Mike Taylor has been at the helm of the boys and girls cross country program since 2019. He is also assistant head coach of the track and field program which he helped start in 2013 with former head coach Terrance Melton.
While coaching track and field, the team made an appearance at state and the girls won the State Championship in 2021. A year later, the team placed third at state. In 2024, the girls team finished GHSA 3A State Runner-Up with a total of 55 points. In 2026, the boys took second at the state championship meet, while the girls won their second state championship.
In cross country, the girls went to state for the past four years while the boys went to state in 2021, 2023 and most recently claimed its third state championship in the 2025-26 season. In 2020, the girls placed fourth overall with Brooke Browning, Ellie Brewer, and Georgia Piper finishing as the top three girls. In the 2023 season, the boys finished third at state with 109 points while the girls came in seventh with 241 points. Layla Melton finished in fifth place at the state meet and earned the GHSA 8-AAA region title.
The boys state championship run this past year was led by Gwinnett Daily Post Super Six selections Anderson Mathias and Javier Silva. Mathias placed fifth as an individual while Silva took 11th, helping the Lions post 109 team points and claim the title in the private division. The girls placed 12th in state, led by Eloise Jones who placed fifth as an individual.
Taylor helped start and coached middle school cross country in the fall of 2010. During his time as head coach, the middle school girls won two state championships. He had two athletes place third and fourth at state and he had one individual state champion, Brooke Browning. On the boys side, Blake Fugel was named state runner-up.
Taylor is married to Melanie and the couple has three girls, Madison, Miranda, and McKenna.
