This season, the Badger cross country team has 15 runners, with about an equal number of boys and girls.

“We have a surprising number of freshman boys this year, which I’m really excited about,” head coach Tyler Warner said. “They’ve shown great enthusiasm and hard work so far.”

The first week of practice, Jack Woods had a great day running up the Snow Creek Road, for instance, Warner said.

Warner said that the team is “fairly senior heavy,” with a mix of long-term veterans like Ceci Roemer, Justin Strugar, and Carson Dineen and runners who were new to the program last year but have made immense impacts like Leah Moellmer and Jaden Byars.

“Ryan and Sydney Beckle both put in great summers working out, '' Warner said. “Ryan has been leading the way for the team at practices thus far and Sydney and Ceci Roemer have been the front two girls the first week of practice.”

The district changes will definitely be a challenge for XC, since the top two teams from league districts and the top third of runners (maximum seven per team) as individuals qualify for state. For cross country there are now three teams in the Intermountain League, with Timberlake, Coeur d’Alene Charter and Bonners Ferry.

This means only the first and second-place teams will go to state this year and only the top seven runners will qualify individually if their team do not make it, Warner said. Last season, the girls were just a few points shy of a league championship, just getting edged out by Coeur d’Alene Charter.

The girls graduated Camille Ussher, who will be running for Spokane Community College, and Liliana Brinkman. Girls XC will have five returning members of last year’s team.

“It will be an interesting season for the boys, having to replace many members of our state team last year, including Connor Alexander who will be running for LCSC this fall,” Warner said.

“I believe we have three [runners] from last year's team still on the roster. It will really depend on how quickly this cadre of freshmen develop and how much the veterans take ownership of their role,” he said.

Warned added that he expects Timberlake to be well prepared as always and Charter is bringing back a reigning state champion on their girls team. It could be a tight race at districts this year, but the Badgers will have home field advantage, he said.

“Our goals, as always, are to take at least one team to state and to have every athlete get a personal best time,” he said.

For freshmen, it’s easy, start by finishing a race, he said. For veterans it can be quite challenging to lower times depending on health and how seriously they took the off-season.

This year, coaches also want to foster a positive/growth-mindset.

“We want these athletes to go into the school year and their futures with the attitude that they can do difficult things, that there is value in struggle and hard work, and that you get out of life/running what you put into it,” he said.

Long distance running is not attractive to many folks, but those that go to it learn how to dig deep, persevere, and realize there are many horizons beyond what they had envisioned for themselves, he said.