The Mt. Juliet swim team sped past much of their competition this season on their way to a winning record. 
     In the regional tournament, Montgomery Bell Academy was dominate and cruised to first place. The Bears saw more success in the Wilson County Swimming Championship as they took home first place thanks to a strong showing in the 200 meter freestyle relay for the first time in eight years. Senior Tommy Bailey showed an exceptional performance in the men’s 200 meter relay, placing 8 out of 60 swimmers in the event.
     This past season was a coming out party for Mt. Juliet as they completed one of the best swim seasons in school history. Much of the success they have seen this season can be credited to the four captains: Christian Roberts, Tommy Bailey, Pam Crutsinger and Christina Wilkerson.
     Both Tommy Bailey and Pam Crutsinger won awards for their swimming performance this year: Bailey winning swimmer of the year in regions and Crutsinger winning Best Backstroker in the county.
     This season will also help to build a foundation for future swimming stars Spencer Bracy, Nathan Curtis, Cassie Hunt and Melissa Scott. These future stars will make up four of the team’s six seniors next year.
     The team is already planning for next season. “The team will work on their technique and turns when swimming next year,” Crutsinger stated. Mt. Juliet congratulates its swimmers for a good season and is striving for an even better season in the future.

The Mt. Juliet High School Wrestling team’s season has come to a conclusion with junior Scott Seaman and senior Hunter Allen placing second and first, respectively, at the individual state tournament.
     While at state Seaman only lost one match, against Cleveland High School’s Mario Lopez with a final score of ten to zero. Allen defeated Tyler Dailey of Greenback nine to one in his final match.
     When asked how it felt to win state, Allen said, “It was a great feeling; it made all the hard work worth it.”
     Seaman said that going into the state tournament he realized that he could be one of five state medalists, and he did not fail to deliver.
     Scott and Hunter worked hard to make it to the finals, but they are not the only two who made it. Six other wrestlers proved their worth, making it to the state tournament: state are Austin Cook, Tanner Bates, Eric Whitmire, Matt Seaman, Marquis Wilkins, and Blake Biggs. The Bears did really well as a team, placing ninth at individual state.
     Although the majority of the team did not place in state, they still did great and have lived up to the standards that Mt. Juliet holds for its teams. They placed top five at most tournaments, placed first at team region, made it to quarter finals at team state, and were runner-up at individual region. The school should be proud of their wrestling team.
     The season might be over for the managers and coaches, but the wrestlers still have to stay in shape and maintain a certain weight class. The wrestlers will try to stay in the weight room through the off-season.
     The wrestling team appreciates the school’s support during the season and hopes to see everyone supporting them next year.

The Mt. Juliet soccer team hits the field at full sprint, ready for the approaching season.
     After last year’s solid record of 9-6-2, the Mt. Juliet Bears soccer team plans on having the best season in the school’s recent history. With a whole new roster full of young players, this should be quite an interesting season.
     “We have a lot of young players that are willing to work, and the upperclassmen are stepping up to the challenge,” said Coach Stricklin.
     The team has been working hard trying to improve and refine their skills on things like: team defending and improving their game strategy. The team’s base formation is usually the traditional English style of a 4-4-2, which is typically a well-balanced formation. This is where there are four defenders, four mid-field, balanced players, and 2 attacking, offensive players.
     “A couple things that we need to work on are field awareness and play with more creativity,” said Coach Stricklin.
     The Bears have some big games this season to show off all their hard work, one being the Tournament of Champions in Nashville on April 15-17. The tournament has about 30 teams that are expected to play and is a single-elimination tournament. Those games will be tough for the Bears, but they should be able to shine.
     “This season is not like the previous season. It’s very unpredictable. I am very excited and pleased to coach this team,” said Coach Stricklin.
     Come out and support these bears as they maul the competition this year.