Numbers up for the cross country team

Cross country is a sport that is often overlooked by many sports fans. But running 3.1 miles every meet, and running long distances every practice, is no easy task. This year, there are 16 girls and eight boys on the team. Many wonder how the team went from so few last season to this.

“We have a few freshmen who ran in junior high and some just wanted to try it out,” said high school cross country coach Summer Hudelson.

Many of the runners are thrilled to have so many new members.

“I think more people wanted to get in shape,” said junior runner Morgan Kingston.

The team plans on doing well throughout the year. The common trend is that hard work will make them successful.

“If everyone works hard in practice, we should do well. There are a few who work hard daily and they will end up doing really well,” said Hudelson.

“I think we have the potential to do very well,” said Kingston.

Being able to run as a team brings teams to watch to the forefront for many runners, Perry Central being the big conference competition, and Seymour or Bedford in Sectional.

The boy’s team is led by the number one runner senior Tristan Murphy, followed by sophomore Blake Roberts, senior Seth Hall and freshman Will Stroud. Also on the team is senior Josh Taylor and freshman Kaison Ames.

The girl’s team is led by junior Morgan Kingston, followed by senior Kelsey Smith and junior Lexie Strange. The other two consistent runners are junior Kylene Baker and junior Sierra Smetzer.

The team is expanding rapidly and working hard to be one of the premiere programs in Paoli sports.