Three Harpeth Hall athletes sign with Division I schools on National Signing Day 2022

Elizabeth Aylward is the type of athlete who frustrates opposing coaches — in all the best ways.

“Dang,” they would say to Harpeth Hall volleyball coach Hannah Asafo-Adjei when they saw Elizabeth warming up on the court, “I thought she graduated.” Or, rather, they hoped she had graduated. That’s the type of dominating presence Elizabeth has on the court. With her back row saves, powerful hits, and infectious competitive energy, she’s been catching the attention not only of opposing high school coaches but also of college volleyball coaches across the country for most of her playing career.

In her time at Harpeth Hall, Elizabeth led her team to the state tournament every season and received every accolade possible, including being named a three-time DII-AA all-middle region team and tournament team member, earning DII-AA middle region MVP twice, and being named a finalist for the Tennessean’s Girls Volleyball Player of the Year.

In November, Elizabeth added another milestone to the list when she — along with fellow seniors Bella Guillamondegui and Sophia Williams — signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her competitive career in college. Elizabeth will play volleyball at Virginia Tech. Bella, who this fall defended her title as Division II-AA state cross country champion will run cross country and track for Notre Dame. Sophia will compete on the rowing team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In all, 39 Harpeth Hall athletes, including Elizabeth, Bella, and Sophia, have committed to playing college athletics in 10 different sports over the last five years. Twenty-three of those students committed to Division I schools.

“What I have loved most about being a Harpeth Hall athlete is the unbelievable relationships I have been able to build throughout my years in the program,” said Elizabeth, who will be the second Harpeth Hall graduate to play volleyball at Virginia Tech following Taylor Parrish, Class of 2006. “Today was a dream come true, and I cannot believe I finally got to make it official.”

That team spirit and camaraderie distinguish Harpeth Hall athletes at all levels. When the girls compete, they celebrate their teammates' achievements as much as their own. As Harpeth Hall cross country coach Jenny Jervis put it, “If I had a dollar for how many times Bella would cry out, ‘I love this team!’ I would be a rich woman.”

By Jessica Bliss

Bella holds 12 state titles in cross country and track and field. She also holds school records in the 3200 and the 5K, where she has recorded the three fastest times in school history. She competes regionally and nationally in every distance from the 800 to the 5K and, Coach Jervis said, “is the most accomplished Harpeth Hall runner since Olympic marathoner Margaret Groos in the 1970s.”

“Bella has indeed achieved much in her time at Harpeth Hall, and it was well earned,” Coach Jervis said. “She never shies from challenging workouts – always showing up and finishing each assignment to her fullest ability. And while these achievements are important to her, she also values her team deeply. She supports her teammates and her fellow runners, offering them hugs at the end of races and bellowing out encouraging words when they are racing. Bella celebrates their successes as much as her own and takes great delight in cheering them on.”

The opportunity to celebrate comes alongside the hard work and dedication needed to succeed, and all three Harpeth Hall signees embody that passion.

“It has to be a conscious choice to show up every day and engage in something that challenges you,” said Cory Sanderson, Sophia’s coach at Nashville Rowing. “Being a good teammate, pushing yourself mentally and physically, and trusting that your teammates are doing the same takes a maturity that not many high school athletes possess.” Already, Sophia is among the elite rowers in the country. In addition to multiple top 15 and top 30 finishes, respectively, in the Head of the Hooch and the Head of the Charles — two of the largest regattas in the country — Sophia also earned an invite to the U.S. Rowing Olympic Development Program (ODP) for the summer of 2021 to represent the Southeast Region. This program serves as an important piece of the U.S. National Team system, Coach Sanderson said, by providing the top under-18 (U18) athletes from each region the opportunity to train for one month with top coaches and athletes from around the country. The program culminates with a race between all six regions at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, which has been home to youth championships, NCAA championships, Olympic Trials, and world championships. Sophia earned spots in the top boats for the Southeast Region, winning medals in the ODP Cup race against the other regions.

“I know she will continue to strive for excellence,” Coach Sanderson said, “as she continues her rowing career at the University of Wisconsin.”

