Wildcats Prepare To Compete In Shenandoah District
With a combination of experience and youth, the Rockbridge County High School boys and girls cross country teams are hoping for a successful and fun season.
The Wildcats have 23 runners this season – 16 boys and seven girls – with a total of 14 returning harriers.
Starting her 10th season as head coach for RC, Julie Tisone is hopeful that the boys’ team, one of the deepest and most experienced the Wildcats have had in years, will qualify for the Class 3 state meet. Tisone said the team has a number of athletes competing to be the lead runner.
Of the returning runners, 10 back from last year and two from two years ago, Tisone said, “These boys have all been training for several years. They are very consistent with their training – developing their running and strength.”
The RC boys, who had no seniors last year, placed fifth at the Valley District meet, with two runners advancing to the Region 3C meet. Both runners, junior Sammy Eastwood and sophomore Grant Swenty, are back this year.
After running for the Wildcats as a freshman two years ago, Tyler Ludtke trained by running with the East Coast Elite Club team last year, competing in the Foot Locker South Regional cross country meet in Charlotte, N.C. last November, when he placed fifth in the sophomore boys’ race. Ludtke then competed on the track for the East Coast Elite Club team, and now he’s a junior and is back running cross country for the Wildcats. Also rejoining the Wildcats after running with them his freshman year and then running for the East Coast Elite Club team last year is junior Oscar McClung.
The RC boys will also look to senior Ethan Erskine, their team captain, for leadership. Other returning harriers are senior Trent Cash, junior Chase Potter, and sophomores Luke Eichholz, Leif Guse, Chase Potter and Hudson Saunders.
Joining the team after transferring from a school in North Dakota is junior Lincoln Steele. Also new to the team are junior Finn Miller, sophomores Zach Hart, Calvin Lambert and freshmen Jude Eichholz, Hayden Nicely and Ben Holston.
The RC girls graduated their lead runner from last year’s team, Brooke Eichelberger, who earned all-district (top 15) honors by placing 14th at the Valley District meet. In the spring, Eichelberger signed her national letter of intent to run cross country for Division III school Roanoke College.
Last fall, the RC girls placed fourth at the Valley District meet and finished ninth at the Region 3C meet.
Tisone expects freshman Reagan Imler to lead the RC girls. Imler has been running for several years and has experience racing for the East Coast Elite Club team. Tisone said she “really has built up her strength.”
The RC girls have three cocaptains who are all returning runners: senior Evelyn McClung and juniors Dorothy Lewis and Kate Holston. At the end last season, Lewis was the Wildcats’ second runner, with McClung as their third runner and Holston as their fourth.
Tisone said they and Erskine are strong leaders because they have been running for RC for several years and “know my expectations, cross country routine and culture.” She said they “are natural good leaders, and their teammates listen to them.”
Also returning is sophomore Hannah Ivins, RC’s fifth runner at the end of last season.
In addition to Imler, the Wildcats welcome sophomore Audra Roney and freshman Khloe Lewis.
Many of her runners trained together over the summer, helping them prepare for the season. “The consistency of their summer training shows,” said Tisone. “They should be fit coming into the cross country season.”
Tisone said she’d like to send individual girls to the state meet, and both the RC boys and girls have set individual goals, including being stronger and faster and “setting personal records, making running fun, and working hard every day.” She added that the Wildcats are working on being stronger and faster.
The Wildcats welcome a new assistant coach, Hallie McCurdie, a junior at Washington and Lee University who had an internship this summer dissecting spiders and will be leading Appalachian Adventures in outdoor activities for the incoming W&L freshmen on a fiveday backpacking trip for the W&L Outing Club. Tisone noted that McCurdie has several years of coaching experience, at her high school and with the East Coast Elite Club. “She brings young energy and fresh ideas to the team.”
RC’s manager is senior Fisher Howald, who has run cross country and track for the Wildcats.
Starting this school year, the Wildcats have switched from the Valley District to the Shenandoah District, with shorter travel distances. The Wildcats have experience racing against some of their new district opponents, and Tisone sees Alleghany as one of the toughest district rivals and is looking forward to seeing which other teams are district title contenders.
The Wildcats have one home meet this season, with district rivals scheduled to race at Natural Bridge State Park on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
