HS running programs thrive in Brentwood, Tenn.

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

This weekend the best cross country teams in Tennessee will descend upon Percy Warner Park for the TSSAA Championships, held on the Steeplechase Cross Country Course. Three schools of particular note will be among them, all from the city of Brentwood.

Brentwood, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville, has three high schools: Brentwood High School, Ravenwood High School and private Brentwood Academy. This year, all three programs are favored to bring home trophies from the state meet.

It is not just this season that the Brentwood schools have had success in Tennessee. They have also enjoyed success on the national stage. Andrew Bumbalough, a 2005 Brentwood Academy graduate, now competes as a professional runner with Nike's Bowerman Track Club after a successful career at Georgetown.

“He elevated our program,” current Brentwood Academy boys coach Marshall Smith said.

Bumbalough's success did not just encourage the runners at Brentwood Academy. He helped raise the bar throughout the city.

Twelve years later, all three schools have thriving programs. Ravenwood and Brentwood Academy are excelling at the state and regional level. At the Jesse Owens Classic in Moulton, Alabama, the Brentwood Academy boys and the Ravenwood girls each came away with wins.

That same weekend, the Brentwood HS boys finished second at the Great American Cross Country Festival in North Carolina. They were led by the first and third place finishes of Brodey Hasty and Taylor Vroon. Hasty is ranked US#3 and Vroon US#27. The Brentwood boys as a whole are ranked US#9.

But there is more to the success of Brentwood schools than intercity competition.

Ravenwood coach Pete Mueller thinks Brentwood is “the fittest city in America not named Boulder,” referencing Boulder, Colorado. “People here take their health and fitness seriously and athletics in this area reflect that.”

“Cross country and track have always had a lot of support,” Smith added. While football is still king in Brentwood, as it is in much of the southeast, other sports are valued as well, including cross country.

That support starts when athletes are young. Brentwood boasts strong middle school programs “introducing the kids into a love for running,” said Brentwood HS girls coach Lara Whitaker.

In addition, there are youth clubs that start as early as elementary school, including Nashville Youth Athletics. They are about building an excitement for the sport, Smith said of the NYA and other youth clubs in the area.

The training environment in Brentwood also contributes to success. While it is hot and humid in the summer, that has not stopped runners from working hard to prepare for the season. “We have to learn to love training in the heat,” Whitaker said. “Every competitor faces the same challenges. It's learning how to control your mind and maintain a positive attitude.” 

There are benefits to training in Brentwood that make up for the climate. There are a network of paved trails through the city, allowing runners to stay off the roads. In addition, Brentwood HS and Brentwood Academy are located within a few miles of Percy Warner Park, home of the Tennessee state meet, where they train regularly.

A big factor in sporting success in any place is demographics. Brentwood, and the surrounding Williamson County, have seen a population explosion in the last two decades. Brentwood has grown by around 18,000 residents since the 2000 Census, bringing the city up to an estimated 41,000 people.

“Most families emphasize exercise and healthy eating,” Mueller said of Brentwood's citizens. “I've had students and runners who ran their first half marathon when they were in elementary school.”

Affluence in Brentwood is also an important factor. Williamson County is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. Brentwood's median household income is well above the national average. The programs have the ability to travel. This season, the Brentwood Academy boys competed at the Palatine Invitational in Illinois.

Despite the affluence, according to Mueller, “Students here aren't afraid of work, whether it's in the classroom or on the athletic field.”

Whitaker describes her athletes as making “sacrifices because they want success and want to be the best they can be." That success requires putting in the work to get there.

"We teach them to never back down from a challenge, never be afraid to run uncomfortable. The pain is going to come so we might as well get a reward from it," she said.

That work has paid off thus far this season with one more big test on Saturday. The Brentwood HS boys will be looking for their fifth state title in six years while the Ravewood girls will be looking for their first title since 2012. Brentwood Academy, competing at the Division II-AA level, will be looking to repeat as state champions.