Fall Athletic Awards

Volleyball

Elizabeth Aylward: DII-AA Middle Region MVP, DII-AA All Middle Region Tournament Team, nominee for All-Midstate, nominee for Tennessean Girls Volleyball Player of the Year

Emaline Cash: Honorable Mention All Middle Region Team

Reagan Nisbet: Honorable Mention All Middle Region Team

Soccer

Grace Moore: DII-AA All Middle Region Team

Ellie Walker: DII-AA All Middle Region Team

Helen Ghertner: DII-AA All Middle Region Team

Golf

Lillian Yarbrough: TSSAA State Golf Tournament individual qualifier

Cross Country

Varsity Team: TSSAA State Champions

Bella Guillamondegui: Individual State Champion

5th and 6th Grade Team: HVAC Jr. Champions

7th and 8th Grade Team: HVAC Champions

Repeat. Repeat.

With back-to-back state titles, Harpeth Hall cross country team remains winningest in TSSAA history

For back-to-back seasons, the Bears are the best.

Led by the blazing speed of senior Bella Guillamondegui, Harpeth Hall runners burst through a competitive field at Sanders Ferry Park in early November to earn their second-consecutive Division II-AA state cross country title. All seven of the Harpeth Hall runners finished in the top 30 to secure the team win.

With this year’s title, Harpeth Hall now has a historic 14 state cross country championships — expanding on its TSSAA state record for the most won by any school, boys or girls, in the sport.

“I thought it was going to be a nail-biter,” said TSSAA Coach of the Year Jenny Jervis, a Harpeth Hall world language teacher and department chair who has served as cross country’s head coach for 10 years. “But the girls crushed it.”

The trophy underscores the strength of the entire Harpeth Hall running program, which earlier this year celebrated by winning the 5th and 6th grade HVAC Jr. title and the 7th and 8th HVAC title, paving the way for the future. The varsity cross country title also builds off a remarkable athletic showing during the 2021-2022 school year when — for the first time in school history — Harpeth Hall won five state titles with victories in soccer, cross country, riflery, lacrosse, and track and field.

“Winning last year, the girls were all the more motivated,” Coach Jervis said. “You can get complacent, but they didn’t. Many of the girls trained and competed in the Eastbay event over Thanksgiving, and that yearlong commitment makes a difference. “To repeat as champions is a hard endeavor. People tell you that, but you don't really know it until you try to do it again. To win so definitively was the cherry on top.”

With their Harpeth Hall classmates pouring off the spirit bus and rushing to the start line just before the race began, enthusiasm was at a high when the starting gun fired. That energy carried through the race.

By Jessica Bliss

Bella’s time of 17:54 was nearly 30 seconds faster than her 2021 finish in the 5,000-meter race, winning her the individual Division II-AA state championship. Along with Bella’s first-place finish, sophomore Annamaria Bacchetta (5th), sophomore Lily Bowen (7th), freshman Lula Lowrance (14th), freshman Suki Junge (24th), sophomore Lucy Farringer (27th), and junior Elizabeth John (30th) rounded out Harpeth Hall’s successful day.

Coach Jervis admitted she was “sleepless” the night before the race, concerned over lingering illness affecting several of the team’s top runners. That led to some tough decisions on race morning with a few last-minute substitutions.

“Our team is so deep it was really a difficult choice who would be the next person up,” Coach Jervis said.

Even in unexpected circumstances, the Bears persevered pushing together to the finish line to repeat as state champions. In the year’s most important race, Suki dropped more than 20 seconds off her personal best, Lula finished 10 seconds faster than her previous PR, Annamaria continued to show herself as a “savvy runner who knows herself well and knows when to turn on the guns,” and Elizabeth, Lucy, and Lily pushed valiantly ahead. The entire team, Coach Jervis said, brought spirit and heart to the “squad” as it is affectionately called by Lily, who also celebrated a 6-second PR.

“Our girls showed up in true Harpeth Hall fashion — ready to go and ready to cheer,” Director of Athletics Kylene Lee said of the victory. “It was a true team effort, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team and these coaches.”