Young Raiders Return to State Golf Throne
The Baylor boys’ golf team, with no seniors on the squad, ran away with the state championship in October, beating Montgomery Bell Academy and Ensworth, tied for second, by 15 strokes. Junior Nathan Webb (kneeling, center) shot a blistering 68 in round two to post a tournament total of 77-68-145, one over par and good enough to tie for third place with Baylor freshman Sheldon McKnight (standing, third from right), who shot a more consistent 73-72-145 for the tournament. Junior Demi di Matteo (kneeling, left) joined Webb and McKnight as All-State performers, finishing fifth with a 71-75-146 total. Juniors Matt Tanrudee (standing, second from left) and Trent Davis (kneeling, right) tied for 14th. The state championship is a state record 18th for a Baylor boys’ team and the first since 2015. The Raiders also won the Matt Cunningham Preview, played in memory of Matt Cunningham ’06, and were the City Prep champions, beating McCallie with Webb and McKnight both posting birdies on the first playoff hole.
An even younger Baylor girls’ squad placed third at the state tournament with freshman Kyndall Shamblin (left) finishing in third place individually. Junior Preslee Yoder (center) finished 12th, and sophomore Stephanie Xian (right) was 15th. The Raiders were a surprise region champion, led by individual region champ Shamblin, and were runners-up at the City Prep Championship.
Baylor Swim Teams Named National Champs
Last season’s Baylor boys’ and girls’ varsity swimming and diving teams were named the 2018 National Independent School Dual Meet champions by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA), based on submitted team results of high school swimmers. A total of 349 high school teams from across the nation participated in the national dual meet ranking system this year with only two schools having boys’ and girls’ champions. The Baylor boys’ team was also named national dual meet champions in the boys’ prep division by Swimming World Magazine.
Baylor is State Volleyball Runner-Up
The Baylor volleyball team completed another amazingly successful season, posting a strong 36-11 record with roughly half of their losses coming at highly competitive invitational tournaments out of Tennessee. Three of the 11 losses were dealt by Briarcrest, who beat the Raiders 3-1 in the state championship match, ending the Raiders’ quest for back-to-back state championships. Baylor won the state title, the school’s fourth, last season and has now finished second in the state six times. Senior Ally Craig was region MVP and was joined on the All-Region team by senior Denver Rogers.
Baylor Girls Third, Boys Sixth at State Cross Country; Webb, Rosser All-State
Baylor eighth-grader Helen Webb (right) finished third individually and led the Baylor varsity girls’ cross country team to a third-place team finish at the state championships in November. Webb was joined as an All-State performer (top 15 runners) by junior Hannah Rosser (left) in 13th place. The Baylor girls were also winners at the Tiger Two-Miler, the Red Raider Rumble, the Fast Break Challenge, and the Front Runner Area Championships as well as runner-up at the Tennessee Classic.
The Baylor boys’ cross country team won the Red Raider Rumble, was third at the Fast Break Challenge, and placed fourth at both the Bearcat Two-Miler and Front Runner Area Championships. The Raiders finished sixth in the team standings at the state championships. Junior Silas Gartman led the Raiders with a 23rd-place finish followed by senior Jackson Collette in 24th.
Injury-Plagued Raiders Fall Short of Soccer Repeat
A determined Father Ryan team defeated Baylor 5-0 in the semifinal round of the state soccer championship, ending an injury-plagued Raider quest to defend the 2017 state title. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie in September. Baylor beat Ensworth and Briarcrest in the first two rounds of the state playoffs and ended the season with a 14-5-2 record. Seniors Avery Davis (above) and Mya McGee were selected to the THSSCA All-State team.
Football Wins Four
Beginning the schedule against four 2017 state finalists, the 2018 Baylor football team played to a 4-7 record this season, taking a 49-28 loss to Pope John Paul II in the first round of the state playoffs. The Raiders had beaten the Knights by a touchdown earlier in the season. Baylor’s other wins were against Notre Dame, Chattanooga Christian, and Father Ryan. The loss to JPII broke a nine-year streak in which the Raiders had advanced as far as the state quarterfinals.
Crew Teams Finish Fall Season Strong
Baylor rowing crews enjoyed a successful three-regatta fall season, featuring the Music City Head Race in Nashville, the Secret City Head Race in Oak Ridge, and the famous Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga. The season wrapped up well as the Baylor girls recorded their best finishes since 2006 at the Head of the Hooch with three boats placing in the top 10 among scholastic crews. The Baylor boys also had two crews finish in the top 10 scholastic teams.
