After losing several seniors who were vital to the success of the team, the cross country team is focusing on improving for the future during the 2010 season.
?There are a lot of freshmen which is good because it [gives us] more runners who will improve the team overall in [future] seasons,? junior Sean Barrett said.
The large number of freshmen has led to a shift in team chemistry, changing the dynamic of the team, according to senior Ashton Garriott.
?Several of [them] have been challenging veterans of [the team],? Garriott said. ?Their addition has proven to be motivation for many upperclassmen to give one last kick before it?s time to pass the torch, or baton, down to the next generation.?
In practice, the team runs a combination of long distance and sprints in preparation for their meets. The longer distance runs, five or more miles, helps improve endurance while the sprint workouts get the runners? bodies prepared for the fast-paced nature of the races.
The tireless effort put into practices has lead to a variety of results for the team. This is due to an element of general inexperience in Marshall?s team.
?While we have some very strong, experienced runners, for others it is their first time running competitively,? Garriott said.
However, the team still has several returning runners who have been recording fast times.
Specifically, seniors Alexander Norton and James Werking, have been running consistently throughout the season due to their ?dedication to the sport and shared passion for running,? Garriott said.
Norton is currently trying to qualify for the state championship by recording a time of 15:30 for the 5k. At a previous meet, he ran a 16:40, the fastest time on the team.
Also worth noting is the impressive performance of freshman Mackenzie Haight this season. Haight placed second from Marshall in a meet at Burke Lake on Sept. 11 with a time of 18:10.
Team success is hard to measure due to the fact that there are meets that result in a team score as well as invitation-only meets.