Fishburne Middle Schoolers Take on Kate Collins XC Meet

Fishburne Military School 7th and 8th Graders Step Up to Challenge

Waynesboro, VA — recap by Coach Tankard — Fishburne Military School Cross Country’s 7th- and 8th-graders made the trek across town as Kate Collins Middle School hosted 81 runners in a XC meet exclusively for Middle Schoolers.

Our four Caissons runners handled the heat and humidity well. With a time of 13:20, eighth grader Justin Hill (St. Augustine, FL) medaled in the event, making the medal cutoff at 15th with a strong sprint to the finish– besting another runner in a photo finish. The next Caissons finisher was 7th grader, Ian Clardy (Arlington, VA), earned a personal record with a time of 15 flat, followed by 8th grader Mick Ball (Reston, VA).

In order to field a team of five, seventh grader Ashton Puckett (Mt. Sidney, VA) volunteered to run for the first time for the Caissons and made a great effort. He lived to tell about it; and cracked a smile just a few minutes later. Without a fifth runner FMS would not have had a team score.

Fishburne Military School is the oldest and smallest of all military schools for boys in Virginia. Its college-prep curriculum is built on the structure of an Army JROTC program. FMS has been designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academies. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation that is accredited by US Army Cadet Command.