Next Generation: Sophomore Scottie Brown has quickly emerged as a new running power on the Warrior girls cross country team.

For years, the North Atlanta Cross Country program has been one of the premier teams in all of Georgia, winning the 6A women’s state championship in 2021 and ending as a top 10 team in 2022. On the boys’ side, the team won it all in 2022 and placed 3rd in the state in 2021. The success of the women’s teams can be attributed to star runners like seniors Catherine Townsend and Ansley McCaffrey. However, in 2023 a new leader has set herself apart from the crowd in sophomore Scottie Brown. In an ever-evolving high school sports landscape, Brown may be the key to maintaining the success of the girl’s cross country dynasty.

Bursting onto the scene as a freshman for the Warriors, Brown’s entry into her new sport was initially just a means to get in shape for her then-preferred sport of soccer, a sport she’d been playing since she was three years old. However, cross country head coach Coach Nicholas Cluster and the rest of the cross country staff knew they had found a star in the making with her freshman year entry. In the very first meet of her 9th grade season, Brown posted a respectable time of 25 minutes and 45 seconds. Yet she only continued to improve, posting a time of 22:01 in her most important meet of the season at the 6A Region 4 Championships. Unfortunately, her 2022 year was cut short by injury, finishing with a very respectable PR of 21:35 at the Asics Invitational. “She came in looking to get in shape for soccer, but her progress was just phenomenal. We knew she had the potential to be great,” said Cluster. 

After the show she put on her first year, many wondered if she could maintain her impressive pace. However, the former soccer player showed no signs of regression picking up right where she left off in the first event of 2023 at the Bob Blastow Early Bird Race, posting a new PR of 20:41. This time was later replaced by yet another PR of 20:17 at the Asics Invitational. From then on seeing the stellar sophomore post top scores at meets all over Georgia was nothing short of a guarantee. “It’s good to know that we’ve got Scottie and a couple other talented runners to hold it down next year when our seniors leave,” said sophomore cross country runner Cabell Townsend.

Though this season is all but over with the Championship meets still left to run, it is hard to not look ahead to next season and how the loss of all time North Atlanta greats like Catherine Townsend for example will impact the program. However, if anyone were to take that next step forward, as of now it would be the impressive underclassmen. At the most recent race, the 6A Region 4 Championship, Brown placed second out of all NAHS women only behind Townsend, a real Dubs running legend.  It seems as if with most of the upperclassmen leaving, it is Scottie Brown’s time to take the reins and lead the girls Warrior cross country team to the promised land in 2024. “The senior girls have had such a positive impact in helping me and I can’t wait to carry that on and try and win a championship,” said Brown.

It is not every day that an athlete like Brown strolls into practice and becomes the number 2 option on a team like North Atlanta’s, yet it was not easy. Like every other “overnight success” in history, it no doubt took countless hours of work and practice for Brown to have reached the level she’s at today. With that being said, it’s safe to say that with her reaching her stride – and new PRs – the Running Warriors are in good hands for the foreseeable future.