Record wins Bryant-Jordan Scholar-Athlete award

Mountain Brook High School senior Tate Record excels in every arena. 

In the classroom, he’s an A-student who earned a perfect score on the ACT college entrance exam. On the cross-country course and track, he’s a dedicated team leader who sets an example for others to follow. 

Record’s all-around exceptionalism hasn’t gone unnoticed. This spring, the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship Program selected him as its Class 7A, Region 3 scholar-athlete award winner. The honor comes with a $3,000 college scholarship. 

“Getting recognized for all the hard work you put in for six years, that’s what makes this award mean so much more to me than even a 36 on the ACT,” Record said. “This means more to me because it’s recognizing me for who I was all around, not just who I was in the classroom.”

Record began running cross-country and track as a seventh-grader at Mountain Brook Junior High. He has been a part of the Spartans’ storied program ever since and spent his junior and senior seasons contributing to the varsity squad. 

He’s posted personal-best times of 4:44 in the 1,600 meters, 10:16 in the 3,200 meters, and 17:14 in the 5K. 

“He has an unbelievable work ethic in everything he does — running, school work — and it really carries over to all aspects of his life,” Mountain Brook cross-country and track and field head coach Michael McGovern said. “He’s going to be so successful, but he also cares a lot about people, and I think that’s what his teammates are going to remember most about him.”

In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Record started a running club last summer for elementary students with the help of his teammates. The MB Summer Runners Club met three days a week in June and July 2019. 

“They all had amazing attitudes and they all loved running very early on into it, which made it fun for the rest of the summer,” Record said. “We just got to enjoy running with the kids and then we’d always get on the playground and eat Popsicles and just do fun things like that.”

Record will be remembered at MBHS for his academic achievements as much as his athletic success. On top of his ACT score, his transcript features a 4.62 GPA and 10 Advanced Placement courses. 

His AP Literature teacher, Christina McGovern, said Record is a remarkable student whose presence will be missed on campus. 

“I would call him, in literature terms, a renaissance man,” she said. “He’s athletic, he’s intellectual, he’s a gifted writer. I mean, he just has it all.”

Record will attend Auburn University on an academic scholarship. He plans to study neuroscience and then follow in his father’s footsteps by going to medical school. Robert Record is a physician who runs the Christ Health Center in Birmingham’s Woodlawn neighborhood. 

“I feel like med school is the right path for me because I think being a doctor, it’s not about the math and science, it’s about the people," Tate Record said. "In reality, you have to study a lot of science to get there, but in the end, the ultimate goal is just caring for people, which is right now why I like med school and why I like becoming a doctor.”