It’s not easy to replace a three-time All-State runner, and the girls? cross country squad at Lake Orion knows it will take a team effort.
Coach Debi McDonald’s squad is not only coming off of a state qualifying season, but one where their 13th-place finish exceeded expectations.
‘I knew last year we could qualify for states,? she said. ‘This year, we switched regionals, so it’s going to be tougher.?
Gone is Allie Hock, but a slew of talent returns, led by sophomore Lisa Bandico.
In all, six previous letter winners return to McDonald’s squad, including juniors Kathryn Miller and Rebecca Dow, who the coach credited with having a great summer of conditioning.
Samantha Kaufman is the team’s only senior on the varsity squad, her fourth year on the team, and is their ‘steadiest? runner, according to McDonald.
Sydney Gutierrez also returns as a junior, bringing two years of varsity experience with her, and Kelsey Lee is back as a sophomore.
Two freshmen, Camille Bova and Abbey Ernatt, have cracked the lineup in the early going.
‘Both of them have a soccer background and that helps with their training,? McDonald said. ‘They definitely have some talent.?
Sisters Kaitlyn and Ashley Bartreau, a junior and a freshman, respectively, are also likely to see their share of varsity races this season.
‘A lot of other girls are showing a ton of improvement, so our JV is stronger,? McDonald said.
The team is up to 42 members, beating their previous high of 34 from last season, and McDonald points out that 13 of the runners are freshmen.
The squad placed seventh at the first OAA Red Jamboree last week at Bloomer Park (won by Rochester Adams). Bandico led the way for the Dragons, placing 27th (20:58).
‘I thought we’d place better, but our times were better than both the Adams Invite (earlier this season) and last year,? McDonald noted. ‘Our league is just that tough.?
Unfortunately for Lake Orion, many of those league teams are now in the same region come postseason action.
The coach said her goal is for the girls to continue to improve and set more personal bests as the season progresses.
Another goal, according to McDonald, is to net a top-10 finish at the county meet.
The success of these goals will be based on how the team rounds into form in the next few weeks.
‘No one is injured right now, it’s just a matter of coming back from missing some conditioning,? McDonald said. ‘Hopefully, we peak at the right time.?