Zach Tennant Biography

North Marion High School / (Class of 2009) Farmington, WV

Classification: AAA Boys

Specialty: Distance

College of William & Mary / (Class of 2014) Williamsburg, VA

Zachary L. Tennant (born October 5,1990) grew up in Fairview which is a town in Marion County, West Virginia. He is a 2009 graduate of North Marion High School and a former distance running standout. He is the son of Rick and Terri Tennant. Zach has three siblings, brothers Brian, Justin, and Andy.

While at North Marion High School, Tennant was a three-time state champion in West Virginia, winning the 1,600-meter run as a junior and senior, and claiming the 3,200-meter run as a senior. He broke the state championship record in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter run as a senior. He once held the best time ever run on the state cross country course, when he won the state preview invitational as a senior. He was runner-up in the cross country state meet as a junior, but missed due to injury his senior year. He was a six-time all-region, winning titles in the 800-, 1,600-, and 3,200-meter run as a senior. He also won the 1,600-meter run as a junior. He was Conference Runner of the Year as a junior in cross country. He was a four-time all-conference runner. He holds the conference 1,600-meter record. He held a spot on the honor roll all four years of high school, graduating cum laude. He was named the 2008-2009 Gatorade West Virginia Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

Zach’s dad qualified for the state meet in the 200-meter dash in high school. My brother, Justin, also ran the 4x400-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay for North Marion at the state meet as well.

Early Years:

Tennant played baseball, football, basketball and soccer throughout his childhood. “I’ve always loved running. I was a very energetic child so it was a great outlet for me,” said Tennant.

Middle School:

Tennant attended Fairview Middle School from 2000-2005, which was 5th through 8th grade. He first began running track and cross country in the 6th grade under the direction of Robert Moore III.

High School:

Tennant attend North Marion High School from the fall of 2005 to the spring of 2009. His high school coaches were Larry Mason for cross country, Rob Schaffer for track, while Josh Simpson mentored and coached him throughout most of his high school career.

Zach loved cross country season for the team aspect, but he always saw more success on the track.

Tennant’s favorite training workout was anything short with high intensity. He was always a fan of cut down 400- and 800-meter repeats. He also loved fartlek’s on the grass during cross country season. While in high school he maxed out his senior year at 80 miles per week.

Some of his accomplishments while in high school were: He was a 2-time state champion at 1600-meters, 1-time state champion at 3,200-meters, and he was previously the state meet record holder for 1,600- and 3,200-meter run. He was also runner-up at the state Cross Country meet in 2007 and a member of the state cross country meet championship team in 2005.

Freshman Year:

At the 2005 West Virginia Class AAA Boys State Cross Country Meet at Mineral Wells, the AAA Boys race closed the morning session. Some really strange things happened in this race. Cabell Midland was a strong favorite, but they had managed to keep secret a bout of walking pneumonia of their # 1 runner, Josh Holley. There were people running way better and way worse than they had all season. In the end, one team came through unscathed, and that was North Marion, who took the title by a large 21-point margin. Individually, the race did turn out pretty close as anticipated, and as anticipated, we ended the season with a Freshman as the top dog, as Fairmont Senior's David Ciarolla took home the title by a scant three seconds. Ciarolla is the only West Virginia high school freshman boy to ever win an individual state crown.

Zach Tennant was the Huskies number six runner on their championship team, while he placed 43rd overall with a time 17:54.

Team Results: 1) North Marion – 56; 2) Cabell Midland – 77; 3) Preston – 82; 4) Parkersburg South – 111; 5) Fairmont Senior – 145; 6) Hampshire – 151; 7) Jefferson – 182; 8) Elkins – 191; 9) Parkersburg – 213; 10) Capital – 223; 11) George Washington - 242

Top 10 All-State Individual’s: 1) David Ciarolla, Fairmont Senior (16:36); 2) David Bias, Cabell Midland (16:39); 3) Cass Meadows, Cabell Midland (16:46); 4) Nick Walsh, George Washington (16:52); 5) Eric Frohnapfel, University (16:54); 6) Chris Cole, University (17:01); 7) Ethan Harris, North Marion (17:05); 8) Corey Waybright, Ripley (17:05); 9) Andrew Skidmore, Robert C. Byrd (17:06); 10) Brian Floyd, Parkersburg South (17:08)

Sophomore Year:

At the 2006 West Virginia Class AAA Boys State Cross Country Meet at Cabell Midland High School in Ona, Wheeling Park's Ryan Beabout came through with a championship performance. Pulling away shortly after the two-mile marker and steadily increasing his lead the rest of the way.

Zach Tennant placed 24th overall, while crossing the line with a time of 18:39.76.

