With the girl’s cross country season finally coming to a close, it is time to take a glimpse into what next season is going to look like. The team this year consisted of seven girls, with two of them being seniors. Larissa Brondyke and Caroline Johnson were the leaders of the team this year. They provided lots of knowledge and energy creating a strong team dynamic with many runners of different ages. Looking into next year, there are five potential returners coming back for next season.
The returning players are Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors. The freshmen include Lydia Nelson and Cora Williams. These two supply positivity, laughter, and valuable athleticism. Lydia was the first Hawkeye finisher in every meet but one. It will be critical for the team to have her continue her strong performances into next season. Cora Williams was the second half to the Freshman punch this past season. The combination of Lydia and Cora will be a focal point for next season.
There is only one sophomore who is returning for next season, Jenna Dozeman. Jenna is a very strong runner for the team and it will be critical for the dynamic of the team to step up and help lead.
Maya Wettlaufer and Abby Stoel will be the two returning juniors for the team. Their leadership, knowledge, and experience will be crucial for success especially because Coach Pertner will no longer be coaching. They will really have to step up and guide underclassmen and new runners with their experience.
The most important job to fill is the coaching position. He or she needs to have experience and show great enthusiasm for these upcoming runners. The coach needs to have a good opinion of how hard to push these runners. The new coach will have big shoes to fill and will be critical for the success of the team. Also, there will have to be another girl to step up to be captain. Captain is going to be a hard job to fill and it’s interesting who and how someone is going to fulfill this job.
We also need to start looking at who will be coming up in next year’s freshman class as well as the JV team. This will be critical to be able to have a good number of runners on the Varsity team next year. Haley Council is going to be a big part of next year. Haley was on the JV team this year. Haley went to regionals this year and performed her best race. Having Haley on the team next year will provide team motivation and prayer to help the runners to their best abilities.
To prepare for next year even more, it would be beneficial for the team to focus on the off-season grind in order to perform next fall. Extra training and fitness during the winter/spring will help keep runners in shape. Also doing track and summer workouts will give the best chance for optimal performance next season.
Overall, girls cross country has some work to do before next season. With the upcoming leadership and talent as well as the current veteran runners, they’re looking to have a better season next year. With many young runners and not many seniors to lead, it may take a brave soul or a year or two to become a stronger organization.