DECATUR, Ga. - The Johns Creek High School cross country teams kicked off their 2026 campaign in stellar fashion at the Fowlkes Memorial Invitational held at Legacy Park. Displaying dominant pack running and impressive depth, the Gladiators girls team captured the overall team championship, while the boys squad secured a strong 4th-place team finish in a highly competitive varsity field.
Girls Program: Complete Team Domination
The Johns Creek girls varsity squad made a massive statement right out of the gate, cruising to the 1st Place with 23 points, well ahead of runner-up Lakeside HS DeKalb (90 points).
The Gladiators controlled the front of the race entirely, sweeping the top three individual podium spots:
- Tasneem Ahmed (Sr.) led the charge, taking 1st place overall with a blazing time of 20:48.24.
- Isabella Skeens (Fr.) followed closely in 2nd place at 21:07.78.
- Ava Reames (Sr.) rounded out the podium sweep in 3rd place crossing at 21:09.13.
Johns Creek's pack integrity sealed the victory further down the chute, with Molly Lovelace (So.) taking 9th (21:56.14), Amber Rossi (Sr.) 10th (22:05.49), and Sajja Ahmed (So.) 11th (22:11.59). Additional strong varsity scoring came from Riley Beaton (13th, 22:38.22), Mallory Fisher (14th, 22:38.22), and Hayden Huston (17th, 22:51.16).
Boys Program: Gritty Team Effort Secures 4th Place
In the varsity boys 5,000-meter race, Johns Creek put together a tough, cohesive team performance to finish 4th overall (98 points) in a loaded field won by Lakeside HS DeKalb.
Senior Lincoln Hipp paced the Gladiators, breaking into the top ten with a strong 9th-place finish in 17:51.18. He was closely followed by senior teammate Stryder Jones, who claimed 11th place in 17:52.89.
The Gladiators' scoring depth continued with solid efforts from Clarke Boy (19th, 18:27.64), David Laughlin (31st, 18:56.80), and James Uptegraph (33rd, 19:10.97). Additional varsity contributions came from Chase James (47th, 19:50.97), Caleb Coffman (51st, 20:05.63), and Collin Cook (53rd, 20:08.04).
Looking Ahead
With a dominant team victory for the girls and a hard-fought, deep performance from the boys, Johns Creek Cross Country has established strong momentum as they dive deeper into the 2026 fall season.
