The Johns Creek girls cross country team opened its 2026 season with a 67-point blowout Monday, Aug. 17, winning the team championship at the Fowlkes Memorial Invitational at Legacy Park in Decatur.

The Gladiators scored 23 points to runner-up Lakeside-DeKalb's 90, sweeping the top three individual spots in the process. Senior Tasneem Ahmed crossed first in 20:48.24, followed by freshman Isabella Skeens in second (21:07.78) and senior Ava Reames in third (21:09.13).

All three finished within 21 seconds of each other.

The depth behind them sealed it. Sophomore Molly Lovelace placed ninth (21:56.14), senior Amber Rossi 10th (22:05.49) and sophomore Sajja Ahmed 11th (22:11.59), according to results posted by Johns Creek Athletics. Riley Beaton (13th), Mallory Fisher (14th) and Hayden Huston (17th) rounded out the varsity contingent.

The performance is a statement for a program chasing a third consecutive state trophy. Johns Creek finished as the GHSA Class 5A state runner-up last fall, and Georgia MileSplit's pre-season Class 5A rankings pegged the Gladiators' top-five spread at just 1:12. Skeens' runner-up finish in her varsity debut adds a new weapon to an already tight pack.

Boys finish fourth in loaded field

The Johns Creek boys placed fourth with 98 points in the 5,000-meter race, which Lakeside-DeKalb won. Senior Lincoln Hipp led the Gladiators with a ninth-place finish in 17:51.18, and senior Stryder Jones was right on his shoulder in 11th at 17:52.89, separated by just 1.71 seconds.

Clarke Boy (19th, 18:27.64), David Laughlin (31st, 18:56.80) and James Uptegraph (33rd, 19:10.97) completed the scoring five. The boys narrowly missed qualifying for the state meet last fall and open 2026 looking to break through; Georgia MileSplit ranked their pre-season team average at a sub-17-minute 16:55.10.

Up next

Both teams head to the Wesleyan Invite on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7 a.m. at Wesleyan School, followed by the East Jackson Invite on Aug. 29.