Team Detail Bayside Academy

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Cross Country - Girls Varsity

2025 - 2026

Head Coach: Joseph Swagart

BAYSIDE ACADEMY GIRLS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

With Bayside Academy’s Mission Statement and Core Values in mind, our goal through Bayside Academy Cross Country is to continue the excellence established in the past and press on to achieve our best today. Our program competes in the AHSAA at the 6A classification for athletes in the 7th through 12th grade, from beginners to multiple season performers. Each athlete should seek to do his/her best, give 100% effort in all that he/she does, and encourage one another, not just in our sport. To do this, we will do all things with TEAM as our focus, although training will be individualized based on the ability and experience of the athlete. Our athletes will not only train together to become better runners, but learn how and why the training he/she does develops him/her into a stronger runner and person. We will hold to this COMMITMENT as our sense of responsibility and respect to self and others, striving for excellence in all of our endeavors.

These three words and descriptions will be our point of emphasis this year:

Team: We will enjoy what we do with one another, building up one another through common experiences and trials.
Excellence: We will do all things to the best of our ability, disciplined to do all things the right way and all the way.
Commitment: We will always be there for one another, realizing this is what keeps us together and helps us reach our goals.

LAST SEASON
Fall 2025

For the first time since 2015, our young women’s team failed to qualify for the AHSAA State meet. Due to the competitive balance factor enacted by the AHSAA, our cross-country program at Bayside Academy competed in the 6A classification although we classify as a 3A school. We had a total of nine young women, and outside of our two seniors, our young women were either a freshman or younger. Despite our youth, our young women sought to qualify as a team for the AHSAA 6A State meet. We qualified four young women: freshman Ansleigh Smith, 8th grader Mary Kathryn Jacobs, and 7th graders Heather MacNair and Kalindi McCullins.

THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S BAXC

Women's Team History

Since 1991, our Bayside women’s cross country has been one of the strongest teams in its classification, qualifying a team for State 32 times and finishing in the top four a total of 26 times. Top two finishes are listed below:

2023 AHSAA 5A State Runner-Up
2022 AHSAA 5A State Runner-Up
2021 AHSAA 4A State Champions
2013 AHSAA 3A State Champions
2012 AHSAA 3A State Champions
2007 AHSAA 1A/2A State Runner-Up
2006 AHSAA 1A/2A State Runner-Up
2005 AHSAA 1A/2A State Champions
2002 AHSAA 1A-3A State Runner-Up
1992 AHSAA 1A-4A State Runner-Up

Women’s AHSAA All-State Runners

Since 1991, we have had 25 athletes earn All-State honors 59 times by finishing in the top 15 of her classification, with four of those being State Champions. All-State Runners are listed below by year and finish.

Maria Stevens – 91
Alexandria Leigh – 91
Mikhal Newberry – 91
Creacy Box – 92
Cason Crosby – 96*, 97*, 98
Lindsay Overton – 95, 96
Nikki Pilot – 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02
Caroline Reehl – 00, 01, 03, 04
Mary Johnston – 02
Lizzy Dumas – 03, 04, 05
Anna Hammond – 03
Crawford Hodgson – 05, 06
Celeste Sullivan – 06, 07*
Charlotte Gil – 07, 08, 09
Izzy Harrison – 07, 09
Molly Pinnix – 12
Mary Catherine Branyon – 12, 13, 14, 17
Abby Warner – 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Delaney Klutes – 13
Lauren West – 16, 17
Marcella Covington – 20
Catherine Doyle – 20, 21, 22, 23
Annie Midyett – 20, 21*, 22, 23
Shelby Fargason – 20, 21, 24
Avery Therrell – 23

*Denotes State Champion that year!

Women’s Top Fifteen 5K Times
For an athlete's time to be considered for the Top 15 5K Board, the 5K course must be a course that has been competed on for at least three years without severe changes to the course so that the course can be verified 5,000 meters. Sectional and State Meet courses automatically qualify.

Female Athlete/Time/Year

Catherine Doyle 18:42 (2023)
Shelby Fargason 18:58 (2024)
Annie Midyett 18:59 (2021)
Mary Catherine Branyon 19:08 (2012)
Abby Warner 19:15 (2014)
Celeste Sullivan 19:47 (2007)
Mary Johnston 19:51 (2002)
Avery Therrell 19:52 (2023)
Grace Dawson 19:59 (2023)
Nikki Pilot 20:09 (2000)
Ansleigh Smith 20:16 (2023)
Delaney Klutes 20:26 (2013)
Caroline Reehl 20:35 (2003)
Izzy Harrison 20:38 (2007)
Rhia Tkac 20:39 (2021)

Women’s 5K Records by Grade Level

We keep up with the accomplishments of our athletes and recognize them when new firsts are accomplished. You will find below our best times by grade and gender for our XC program.

Grade	Female Athlete/Time/Year
Middle School	Mary Catherine Branyon 19:08 (2013)
Freshman	Annie Midyett 18:58 (2021)
Sophomore	Catherine Doyle 18:57 (2022)
Junior	Catherine Doyle 18:42 (2023)
Senior	Annie Midyet 19:19 (2024)

HEAD COACH JOE SWAGART

Completing his 20th season as a head coach for young men’s and women’s cross country and track & field at Bayside Academy and previously Cottage Hill Christian Academy, Coach Swagart’s teams and athletes are coached to give their best and compete at their fullest potential. With eight AHSAA State Championships, 15 AHSAA
State Runners-up, and three AISA State Runners-up, we do our best to help our teams excel regardless of the program’s AHSAA classification. Coach Swagart has been recognized as the Press-Register Coach of the Year three times and the USTFCCCA Girls Cross Country of the Year in 2021. Coach Swagart has a USATF Level 1 Certification and has completed the USTFCCCA Endurance Coach Certification.

Coach Swagart attended college at the University of South Alabama, earning a B.S. in Mathematics & Statistics in 2004 and M. Ed. in Secondary Education in 2018. He is married to Nancy Swagart. He and his wife have three children, each who attend Bayside Academy: Owen, Isaac, and Emersyn.

Overall Statistics