School Sports
Successful Norcross High Cross Country Teams Bring Home High Scores
Everyone is invited to help support the team at the Blue Devil Run on February 8
The Norcross High School boys’ and girls’ cross country teams had significant success this season, making it a benchmark year for the Blue Devil runners.
The boys’ team made waves by winning the 7A Area Four Championships, defeating powerhouse schools such as Brookwood and Millcreek, which Norcross High School hasn’t done since 1982. The girls’ team also scored well, placing 6th out of the 13 schools that competed there. Two of their runners, Merritt Blum and Claudia Gatti, placed in the top 12.
Nathan Brooks, who has been coaching the runners for three years, talked about how the experience brought the team closer as a whole. “We had to overcome a lot of different challenges, but the camaraderie and support that the seniors gave the rest of the runners will definitely be missed,” he said.
Their journey didn’t stop there. Winning at the regional championship was a stepping stone to the team’s ultimate goal: competing at the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state cross country championships in Carrollton, Ga.
Merritt Blum, senior, keeping steady pace at the start of the race. Photo by David Winters Gabriel Schlicht, senior, running towards finish line.Photo by David Winters 
Boys starting off the race. Photo by David Winters Boys huddle before the race. Photo by David Winters
“Being able to take our boys’ and girls’ teams to the 7A state championships is a big accomplishment,” said senior Merritt Blum. “You’re going out there and running against the most competitive teams in the area, and by the end of the season, everyone is at their peak.”
She added that despite the pressure, “…the chance to compete there gave us that second wind we needed to train ourselves even harder for the championships. Even though we work hard all season, knowing that we had the opportunity to go up against the best of all the cross country runners in Georgia gave us a new kind of motivation.”
Their hard work paid off, and the boys’ team placed 7th in the state. Four of the team’s runners placed in the top 50 out of the runners who competed there: Miguel Schlicht (15th), Joseph Winters (33th), Gabriel Schlicht (34th) and Yonas Chimbanda (47th).
Gabriel Schlicht described his experience as something unforgettable. “It was very exciting. You could feel the energy as the 200-plus runners sprinted off the starting line—and the atmosphere was electric,” he said. “My favorite part was the finishing downhill sprint because the spectators were going crazy.”
The girls’ team also performed exceptionally, and as a team ended up 14th out of the schools that competed. Junior Claudia Gatti finished 17th, and senior Merritt Blum rounded out the girls’ score, placing 43rd.
The teams’ accomplishments this season wouldn’t have been possible without the support of their dedicated coaching staff: Nathan Brooks, Katherine Yost and Ken Almon.
Nathan Brooks said, “This year’s team was a treat for me as a coach. We accomplished a whole lot winning the 7A area title for the first time in almost 40 years, and on top of that finishing 7th at the state meet. As an organization, we’re looking forward to carrying that success into the track season and continuing the growth we have had this fall.”
If you’d like to support the Norcross cross country team, you’re invited to participate in the 10th annual Blue Devil Run on Saturday, February 8. The beloved community event is fun for the whole family. Proceeds of the race go towards funding Norcross’s cross country and track teams.
You can register at bluedevilsrun.com to run or walk—or even to support the team as a phantom runner if you can’t make it to the race. There’ll be breakfast, coffee and sponsor tables for the runners to enjoy before and after the race, as well as a warm-up led by a YMCA instructor. The Blue Devil Run is a Peachtree Road Race qualifier.
The 2024-2025 school year has brought exciting extracurricular additions to the International Charter Academy of Georgia (ICAGeorgia), with the launch of new cross country and track programs.
Intended for upper-elementary and middle school students in grades 4-6, the new programs were started by Coach Shawn Nix, who joined the ICAGeorgia staff this fall. She comes to the school with 17 years of teaching experience in the Gwinnett County School System and 13 years of coaching experience. She was named Gwinnett County Coach of the Year twice during her tenure there.
Nix said that her goal in creating the cross country and track programs at ICAGeorgia was to “give students an introduction to cross country, teach them the value of teamwork and cultivate the future generation of runners.”
“The parents are thrilled about the addition of the cross country program,” she added. “They’ve expressed their excitement to me, and they are at practice and meets supporting the athletes.”
Cross country
Twenty-three academy students signed up for cross country this year, excited to be part of the inaugural team.
The season began on September 3 with the school’s first meet at Legacy Park in Decatur, where students competed in the one-mile dash against 210 other athletes from Atlanta area-schools.
Three of the school’s young athlete’s placed, with one sixth grader taking third in the girls division; another sixth grade student placing 24th in the boys division and one fourth grader placing 16th in the boys division.
They recently wrapped up the season on November 13 with a meet held at Midtown High School.
Though the season was short — most meets had already closed their entries by late August, and one meet was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene — the ICAGeorgia team was able to get in two good competitions and a lot of practice sessions.
Track season
According to Coach Nix, some students that were interested in cross country weren’t able to sign up for the team in time, but they’ve said they will be coming out for track in the spring. She’s expecting at least 20 students to join the team.
Track season begins in February, and the opening meet is scheduled for March 8at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill.
Upcoming track meets will feature the following events: long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, disc throw, 3200m, 1600m, 800m, 400m and 4×100, 400 and 800m relays.
Future plans
Following the success of the new cross country and track programs, Coach Nix shared that ICAGeorgia plans to offer more after-school sports in the near future.
“The sports we add will be gauged by an interest survey, keeping in mind the facilities we have,” she said. “But we would love to add basketball and soccer.”
For more about ICAGeorgia, visit them at internationalcharteracademy.org.
The Greater Atlanta Christian School (GAC) Athletic Department has announced that Crystal Lee will take the helm as the new Head Volleyball Coach at GAC.
“I am excited to announce that we have selected Crystal Lee as our new Head Volleyball Coach,” said GAC Athletic Director Tim Hardy. “Crystal Lee embodies the characteristics we want in a head coach at GAC. First, she has a strong Christian faith that guides her daily life.
“Second, she has a natural ability to connect with student-athletes and foster trust through relationships. Third, she loves Volleyball and has a passion for using the game to develop her athletes as people, as well as players. Finally, she has a clear vision for the future of Spartan Volleyball.”
Coach Lee was a GAC Varsity Assistant Coach during the 2022 season and played an instrumental role for the Spartans’ state championship team. She previously coached at Johns Creek High School from 2019-2021, and she coached club Volleyball at 575 Volleyball and A5 South as well. Coach Lee also played collegiate Volleyball at Georgia State University from 2015-2018.
“I am honored and privileged to serve as the head coach of this program, and I look forward to inspiring and developing these young women not only as exceptional athletes but also as outstanding members of the community. It is my prayer that these young women will be guided into successful lives after GAC, regardless of whether or not they pursue athletics,” Coach Lee said.
“As an assistant last year, I witnessed the program’s success, but I was most inspired by the guiding principles that embody GAC’s mission. The rich tradition of academic, spiritual, and athletic excellence of GAC is a place that I am honored to be a part of, and I’m humbled to take on this role,” she added.
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