The Program

Varsity Teams

The primary objective of a varsity team is to test its skills in competition and to compete at the highest level. Therefore, coaches use what they consider to be their best players to achieve this objective. All coaches strive to reward varsity athletes with the opportunity to play, but this opportunity is not assumed or taken for granted.

Junior Varsity

Junior Varsity teams concentrate on developing skills and improving overall athletic ability. Coaches allow all junior varsity athletes to participate in junior varsity contests unless there are disciplinary or physical impediments to participation.

Middle School

The objective of Middle School athletics is to develop skills in order to prepare students for appropriate competition at the Middle School level and, if they have the desire and ability, to compete at the varsity level. Games are scheduled in competitive leagues but there is less emphasis on competition. All Middle School athletes participate in athletic contests during the regular season. Although this may not mean equal playing time, SAS is dedicated to providing Middle School athletes with opportunities to further their development in practice so they can improve their performance during competitive situations. During tournament play, the emphasis may shift to a more competitive approach.

Middle school students play only on Middle School teams. An eighth grader may start for the varsity team if the exception is initiated by the varsity coach and approved by the Athletics Director, the parents, the Middle School coach and the Director of the Middle School.

Athletics

"We play sports for fun and nothing is more fun than winning at sports."
-- The Rev. John Thomas, Head of School

St. Andrew’s-Sewanee offers all students the opportunity to develop their athletic skills, to reach their athletic potential, and to enjoy sports through team membership, competition and participation. Competing as the SAS Mountain Lions, students build character, develop self-esteem, and learn the value of discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The program’s no-cut policy means that all students with the desire and discipline to participate have the opportunity to experience the camaraderie of being a team member.

At SAS the athletics program is an integral part of the school curriculum. At the Middle School level, emphasis is on skills development and meaningful participation. At the varsity level, performance and team success become more primary objectives. However, in any athletic endeavor at SAS, the final measure of success lies not in winning or losing, but in how our athletes prepare for and play the game. The health and well being of St Andrew’s-Sewanee student-athletes always comes first.

SAS is a member of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s (TSSAA) and plays in Division IIA for independent schools in all sports but football and swimming. Other schools in the Division include Baylor School, GPS and McCallie in Chattanooga; the Webb School in Bell Buckle; and BGA, Father Ryan, MBA, the University School, Ensworth, Harpeth Hall, Pope John Paul II, and St. Ceclia in Nashville.

SAS competes independently in football and swimming is not sanctioned by TSSAA. In both these sports, the school competes with area opponents. In football, SAS has formed an informal conference that will award a championship and name all-conference players the next two seasons. In swimming, SAS hosts one of the largest invitational championships in the region for both middle school and upper school teams. SAS also hosts the annual Mountain Top Wrestling Invitational.

In recent years, the Mountain Lions have won a team state championship in girls' tennis, individual state championships in girls' tennis singles and girls' cross country, and sent numerous wrestlers, swimmers and track and field athletes to the state championships. The Middle School has won consecutive boys' basketball conference championships, while the girls have won or finished second for several years in a row. The Middle School has also claimed the Boys’ Junior High State Championships in mountain biking.