On May 18, 1974, a little after 8:00 p.m., Margaret Groos made history. She was running in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s Middle Tennessee Girls’ Regional Track and Field Meet at Overton High School in Nashville. Margaret set sail in the 880-yard run and was clocked at 2:10.6. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, that time was a new national record. A week later, Margaret won the TSSAA Girls’ State Track and Field Meet 880-yard run with a time of 2:13.4. When Margaret set the new standard, she was only a ninth grader at Harpeth Hall School! It comes as no surprise that the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named her the Co-Amateur Athlete of the Year. Margaret continued her remarkable feats the following year, leading Harpeth Hall to the first of three straight TSSAA Girls’ Cross Country State Championships by winning the individual title in a time of 8:31. And her career as a runner at the University of Virginia was no less spectacular, as she set a school record in the 5000. Margaret Groos will always hold a special place in the annals of Harpeth Hall and Tennessee sports history.
