Girls' Cross Country

Boasting seven team state titles while having two individual state champions, our girls' cross country team consistently exhibits strength throughout the team lineup. Team building, team concept, and team success are hallmarks of the Baylor experience for our cross country athletes.

Baylor runners compete at the varsity and junior varsity levels in the Upper School, with the varsity team competing in the Chattanooga Cross Country League and the TSSAA Division II East region. Baylor also fields a Middle School team for grades 6-8.

Fast Facts on Baylor Girls Cross Country

• Baylor won state championships in 1991, 1995, 1997, and three in a row in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012.
• Baylor was state runner-up in 1998 and 2015.
• The 2012 squad had the team's first undefeated season, winning the Knoxville Cherokee Classic, the UTC Invitational, the Tennessee Classic, the Jesse Owens Invitational, the Baylor CCCL meet, the Front Runner Area Championships, and the state championship.
• Hannah Jumper '11 was Baylor's first individual state champion in 2009 and repeated in 2010.
• Mae Mae Powe '24 was the individual state champion as a freshman in 2020.
• Baylor won the City Optimist/Front Runner Area Championship for eight consecutive years, 2005-2012, and added titles in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
• The Baylor team has provided a water stop at the Signal Mountain Pie Run 10k for over a decade as an annual service project.
• Baylor coach Heather Ott was named the Chattanooga Times Free Press Coach of the Year in 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2006. Coach Ott was also named the 2009-10 Tennessee state Coach of the Year for girls' cross country by the TSSAA. She was also nominated for the Sectional Award, which includes finalists in eight Southeastern states whose names were submitted to the national office for consideration as National Federation Coach of the Year. Ott teaches English in the Upper School and has coached at Baylor since 1986. Her teams have won seven state championships and have been state runner-up twice.

Baylor hosts dual and championship meets during the fall season using the spacious lower fields including a 1.5 mile loop through the woods of the lower campus.