Whitefish cross country building future with young core

The Whitefish cross country program is gearing up for the 2025 season and head coach Richard Menicke said the Bulldogs are approaching the year with excitement and patience.

“We have a lot of young runners, so the hope is to give them experience and make it fun and then see where that leads us as a group,” Menicke said.

The early numbers point to a deeper team than in recent seasons, thanks in part to a strong pipeline.

“On paper, we have a bigger-than-normal team — led by a strong freshman turnout [a credit to the middle school program[ — still too early to say for sure, but we should have competitive in-team competition to make varsity,” Menicke said.

That in-house competition could sharpen the Bulldogs quickly, even as they adjust to the rigors of the varsity schedule.

“Youth is both our strength and a possible challenge, but these kids are exciting,” Menicke said.

In Western A, the competition remains stiff.

“Western A is strong as always and Hardin remains the girls team to beat,” Menicke said. “Honestly, if we focus on improvement then results and placing will follow.”

Leadership will play a key role in helping the younger runners adjust. The Bulldogs will lean on leaders Koru Larimore and Maren Cromie to set the tone both on and off the course.

“We have solid team leaders who are perfect for this young team,” Menicke said.

That leadership will allow the team to emphasize one of its biggest tactical strengths: pack running.

“Our strength will be pack running off of the leaders, which scores effectively in XC,” Menicke said.