Team Results: 1) University – 43; 2) Wheeling Park – 46; 3) Elkins – 115; 4) Fairmont Senior – 124; 5) Jefferson – 135; 6) Parkersburg – 158; 7) George Washington – 173; 8) Hampshire – 178; 9) Cabell Midland – 179; 10) Capital – 235; 11) Parkersburg South - 255

Top 10 All-State Individual’s: 1) Ryan Beabout, Wheeling Park (17:10.48); 2) Eric Frohnapfel, University (17:21.81); 3) David Ciarolla, Fairmont Senior (17:23.81); 4) Cory Hampshire, Jefferson (17:40.53); 5) Josh Feather, Preston (17:40.83); 6) Chris Cole, University (17:41.97); 7) Alex Zurbuch, Elkins (17:44.11); 8) Craig Pritt, Preston (17:44.55); 9) Sam Vincent, Parkersburg (17:47.84); 10) Kyle Gramlich, Wheeling Park (17:56.00)

At the 2007 West Virginia High School Class AAA Boys State Track Meet at Laidley Field, Tennant placed 5th in the 3,200-meter run (9:51.61) and 6th in 1,600-meter run (4:31.98).

On June 23, 2007, Tennant placed 3rd at the Fairmont Run 2 Read 5k in Fairmont (WV) with a time of 16:53.6.

Junior Year:

At the 2007 West Virginia Class AAA Boys State Cross Country Meet at Cabell Midland High School in Ona, Ryan Beabout easily repeated his title from the year before, taking the win by over 20 seconds. He started pulling away near the mile marker and increased his lead steadily over the remainder of the course. Beabout’s time of 16:14 set a new course record.

North Marion’s Zach Tennant solidly held onto 2nd, while crossing the line in 16:35.

Team Results: 1) Wheeling Park – 43; 2) Cabell Midland – 80; 3) Jefferson – 86; 4) University – 89; 5) Fairmont Senior – 153; 6) Hampshire – 164; 7) Capital – 169; 8) St. Albans – 196; 9) Elkins – 206; 10) George Washington – 210; 11) Parkersburg - 236

Top 10 All-State Individual’s: 1) Ryan Beabout, Wheeling Park (16:14.10); 2) Zach Tennant, North Marion (16:35.21); 3) David Caldwell, South Charleston (16:40.49); 4) David Bias, Cabell Midland (16:41.98); 5) Kyle Gramlich, Wheeling Park (16:43.38); 6) Cody Pelliccioni, Morgantown (16:43.71); 7) Matt Schiffbauer, University (16:58.46); 8) Trey Beckett, Cabell Midland (17:03.13); 9) Logan Wojcik, Wheeling Park (17:05.96); 10) Brandon Doughty, Jefferson (17:06.86)

In the post-season, Tennant placed 192nd place in the seeded boy’s race at the Foot Locker South Regional at McAlpine Greenway Park in Charlotte (NC), crossing the line in 16:56.

At the 2008 West Virginia High School Class AAA Boys State Track Meet at Laidley Field, North Marion’s Zach Tennant placed 1st in the 1,600-meter run (4:24.67) and 15th in the 800-meter run (2:05.77).

Senior Year:

At the 2008 West Virginia Class AAA Boys State Cross Country Meet at Cabell Midland High School in Ona, Wheeling Park came up with the big effort to take the title and repeat as champion. Individually, Morgantown's Cody Pelliccioni took over about half way into the race and gradually pulled away for a convincing and impressive victory and missing the course record by just 4 seconds.

North Marion’s Zach Tennant did not compete due to a stress fracture injury.

Team Results: 1) Wheeling Park – 67; 2) Jefferson – 71; 3) Cabell Midland – 93; 4) Preston – 121; 5) St. Albans – 137; 6) Fairmont Senior – 140; 7) Winfield – 163; 8) Hampshire – 199; 9) Parkersburg South – 234; 10) George Washington – 240; 11) Musselman - 252

Top 10 All-State Individual’s: 1) Cody Pelliccioni, Morgantown (15:56.25); 2) Cory Hampshire, Jefferson (16:09.34); 3) David Ciarolla, Fairmont Senior (16:13.66); 4) Kyle Gramlich, Wheeling Park (16:26.34); 5) David Caldwell, South Charleston (16:33.85); 6) Craig Pritt, Preston (16:37.26); 7) Logan Wojcik, Wheeling Park (16:39.82); 8) Russell Mulley, Wheeling Park (16:49.35); 9) Adam Frohnapfel, University (16:50.14); 10) Brandon Doughty, Jefferson (16:51.14)

At the 2009 West Virginia High School Class AAA Boys State Track Meet at Laidley Field, Zach Tennant a senior from North Marion was the outstanding performer as he broke West Virginia State meet records in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter run. Tennant took 1st in the 1,600-meter run in 4:13.84 bettering the old record of 4:14.03 by Preston’s Eric Ryan in 2005. Tennant blistered the 3,200-meter run in 9:14.84 eclipsing the 29-year-old record held by Mike Kominsky of Oak Hill in 1980 by 2 ½ seconds. Tennant was pushed in the 1,600-meter race by 800-meter winner Craig Pritt a senior from Preston. Pritt’s time was 4:17.77. Pritt took first in the 800-meter run in 1:55.02, while Tennant placed 3rd in 1:57.73. Tennant was second in high point honors with 26 points.

