Running with the pack | Prep cross-country preview

Published 2:57 pm Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Cross-country senior captain Dylan Lesko was happy to be one of three Islanders competing at the state tournament last November. He just wished he had more company.

“Even though it was fun for us to go, it would’ve been a lot more fun if we had a team going,” said Lesko, who competed at state along with Alexa Bauman and Cecelia Rosenman.

This fall, Mercer Island cross-country hopes to stay together as a pack as both the boys and girls teams make their push for a state tournament berth.

“Our guys team hasn’t made it to state since the year before we became freshman,” said captain Nathan Gallatin. “We feel like this year is our first great chance at getting back to state.”

On the girls side, the Islanders saw encouraging strides from its younger runners last season that the team hopes to capitalize on this year.

“The girls JV won KingCo last year,” said captain Adrienne Suhm. “This year we’re hoping to have a bigger pack, with the same goal as the boys, that advances to state.”

While team captains expressed the importance of building a strong foundation for the future by integrating all grades into the pack, the Islanders haven’t taken their collective eye off the upcoming season. They’re excited to work with the younger talent coming up as they gear for the 2014-15 season.

More than anything, the Islanders all share one common goal.

“With both teams not going to state last year, I think everybody really wants it more,” said Suhm. “It’s going to be tough to get there, but that’s the work we have to put in.”