Starting the 2016 fall season, M-A cross country has high expectations for both the boys and girls teams. Head coach Eric Wilmurt, the two assistant coaches Alan Perry and Luca Signore, and parent volunteer John Hale make up this year’s staff.
The 2015 season was one of the best in school history for the girls. The team won the league title and finished in the top three in the Central Coast Section (CCS). Over the summer the girls team lost three top runners: Annalisa Crowe, Madeleine Baier, and Kat DePuy. All three finished in the top eight in CCS. That being said, the coaches and runners still think they will have a successful year. Perry said, “While we don’t necessarily have the high expectations of being a top three or four team in CCS like last year, we still expect to be pretty competitive in CCS and win our fifth league title in a row for the girls.” When asked about the key runners this year, Perry responded, “Our top two returning runners are Olivia Shane and Sarah Osterberg. They both had really great track seasons and had a good summer of training so hopefully we can use some of that momentum.”
For the boys, the 2015 season was more of a rebuilding year. They finished in the middle of the pack in CCS. Last year, the varsity team had many sophomores and freshmen run. Perry said, “On the boys side, there is probably a little more top to bottom talent. There’s a lot of young runners. There will probably be three or four sophomores on varsity, a couple juniors, and maybe even a freshman making that top seven. While there is talent, there is some experience we need. Hopefully, we can gain that early in the season to be able to compete for a league title and hopefully one of those top two or three spots in CCS as well.”
Junior Scott Macdonald and sophomore Luke Scandlyn are the boys’ top two returning runners. Macdonald shared his insight on the team for the upcoming year: “There’s a lot of competition on the team for the top seven spots. I’m expecting a lot out of the team and I know we have some good runners who will make an impact.”
M-A’s team looks to have another successful season this year. The Bears hope to surpass rivals Homestead, Monte Vista, and their main league rival, Half Moon Bay. The team’s first meet is the Lowell Invitational at Golden Gate Park on September 10.
