McCallie's Cross Country program has a 67-year history of success, winning at the Mid-South level in the 1950s and 1960s and in the current era of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.

McCallie won the 2019, 2020, and 2021 TSSAA Division II-AA State Championships to go back-to-back-to-back as state champions. The 2021 team had four All-State runners, led by sophomore Evan Simpson in fourth place, freshman Jack Bowen in ninth, junior Hugh Carlson in 11th, and sophomore Grady Outlaw in 13th. The Blue Tornado captured the 2019 DII-AA state trophy with five All-State honorees.

McCallie has had 69 All-State Cross Country runners. Since 2001, the Blue Tornado have won eight team TSSAA state titles (2001, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2021) and been runner-up seven times. Mike Wood has led the program as the head coach since 2001. Coach Wood was named the National Federation of State High School Association’s Tennessee Coach of the Year in 2008 and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association Coach of the Year for Tennessee in 2021.

The Blue Tornado runners have captured the Chattanooga Area Championship each of the last eight seasons and 14 of the past 17 years. The 2018 team was state runners up with five athletes earning All-State honors. McCallie has never had a losing season in dual meets.

The high school program has a talented and veteran coaching staff including Rodney Stoker, Duke Richey ’86, Bryan Sansbury ’03, Nelson Eiselstein ‘16 and John McCall ’61.

Dylan Carmack ’15 won the 2014 TSSAA Division II-AA Individual Cross Country State Championship and went on to set school records for Davidson College.

McCallie distance runners have been highly coveted by college programs. Blue Tornado standouts have continued their running careers at schools such as Yale, Cornell, Alabama, Ole Miss, Davidson, Williams, Virginia, Sewanee, Wyoming, East Tennessee State, Washington & Lee, Bryan and Millsaps.

Follow the cross country team on Twitter at @McCallie_xc.