Team Information
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Established: 1912
Enrollment: 8,081
Mascots: Aristocat the Tiger
 This is the second Winter Classic for the Tennessee State Team.
There is a long list of notable alumni from Tennessee State. Dr. Levi Watkins created and implemented the first Automatic Implantable Defibrillator for hearts. Pro football hall of famer Richard Dent was an Tennessee Tiger, as was track star Wilma Rudolph, and also…wait for it…Oprah graduated from Tennessee State. The Tennessee State mascot is “Aristocat the Tiger”, pictured above, which makes the team nickname “Team Aristocat” until they want to change it to something else. It’s probably better than “Team Oprah” which was our second choice…. |
Lunch with Team Tennessee State: They selected Whole Foods for their first meal. I have a hard time with that given my entire life devoted to unhealthy eating. Well, the pretentious smugness of Whole Foods factors in as well. Ahmed is definitely throwing this in my face with his meal order of a handful of kale. But I have power past my revulsion and move on with the interview, despite the great personal cost to myself.
During the chat, we discuss the current standings, Tennessee State is about 50-60 points ahead of the field at this point with another 200 points yet to be awarded. We also talk about their competition future – they still have AWS and the judges interview ahead of them, and we discuss what the judges are looking for. Food aside, it’s a good conversation with a team destined for 2022 Winter Classic greatness.
Tennessee State University: This is the second Winter Classic competition for the team from Nashville, and, damn, what a second showing. In their first outing in 2021, the team seemed lost and barely together. But this year? They’re leading the field with a comfortable cushion. They did it on the strength of their monster HPCG score, which was 31% higher than their nearest competitor. But they’ve protected that lead by posting the second best LINPACK and the third best HPC Pop Quiz scores. Only three students strong, this is the team to beat so far in the competition. Take a look at the video and learn how they’ve honed their HPC chops and using them to slice and dice their way towards the Overall Championship.