Honeybears Make State Title History

Honeybears make history with five state titles

Behind the sprinting, jumping, strength, and perseverance of its track and field athletes, Harpeth Hall claimed the DII Class AA girls state championship. The victory marked the TSSAA-record 17th team track and field title in Harpeth Hall school history, and the school’s first since 2016. The winning performance also made school history as Harpeth Hall’s fifth state championship of the school year. Track and field joined soccer, cross country, riflery, and lacrosse as the best girls teams in the state of Tennessee.

“If sports teaches us nothing else, it should teach us the value of teamwork,” Harpeth Hall Athletic Director Kylene Lee said. “History was made because of our community's ability to work as a team. From the athletes, student body, parents, coaches, and administration — all of us moved together in a direction that has put Harpeth Hall athletics on the map both for today and for years to come.”

The day's track and field events felt like a marathon — even in the sprints. The state meet competition stretched from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the day in late May, but the persistence of the Harpeth Hall team never tapered. Nineteen athletes competed to bring home a true team championship that saw the Bears score points in 16 out of 19 events. Harpeth Hall’s senior captain Sabrina Russell paced the field scoring points for Harpeth Hall in five individual events — a feat accomplished for only the second time in the history of Harpeth Hall at the state track meet. Her appearances included second- place finishes in the pentathlon and high jump, third place in the 300-meter hurdles, and fourth in both the shot put and 100-meter hurdles.

Junior Bella Guillamondegui was a two-event winner, crossing the finish line first in the 800- and 1,600-meter distance runs. In the end, the Honeybears ran away with 121 points and the state title, besting second-place Ensworth which finished with 105.5 points. Baylor School was third with 80 points. Harpeth Hall has won four state championships in a school year twice in school history. Never before this May had the Honeybears won five state championships in a single school year. “We had 19 girls who started this process over five months ago and their hard work and consistency paid off,” Harpeth Hall Track and Field Coach Jim Romero said. “. . . This team is committed, young, and talented, and we are excited for what the future holds.”

State Championship History

Harpeth Hall has won four state championships in a school year twice in school history. The 2021-2022 season marks the first time the Honeybears have claimed five state championships in a single school year. 2001-2002: Cross country, volleyball, swimming and diving, and track and field 2003-2004: Cross country, swimming and diving, lacrosse, and track and field 2021-2022: Soccer, cross country, riflery, lacrosse, and track and field

Storied Track and Field Success

• Harpeth Hall formed its first track team in 1972 (the year Title IX became law) • Track and field has won 17 state titles — adding to its TSSAA record total: 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2022 Looking Ahead in Lacrosse

• Only once in the history of the Tennessee Girls Lacrosse Association has the state championship game not included either the Harpeth Hall Honeybears or the Hutchison Sting. This year — for the first time in more than a decade — the Honeybears came out victorious, claiming a 14-7 win over the Sting and the 2022 TGLA state championship. • Rising Junior Charlotte Myers scored her 100th goal of the season during the game, propelling the team to victory. • Lacrosse has won five state titles competing in the Tennessee Girls Lacrosse Association: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2022 • The TSSAA will continue discussions this year about the possibility of adding girls lacrosse as an officially sanctioned sport for the 2023-2024 season Riflery Rocks

• Riflery is the only sport that competes in coed competitions, which means that when Harpeth Hall won the state title it did so by defeating Montgomery Bell Academy’s all-boys team. • Rising senior Isabella Baldwin won the individual state title and Class of 2022’s Kate Stewart won a silver medal. This year’s precision team state championship is the third title under Coach Jim Abernathy’s charge (2015, 2017, 2022). Running at a Strong Pace

• Led by the pace-setting performance of Harpeth Hall rising senior Bella Guillamondegui, Harpeth Hall sprinted to the championship claiming the DII-AA state title. Bella posted a time of 18:22.80 in the 5,000-meter race to win the individual state championship, and all seven of the Harpeth Hall runners finished in the top 30 to secure the team win. • The winning effort earned Harpeth Hall its first team cross country state title since 2014 and its 13th in school history. The 13 titles are a state record for the most won by any school, boys or girls, in the sport. Kickin’ It

• Harpeth Hall defeated Baylor 2-0 in the state title game to claim the 2022 DII-AA state soccer championship. • The title marked the second in school history and the second for Head Coach Meggie Lucas, who also led the team in 2013 when Harpeth Hall clinched its first Division II-AA state title by handing Father Ryan its only loss of the year.

The Future is Bright

Seven members of the Class of 2022 will continue their athletic careers in college this fall. Goaltender Mallory Thomas, who helped Harpeth Hall claim the 2022 DII-AA state soccer championship, signed a Division I college scholarship to play at Miami University in Ohio. Fellow title-winning teammate and star defender Ashley Tirrill will also compete at the university level, along with members of Harpeth Hall’s swimming and diving, rowing, and tennis teams. Go Honeybear Nation!

Swimming and Diving

• Caroline Johnson, Rhodes College • Lexi Stewart, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Jordan Whitehouse, Birmingham-Southern College Soccer

• Mallory Thomas, Miami University in Ohio • Ashley Tirrill, Carnegie Mellon University Rowing

• Evelyn Trost, Clemson University Tennis

• Carlie Mitchell, Centre College