Many high school athletes dream of taking their talent to the next level. For senior track and cross country runner Lauren Rutlin, that dream came true.

Rutlin committed to run Division 1 Cross Country at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in September and recently signed on November 14th. Her achievements in her high school career speak for themselves when it comes to how talented she is.

She is a three-time State Champion in Cross Country, three-time Region Champion and three-time individual region champion. Not only do her accomplishments stand out in our St. George’s community, Rutlin’s hard work has been recognized by the Daily Memphian, who named her Girl’s Track Athlete of the Year in 2022.

Head track coach David Stooksbury appreciates Rutlin’s talent. He said, “I’d always known how good of a runner she was…” and the “wow moment” for him was when Lauren broke a long standing record at a meet in Mobile, Alabama.

Rutlin is only the second girl out of St. George’s school history to commit to run Division 1 cross country. While in the recruiting process, it’s hard to pick one school out of all the others. Rutlin said Tennessee stood out to her because of their new Head Coach and “the school in general.” She felt it was a good balance between athletics and academics for herself and that’s why she is choosing to call it home for the next 4 years.

At Rutlin’s signing on November 14th, she gave a short speech – but it wasn’t really about her. While she spoke about her excitement to run for Tennessee, the main focus of her speech was thanking everyone who helped her get to where she is. She thanked her parents, friends, cross country head coach Mark Newman, Coach Stooksbury and her fellow teammates who pushed her to be where she is now. Without all of the support from her St. George’s family, Lauren feels she wouldn’t be where she is today.

The St. George’s community is behind Lauren 100% and is excited for her future as a Vol.