From March 8-10, 2024, seven Athens Academy athletes will compete in the prestigious Nike Indoor Nationals and New Balance Indoor Nationals. The athletes have met the rigorous qualifying standards in order to be accepted into the meets.

Five athletes will compete in the Nike Indoor Nationals in New York City: Josie Collins (sophomore) - High Jump
Will DeLoach (senior) - 1 Mile Race
Hoke Lucas (junior) - Pole Vault

Austin McGee (senior) - 60M Race Jamari Welch (junior) - 60M Race

Two athletes will compete in the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston: Veronika Babbitt (junior) - Shot Put
Maya Davis (junior) - 800M Race

“I am so very proud of our kids, as they compete against the best in the nation,” says Head Varsity Track Coach Neville Anderson. “Previously we’ve never sent more than two students at a time to a national meet, so to have seven competing in one year is outstanding. In the track world, this is a big deal.” He continues, “Because of the resources that Athens Academy has put into the running program over the years, we have a variety of great coaches supporting such a wide range of talented athletes as they emerge on the national stage.”

Head Varsity Cross Country Coach Geoffrey Walton agrees: “The variety of events these seven athletes are competing in—high jump, shot put, pole vault, running—is an indicator of the quality of the program and the coaching staff at Athens Academy.”

Those athletes who finish in the top eight will receive the designation of “All American.” According to the website Aspire Atlantic, “There are certain requirements to become an All-American, but these requirements vary depending on which sport you are competing in...At the end of each year, an All-American team is selected, honoring the best performers of the season.” Historically, Athens Academy has had ten total athletes who qualified as All American during their time at the school (listed with their college matriculation):

Elizabeth Guess (Class of 2003, UNC Chapel Hill) – soccer
Ben Glauser (Class of 2011, Harvard) – shot put, weight throw
Torie Owers (Class of 2012, UC Berkeley) – shot put, discus, weight throw, hammer throw Henry Dwyer (Class of 2013, UGA) – runner
Julia Harisay (Class of 2017, Princeton) – shot put

Anna Marian Block (Class of 2018, UGA) – runner
Jasmine Barrow (Class of 2020, UConn) – triple jump
Graham Blanks (Class of 2020, Harvard) – runner
Len’Neth Whitehead (Class of 2020, Tennessee & UGA) – discus Deion Colzie (Class of 2021, Notre Dame) – football

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 57th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. Ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #9 college prep school in the state of Georgia, and #1 private school in Northeast Georgia (Niche.com).

For more information, please contact Kelley Cuneo, communications director, at [email protected] or 706-433-2410.