As the start of competitive cross country season drew near, days were getting longer, practices were getting harder, coaches were getting tougher, and runners were continuously pushing themselves to their limits.

Prior to their first meet, the Balboa 4-mile which took place at 8 a.m. at Balboa Park, on Friday, Sept. 5 women’s coach, Renee Ross and men’s, Thom Hunt were hard at work both on and off the track, as were their runners, as they prepared themselves mentally and physically for this fall season.

The first meet took place 8:00 a.m. at Balboa Park, this Friday, Sept. 5. Both coaches agree that this first meet, while it was the season opener, was an opportunity for the pack to see how well they perform together and a conditioning meet to prepare themselves for the San Diego State Aztec Invitational, which will be, according to Coach Hunt, “their first true competition.” The SDSU Aztec Invitational will take place at Balboa Park at 8:00 am on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The cross-country teams will have to do without the speed of last season’s lead runners and rely and train their new athletes, a number of whom are newcomers to cross-country. The Women’s team has said goodbye to Samantha Espindola and Jana Stokes, while the Men’s team has lost their top six athletes of last season.

Both Espindola and Stokes are continuing with their running career; Espindola will be running for USD, and Stokes will be running for Cal State Fullerton. Muluken Beressa was last year’s state champion, and has gone on to compete at Cal State San Marcos along with teammate Bernardo Bahena. Barrett Tilley will be competing this year for UC Irvine and Mike Denman will be running for UCSD.

Returning to the Olympian pack this season are Michelle Thompson, Jessyca Henman, Briana Sherelis and Kristy Schneider. “Jessyca will be a driving force for our team. Her leadership has encouraged many of the young and inexperienced athletes.”, says Ross, “Also, Briana and Kristy will be athletes to look for as they grow this season.”

According to Coach Ross, “all of the girls agree that Michelle Thompson is one of their best runners. She was a huge factor for us in placing at the State meet and she will be a great threat this season as she is more experienced and more ready to compete.”

Returning to the Men’s team are Connor Betancourt and Ryan McMonigle who are this season’s co-captains and expected to be the lead runners.

This season, both coaches look forward to having the opportunity to see their athletes compete to their fullest potential, and in regards to the many new additions to the team, Coach Hunt feels that “despite their lack of experience, they have shown a willingness to work hard to achieve their goals.”

With the dedication the players and coaches have shown to their practices, training, responsibilities, and to each other, one can only hope that the only thing the competition will be able to see is a swift blur of the proud Mesa colors.