By Colin Ehrman 

Staff Writer

    Cross Country All-American, seven-time state qualifier, seven-time national qualifier, and four-time school record holder. That’s all you need to know about R.J. Reynolds High School’s very own Cedar Nichols-Barnhart. Whether on the cross-country course or the track, Nichols-Barnhart has made his presence known, dominating North Carolina’s long-distance running scene for four years. 

    While being a phenomenal runner as an individual, Nichols-Barnhart has also been a central part of the running teams for RJR, spending his junior and senior years as a captain for both the cross country and track teams. 

    “I just hope I’ve left a big impact on the XC/TF teams at Reynolds, helping to build and grow a successful program,” Nichols-Barnhart said. “I want to be remembered as both a successful athlete as well as a good person and teammate.”

    Through his hard work and dedication as a captain, Nichols-Barnhart’s work paid off significantly in his senior year.

    “My favorite moment at Reynolds had to be qualifying for the state championship in cross country as a team my senior year,” Nichols-Barnhart said. “It meant so much to me to see the progress the program has made since I got here and how hard my teammates and coaches have worked.” 

    While Nichols-Barnhart has given RJR massive amounts of success, he’s never forgotten what the school has given him, and more importantly, the people who have helped him along the way. 

     “Reynolds has impacted me so much, giving me so many opportunities both inside and outside my sport,” Nichols-Barnhart said. “I’ve been able to meet great students, teachers, and coaches that I will always remember. I think that the people with the biggest impact on me at Reynolds were some of my upperclassmen teammates when I was an underclassman, such as Andrew York, Chandler Welsh, Caroline Echols, and Walt Petersen, as well as all of my coaches.” 

    Nichols-Barnhart has committed to running cross country and track and field at Johns Hopkins University. He plans to major in international relations and affairs. Nichols-Barnhart has left a huge mark on the RJR athletics programs as one of the greatest athletes to ever grace the school.