Girls Team: Familiar Faces w. New Goals
Team Captain Sr. Elizabeth Phillippo
Team Captain Sr. Hannah Niehaus
All of the girls team is back from last season. We finished 2024 in 8th place as a team at the Regional meet missing the State meet qualification by 3 places. Our overall team composite time was the 4th best for our girls team in school history, but just short of a state qualifying repeat season. The girls are primed to get back to the state meet this season led by 2 time team Captain Phillippo and 1st time Captain Niehaus. Both girls have what is takes to be great captains and that’s the first thing I look for in great teams. Phillippo has a special distinction of being a 2 time team captain, 2024 & 2025. Elizabeth Phillippo is the heart of our team and she is one to watch as our season unfolds, no one finishes races with more deep rooted determination than she does and the team feeds off of that. That is what we think it will take to make the state meet this season, late race determination and strong finishes.
Seniors Mara Vicari and Mollie Thrush make up the rest of the senior class with state meet history. To make a return to the state meet would make this the only class to have 2 state team qualifiers in school history, as well as setting a new standard for the program. Mara in particular has a chance to make a 3rd state meet as she holds an individual state qualifier from her freshman season of 2022. Both Mara and Mollie are dual sport athletes also competing for our Soccer team which speaks to there overall athleticism. Both programs have thrived over the last 3 seasons and it’s been a pleasure to be able to watch them run a tight rope to help both Soccer and Cross Country succeed.
Juniors Sadie Miller and Ava Lahmers are bringing back the speed. Sadie was our only individual state qualifier from last year and she is eyeing the opportunity to become a 3 time state qualifier. Ava returns as our fast runner, she holds the 3rd fastest time in school history and has 1 individual District Title from 2023 under her belt that she looks to build upon.
Other girls to watch this season. Sophomore Hadley Premuda, Freshman Audrey Clark and dual sport Freshman Audrey Lahmers (Soccer & XC) seek to have and impact in pushing the veteran team full of history, strong goals and phenomenal characters.
Boys Team: A New Group of Leaders set to match last season.
Team Captain Sr. JJ Meihls
Team Captain Jr. Brady Adams
The boys team made school history last year when they qualified for the regional meet, a first is school history. That was a team filled with seniors that our current team seeks to emulate. Over the last 3 years JJ has been part of the steady improvement of the teams overall composite time. In 2023 the teams composite time ranked 5th in school history and 2024 ranked 1st. As JJ’s times have improved so to have our composites. JJ is the bridge from our all time great teams to the next generation of greats to come. As JJ’s times come down this season so to will our chances to get back to the regional meet, and that’s our goal.
Juniors Cpt. Brady Adams, Daniel Thomas, and Elton Bailey are growing experience and putting it on display. This trio has a chance to be the fastest class in program history. All have 18 minute 5k’s to speak of and all are primed to push towards the 17 minute mark. It will take all of that for this group to achieve this seasons goals. It was hard to see last years group of seniors graduate and you wonder how will a team fill that type of void but this group has built from last years group in their own unique way and continue to make each and every practice fun for the team.
Other boys to watch this season. Sophomore Wesley Goellner and Freshman Zach Niehaus look to fill out our top 6 running spots running tightly in the pack of upper classmen. On our best day we should be close to our best from a year ago. The 7th spot on the team is wide open and highly contested.