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Catholic's Georde Goodwyn rapidly emerges onto running scene

Troy Provost-Heron
Knoxville
Catholic senior Georde Goodwyn (far left) competes in the 3200-meter race in Murfreesboro on May 25 during TSSAA Spring Fling.

Georde Goodwyn heard the pitch from his friend Will Doktycz for years.

Doktycz believed Goodwyn would be an asset for the Catholic High School cross country and track teams that were on the cusp of reaching the state’s highest level.

Eventually Goodwyn took the bait.

“I was playing basketball my freshman and sophomore year, but I knew that I wasn’t going to play a lot,” Goodwyn said. “When Will asked me again before my junior year, I told him I’d do it. … It was a really good choice.”

In the two years since making that decision, Goodwyn has become the most decorated athlete in Catholic history, winning nine state championships — four team and five individual.

The senior is a finalist for both the Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year and Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year awards at the inaugural News Sentinel Sports Awards on Wednesday at the Tennessee Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the program starts at 8.

News Sentinel Sports Awards

Catholic coach Sean O’Neil never expected this level of success, but he knew he had something when Goodwyn first arrived to practice.

“His first day of practice I was talking to him and trying to get to know him a bit and see what he could do,” O’Neil said. “Then he went out and ran with our top guys. I asked if he was sure he wanted to do it and he said he could.

“He went out and ran eight miles. If somebody can do that on their first day, they have something special.”

Catholic senior Georde Goodwyn (left) runs toward the finish line alongside his teammate Jack Refree at the 2016 TSSAA State Cross Country Championships in Nashville on November 5, 2016.

As a junior, Goodwyn finished 15th to help Catholic win its first cross country state championship. Six months later, he ran a leg on the winning 4x800-meter relay team as the Fighting Irish claimed the Class A/AA state championship.

A summer of running 40-50 miles a week ensued and what followed was a first-place finish cross country, shaving a minute off his time from 2015 - going from 17:23.75 to 16:12.94. At Spring Fling two weeks ago, he won the 800 (1:58.51) and 1,600 (4:31.20), finished third in the 3,200 (10:22.46) and once again was part of the winning 4x800 relay team. The Fighting Irish won another state title.

Georde Goodwyn, Catholic High School, 2016 PrepXtra cross country team.

Of those to take note of his rapid ascension was Beth Alford-Sullivan, Tennessee’s director of track and field and cross country, who signed Goodwyn to help rebuild her program.

“We’re building for the future and I really like that,” Goodwyn said. “We have a really good freshman class coming in next year. The coaches are a lot like my current coach in that they really care for their athletes, so I really like that and all that Tennessee can provide.”

If he continues to improve at the pace he did while at Catholic, Tennessee will enjoy what Goodwyn provides as well.

“He’s still learning,” O’Neil said. “Physically, he’s still building the fitness that these other guys have because they have been running since middle school. I think we’re going to see a lot of progress from him. He has good speed, he has good mechanics, he’s durable, so I think the sky is the limit.”