Golf Teams Retain State Titles, Liano Takes State Crown
The Baylor girls’ and boys’ golf teams both successfully defended their 2020 state championships, sweeping the 2021 titles and taking both girls’ and boys’ crowns in the same year for the 14th time since 1995. The championships make 20 state titles each for both teams, the first for the boys coming in 1988 and the first for the girls in 1995.
The Baylor girls, led by newly crowned state champion junior Paula Liano (above), nipped Lipscomb Academy by one stroke. Liano birdied the final hole while eighth grader Carlee Rogers's par on the last hole sealed the one-stroke team victory. Liano finished at 1-over par (71-70-141) to win the individual title by three strokes, becoming the seventh Baylor female to be an individual state champion. Rogers finished in eighth place overall with rounds of 76 and 74 for a 150 total and senior Kyndall Shamblin was 10th with a 153 total (76-77).
Liano’s championship marks the 14th time a Baylor girl has been the state medalist. She joins four-time champ Brooke Pancake Rende ’08, three-time winner May Wood Frederiksen ’02, two-time champions Belt Felts Randall ’04 and Blakesly Warren Brock ’14, and champs Sofia Hoglund ’10, and Elizabeth Hallman ’98.
The Baylor boys cruised to their title, winning by 17 strokes, setting a new state record for a 36-hole team score at 557, 19 under par. The old record of 565 was set by Baylor in 2003. The five Baylor golfers made three eagles and 38 birdies in the two-day tournament.
Three Baylor players tied for second place individually, including defending state champion senior Sheldon McKnight. He and classmates Haden Maxwell and David Schneider Jerez all finished 5-under at 139. Brett Cooper, another senior, was right behind the Raider trio at 4-under 140, tied for sixth place, and junior Viktor Stollinger finished in 12th place at 2-over 145.
Baylor also swept girls’ and boys’ team titles at this year’s Region Championships, the City Prep Championships, and the Matt Cunningham ’06 Preview. Liano and McKnight were individual region champs while Jerez and Stollinger were City Prep individual co-champions.
Runner-Up Raiders Make 16th Appearance in State Championship Game
The Baylor girls’ soccer team made its 16th appearance in a state championship match this season, finishing runner-up by a 2-0 score to undefeated state champion Harpeth Hall. It was the seventh state runner-up finish for the Raiders dating back to 1995. Baylor has been state champion nine times, the last title coming in 2017.
Posting a 16-2-2 record for the season that included a nine-game winning streak, Baylor clinched the region championship with a 4-1 home win over rival Girls Preparatory School, the Raiders’ first win over GPS since 2010.
Six Red Raiders were named to the All-Region team – seniors Aliya Cooper, Zoey Mize, and Melissa Oliveira, who were also named All-State, and sophomores Jada Cooper, Sophia Mize, and Elizabeth Stophel.
All-State Trio Leads Cross Country Teams
The Baylor girls’ and boys’ cross country teams finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the state championship meet, led by a trio of All-State performers.
All-State freshman Addi Greene led the Baylor girls, finishing as individual runner-up and posting a personal best by 26 seconds. Junior Helen Webb was sixth, earning her fourth straight All-State honor. Defending individual champion, sophomore Mae Mae Powe, would have been a third Raider in the All-State group, but tripped while leading the race and was unable to continue, changing the chances for a Baylor state title. Also this season, the Baylor girls were champions at the Meet in the Middle in Bell Buckle, the McCallie Invitational, and the Grove Level Stampede in Dalton, and were runner-up at the Front Runner Area Championship.
The Baylor boys were sixth, led by a sixth-place All-State performance by sophomore Garrison Corley. Senior Xian Campbell was the next Raider to cross, finishing in 20th place. During the 2021 season, Baylor was first at the Meet in the Middle and runner-up at the McCallie Invitational and the Front Runner Area Championship.
Baylor Volleyball State Streak Broken
The Baylor volleyball team’s streak of state tournament appearances ended this season as the Raiders lost to familiar nemesis and eventual state runner-up Briarcrest in the quarterfinal match. Baylor had advanced to the state final four tournament for 12 consecutive years, winning two state titles and finishing runner-up five times. Baylor ended the season, which included a series sweep of GPS, with a 17-13 record.
Senior Nadia Sixto (right) and junior Elli Kinney were named to the All-Region team.
Baylor Football is State Quarterfinalist Again
For the 12th time in 13 years, the Baylor football team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs in 2021. The Raiders finished 7-5 in a season that included quality wins over Rabun Gap (GA) and Hendersonville. Seniors Trey McDonald, DaCorian Jones-Montgomery, and Bo Black were chosen to play in the East/West TACA All-Star Game at Austin Peay State University. McDonald was joined by senior Carson Yates and juniors Caleb Hampton and Evan Haynie on the All-Region team.
Baylor Rowers Begin Season at Head of the Hooch
The Baylor rowing teams began their year in November at the Head of the Hooch, the nation’s second largest rowing regatta, held in Chattanooga. Fifteen Raider crews were entered with seven finishing in at least the top ten. Two boats finished in fourth place in their events. The Men’s Novice 8 (senior Rade Popovich, sophomores Redding Batt and cox David Wang, and freshmen Max Hickman, Greg Bailey, Fisher Greenfield, Mac Lowrance, Johnny Sutter, and Bruin Webster) was fourth out of 31 for the highest finish ever for a novice crew. The Mixed 8 (pictured above with seniors Ella Webb, Lindsay Smith, Gus Batt, Mike Kinsey, Rowe Cooper, Owen Eastman, and coxswain Maya Wiisanen, and juniors Bella Nenadov and Esther Prantil-Evans) also finished fourth.
