Hardy, Walker lead Mavericks runners at Cherokee Classic
Anderson County’s John Cutler settles into his stride among a pack of runners during the Cherokee Classic in Knoxville. Cutler opened the 2026 cross country season with a strong 12th-place finish, completing the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 35.90 seconds. (photo:Barry Houchin )
The Mavericks and Lady Mavericks opened the 2026 campaign last weekend at the Cherokee Classic in Knoxville, where Cameron Hardy and Jordan Walker set a blistering early pace with Top 10 finishes in the boys and girls 5,000-meter races.
For first-year Coach Harrison Calhoun, the performances offered an encouraging glimpse of what could be ahead.
“I’m optimistic and I think that’s the appropriate word for this time of year,” Calhoun said. “But you never know how a season is going to go.
“You can have expectations and you can set goals. ... I thought our boys team showed a lot of promise.”
Hardy led the Mavericks in the boys 5,000-meter race, racing to a ninth-place finish as he crossed the line in 16 minutes, 31.50 seconds.
The performance marked a significant improvement from the 2025 Cherokee Classic, where Hardy finished in 18:11.10.
John Cutler wasn’t far behind, narrowly missing the top 10.
He finished 12th in 16:35.90.
Christian Wolfley, making his high school debut, finished 128th in 20:00.20.
Ryan Vanlandingham was 145th in 20:16.20, while Tanner Warman came in 147th in 20:18.40.
Gillen Gossett finished 195th in 21:31.40.
Benson Skidmore was 281st in 24:20.00, and Gabriel Mounger finished 311th in 28:12.70.
In the boys 3,000-meter race, Kason Hansard finished 75th with a time of 15:32.00.
Corbin Stooksbury was 76th in 16:34.70.
Walker provided the Lady Mavericks with their own Top 10 performance in the girls 5,000-meter race.
She crossed the finish line in eighth place with a time of 19:46.50.
Lilah Sharon finished 125th in 25:37.80.
Emma Owens was 139th in 26:14.50.
Jenna Meadors came in 141st in 26:24.30, and Cassie Newman finished 155th in 27:02.00.
Lily Franklin was right behind Newman, placing 156th in 27:04.00.
Rachel Garbes finished 167th in 27:57.80.
Charley Sparks was 193rd in 30:45.50.
Cate Clotfelder rounded out Anderson County’s finishers, placing 199th in 31:35.50.