Bermuda’s young athletes competed at two different cross country events in the United States on Saturday.

In Knoxville, Tennessee, seven medals were awarded to runners from Bermuda Pacers Track Club for finishing in the top 25 in their respective races at the 2025 Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships.

The event, which attracted more than 2,000 athletes from across the United States, was held in rainy and muddy conditions at Victor Ashe Park.

Amaris Munya was part of the Montverde Academy girls team which finished ninth of 33 teams at the Florida High School Athletic Association Cross Country Championships, held in Tallahassee.

In Tennessee, Jaeda Grant and Azari Jones took part in the 5K in the 15 to 18 girls division. Grant finished in 23rd position in a time of 23 min 17.75sec, with Jones finishing in 45th position in 24:00.57, in a race with 81 athletes.

Gianluca Bortoli, Tobiah Goodchild and Sanchez Smith entered the 5K in the 15 to 18 boys division. Bortoli was the first Pacer athlete across the finish line in ninth place in 17:25.58, Smith finished tenth in 17:26.37, with Tobiah Goodchild’s time of 18:53.81 placing him 28th of 73.

The club's youngest athlete, Elliott Davidge, competed next. He ran in the 8 and under boys division. He placed tenth overall of 161, running the 2K course in 7:50.20. During his race.

Next to compete was Naomi MacGuinness, who ran the 11—12 girls division, a race entered by 230 runners. She was the top finisher for the club as she placed second overall in the 3K race in a time of 11:08.14, some ten seconds behind the eventual winner.

The final races of the day saw the 13—14 girls and boys run a 4K race, which had 190 athletes. In the girls division, Elena Bortoli was the top finisher, placing 52nd in a time of 17:10.75, Riana Robinson finished in 54th place in a time of 17:18.02, while Zara Bule was in 57th in a time of 17:23.53.

In the boys division, Spencer Haldeman and Ronan Davidge were the final competitors for the club. Haldeman finished the 4K distance in 15:13.04 to place 55th position, with Davidge finishing the course in 17:03.23 in 154th position.

Coach Cal Simons was extremely pleased with the performances of the athletes.

“Most of the athletes had never experienced a cross-country event of this magnitude or nature,” he said.

“It builds a great foundation for the athletes as they prepare for the upcoming track season in 2026.”

For Munya, who has represented Bermuda twice at the Carifta Games, cross country played a crucial role in preparing her for the track season. The 15-year-old swapped Warwick Academy for Montverde in August, where she is under the mentorship of Dustin Spanbauer and Michelle Howell.

“My first state championship was an amazing experience,” Munya said.

“My team-mates and I worked hard all season, and finishing ninth as a team is something I’m really proud of.

“The coaching has been incredible and our team truly feels like one big family. Overall, the season has been great, I’m loving Montverde and learning a lot every day.”