SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Expectations are what you make them.
Christ School ran like a team with nothing to prove Saturday, calm and collected in winning the International Division of the Eye Opener cross country meet with 27 points, 87 fewer than the second-place team in a field of 45 schools.
Brooks Barbee ’27 led the majority of the race and reached the line in 15 minutes, 2.30 seconds, followed closely by runner-up Jack Dennehy ’27 (15:06.60), Reynolds Young ’27 (fourth place, 15:27.84), Ben Graham ’27 (sixth, 15:37.59), Timmy McDowell ’27 (16th, 16:05.79), Dallas Reeves ’27 (40th, 16:38.11), and Seth McGowin ’30 (254th, 19:07.68).
Brooks committed to the University of Oregon on Tuesday, and in his first race since then, challenged the meet record held by Rocky Hansen ’23 (14:57.60). He and Jack are now among the five-fastest times on the Eye Opener course, which winds around the 600-acre campus of the Roger Milliken Center. The meet has been held there since 2000.
Team-wise, Christ School is a back-to-back champion of the Eye Opener (winning it for the first time with 68 points in 2025) and undefeated in regular-season meets the past two years. The Greenies are receiving some early buzz as the team to beat for a national championship this season, something no team in school history has done before in any sport.
They raced Saturday without Carl Baird '27 and Brody Webb '27, who have been injured.