Weddington standout Caden Townshend has announced his commitment to Ole Miss to continue his athletic and academic career.
He is joining a program that finished 15th at last season NCAA DI Cross Country Championships and is currently 24th in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll.
"At first I thought fitting in and staying close to home was going to be the most important thing, but over the course of my recruitment I realized that there's more to it than that, and that it's not bad to try something new and go for what's best for you, whether it's in or outside of your comfort zone," Townshend said, " I love the coaches there, I love the support. It was amazing when I visited and we bonded immediately, especially with Coach Adam Smith. He drove over an hour to pick me up from the airport and drove over an hour early in the morning to drive me back. He really made me feel at home."
Townshend is the defending NCHSAA 4A 1,600m state champion, and holds a personal best of 4:08.30 in the event.
He holds personal bests of 1:54.89 (800m), 2:33.72 (1,000m) and 9:05.51 (3,200m), as well.
He ran his cross country personal best of 15:04.31 at the 2021 Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championship.
He is coming off an 8th place finish at the adidas XC Challenge, where he ran a season best of 15:15.50.
