Wingfoot XC Classic in 19:28.40 and finished 32nd at the Meet of Champions with a time of 20:06.39.
Leah Nyce, Savannah Arts, junior
Nyce came on strong for the Panthers and had a fourth place finish in the Class 2A state meet with a time of 20:20.23 to help Savannah Arts finish third in the team standings. Her state finals time was third best among Savannah area runners. She set a PR with a time of 19:33.59 to win the Region 2-3A championship and also won at the 7th Mile Farm Invitational, to go along with second place finishes at the Blue Tide Run and Raider Invitational.
Adeline Althen, Richmond Hill, junior
Althen was fifth in the Region 1-7A meet (20:23.38) and 37th in the Class 7A state meet with a time of 20:23.38, the fourth best among runners from the Greater Savannah area. She set a PR with a time 19:41.80 at the Alexander / Asics Invitational.
Jolee Mitchell, Richmond Hill, sophomore
Mitchell ran a time of 20:46.40 to finish 50th in the Class 7A state meet, the fifth best time among runners from the Greater Savannah area. She was 11th in the AAU National Cross Country Championships (22:39.50) and 44th in the Meet of Champions with a time of 20:30.13.
Mary Kyle Kitchens-Hayes, Richmond Hill, senior
After a sixth place finish in the Region 1-7A meet, Kitchens-Hayes ran a time of 20:47.76 to finish 53rd in the Class 7A state meet, with the sixth best time among runners from the Greater Savannah area. She was 55th in the Meet of Champions (20:45.12) and set a PR of 20:29.70 at the Alexander / Asics Invitational.
Second team
Elle Harward-Grant, Savannah Arts, junior
Lily McDonald, South Effingham, senior
Chloe Adkins, Effingham County, freshman
Brooke Crickard, South Effingham, freshman
Lydia Amick, Savannah Christian, freshman
Francie Tedder, Savannah Arts, freshman
Abigail Stahl, Richmond Hill, junior
Allanah Bowling, Richmond Hill, senior
Ava Thomas, Savannah Arts, junior
Audrey Wilson, Savannah Christian, junior
Sadie Edris, Islands, sophomore
Sadie McGarity, Habersham School, eighth grade
Honorable mention
Bradwell -- Alysia Estrada
Calvary -- Mary Hines-Cribbs, Chloe Hoover
Habersham School -- Gabby Kenard, eighth grade
Islands -- Holly Kachmar
Savannah Arts -- Layla Balance, Gabrielle Reddick, Julia Grabowski
Savannah Country Day -- Aarya Patel
South Effingham -- Patricia Backlund, Brianna Barber, Magdeline Morgan
St. Vincent's -- Alexis Ghaleb, Sophie Roach, Olivia Keating
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Here are the top 2023 Savannah-area high school cross country runners
