New Toppers

Our Topper XC team is growing! We had a signing last Friday for 3 new runners! Brian McDonnieal, Bryan Cook, and Kelsea Hendrix came to sign on the dotted line and make it official! Kacie Harris signed a few weeks ago, and she came to join us for the afternoon.
I am very excited about next year's team... I think we have a great deal of potential, and I think the girls will gel together well. This new flock of freshmen brings us up to a Kacie, Casey, Kelsey, Brian, and Bryan.... and I am still holding out a glimmer of hope for a Katherine! I am going to need to come up with nick names or start calling people by their last names!

Kelsea, her parents, the principal of Alcorn Central, and I

Brian McDonnieal, his parents, and I

Bryan Cook, his parents, Coach Greer from Myrtle, and I

Here is the news release that was printed in the local papers....

Three outstanding runners from Northeast Mississippi signed cross country scholarships Friday with Blue Mountain College.

Kelsea Hendrix of Alcorn Central, Brian McDonnieal of Corinth and Bryan Cook of Myrtle will join the Toppers in fall 2011.

"This is areally strong group of runners," said BMC coach Heather Duley. "They've all had great high school careers in both cross country and track, and they will make us a better team right away."

Hendrix had an array of top 10 finishes in the fall, finishing fourth in the state 3A championships, third in the Saltillo Invitational and seventh in the Corinth Invitational.

McDonnieal, a member of 3A state championship teams in 2008 and 2010, won the 3A state championship in 2010. He was also a membere of the 3A state championship track team in 2010 and a member of three state championship tennis teams.

Cook won the 1A state championship in the fall and the Division 2 1A championship. He finished second in the East Union-Myrtle Challenge and the East Union Invitational, and third in the Tupelo High Invitational. He also won the 1A state championship 1600 meters and finished third in the 3200 meters.