The NWN had the chance to talk with Girls head cross country coach, Anne Heselton, about the upcoming season and the team’s expectations.

NWN: How does the team look this year?

Heselton: Right now, we look very solid.  We have a good group of returning varsity runners, as well as some newcomers who are sure to help us out, possibly on varsity.

NWN: What meets are the most important this season?

Heselton: Basically, any meet during championship season, so the conference meet, regionals, and then sectionals.

NWN: Who are the best runners this year?

Heselton: Seniors Michelle Karp and Rachel Bender, along with junior Taylor Genis and sophomore Christy Mujica.

NWN: After making it to sectionals last year, what are some of the team’s goals for this year?

Heselton: We just want to continue to motivate ourselves to do well and improve.  We’ve been fourth out of twelve teams in the conference the last two years, so we’re looking to at least get to that point, if not exceed it.

NWN: With this being many of your best runners last year, is there a sense of urgency for this team to take it to the next level?

Heselton: For the seniors, definitely.  They want to do better, and they’re very dedicated.  For a few of them, qualifying for state isn’t out of the picture, and neither is qualifying as a team.

NWN: How far do you think the team can go this year?

Heselton: It really depends right now.  We’ll see from the first few meets where we stand with the teams is our area.  It’s been hard to gauge where some of the girls are at because they’ve been busy outside of cross country and haven’t made it to some of our tough workouts, but it’s safe to say that our core group of girls will be there and be ready.