On June 6, 2009, Zach Tennant blasted the competition by 9 seconds in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:54.89 at the MileStat.com Elite Track Gala held at the Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, VA. This was the 3rd fastest time run in the Nation for High School athletes.

In mid-June of 2009, Zach Tennant placed 10th at the Nike Outdoor Nationals (NON) in the 1,500-meters enroute mile with a time of 3:59.19 and finished the mile in 15th place in 4:19.09. The meet was held at North Carolina A&T University.

Zach Tennant was named the Gatorade State Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year for the 2008-2009 season.

The Gatorade State Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

Tennant’s 2009 performances of 4:13.84 in the 1,600-meter run and 9:14.84 in the 3,200-meter run still ranks 7th and 8th respectively on RunWV’s State Meet All-Class All-Time Top 10 List.

Personal Records High School:

Outdoor:

· 800 Meter Run - 1:57.73

· 1,500 Meter Run - 3:54.89

· 1,600 Meter Run - 4:13.84

· 3,200 Meter Run - 9:14.84

Cross Country:

· 5,000 Meter Run - 16:32.75

College - William & Mary (2009 to 2014):

Tennant received a scholarship to compete at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He ran for William & Mary’s men’s cross-country and track & field teams under the direction of Alex Gibby.

In 2012, Tennant won the 1st Annual Morgantown Running Turkey Trot 5k in Morgantown (WV) with a time of 15:56.

Cross Country (2009): Redshirted.

Indoor (2010): Tennant qualified for the IC4A Championships at 1,000m after running 2:29.16 at the Virginia Tech Challenge. His time was only a second behind the W&M freshman record. He helped qualify W&M's DMR team to the finals at the IC4A Championships. He completed the mile in 4:16.70 at Liberty.

Outdoor (2010): Tennant finished seventh in the 1,500m at the CAA Track & Field Championships. He ran 3:53.07 in the prelims. He ran the 5,000m at the Colonial Relays in a time of 14:56.66. Also at the Relays, ran on the championship 4x1,500m team for the Tribe. He finished his season on the 4x800m relay team at the IC4A Championships.

Cross Country (2010): Tennant placed 8th in the 8,000m at the CAA Championships at UNCW XC Course in Wilmington (NC) with a time of 24:34.00. The Tribe won the team title with 17 points. He placed 184th in the 10,000m at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships at Wabash Valley Sports Center in Terre Haute (IN) with a time of 32:00.70. The William & Mary Men's cross country team finished 19th out of 31 teams at the NCAA Championships.

Cross Country (2011): Tennant placed 4th in the 8,000m at the William & Mary Invitational at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg (VA) with a time of 25:35. The Tribe placed first as a team with 25 points. Tennant placed 233rd in the 8,000m at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University-Goodman Campus XC in Bethlehem (PA) with a time of 26:20.00.

Outdoor (2012): Tennant placed 21st in the 1,500m at the Fred Hardy Invitational at the Fred Hardy Track in Richmond (VA) with a time of 4:03.05. He placed 52nd in the 1,500m at the Colonial Relays at the Zable Stadium in Williamsburg (VA) with a time of 4:02.28. He placed 40th in the 800m at the George Mason Spring Invitational at the George Mason University Track in Fairfax (VA) with a time of 1:55.00. He placed 5th in the 1,500m at the CAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the George Mason Track in Fairfax (VA) with a time of 3:58.10.

Personal Records College:

Outdoor:

· 800 Meter Run - 1:55.99

· 1,500 Meter Run - 3:53.07

· 5,000 Meter Run - 14:56.66

Indoor:

· 1,000 Meter Run - 2:29.16

· One Mile Run - 4:16.70

Cross Country:

· 8,000 Meter Run - 24:34.00

· 10,000 Meter Run - 32:00.70

Personal:

Zach Tennant currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts. While at William & Mary he studied Geology. He works at an Italian Restaurant, NEBO Cucina E Enoteca. He enjoys traveling, swimming, and biking.

Submitted by Coach Mike McMillion (04/22/19)