By Kevin Gartman
Montezuma Head Coach
Montezuma cross country 2023 appears to be a strong collective program once again for the Braves and Bravettes.
With 19 high school runners and 8 junior high runners, 27 athletes have been hard at work during the summer preparing for the year.
As the start of the season has come around, the high school athletes have been hard at work, running more mileage with less rest than in years prior, while also completing specific core, lifting, and speed/stride work.
The program will compete in many familiar meet locations this fall, finishing off the regular season with its home meet and SICL Championship meet at the home course.
The Bravettes look to defend their 4-time defending SICL championship reign one more year as the competition in the conference heats up.
With as many as five teams with sincere state meet hopes, many eyes will be on the clock as the year progresses. Of the 11 girls on the high school team, 7 are seniors, giving a strong leadership element to the group.
The Bravettes return 2021 state qualifying junior Ellen Cook, 2022 first-team all-conference sophomore Claire Erselius, as well as adding promising freshman Vivian Cook to the mix.
A host of runners with experience competing at high-level meets, including the 2020 state team, will join them in Alivia Cline, Lydia Singleton, Ashlee Eilander, Makenna Johannes, Camryn Brennan, Haileah Eichenberger, Chloe Hutchcraft, and Faith Ferry.
With a blend of young talent and senior experience, the Bravettes look to combine for a strong and healthy group that can compete for a conference championship and potential state-berth this season.
The Braves have also taken several steps to continue to grow this summer. Returning six runners from last year’s team, while also adding in two freshmen, this group is also led by a large majority of upperclassmen.
Second-team all-conference runner Carter McKee returns for his senior season, joined by Jack Erselius and Jayden Ross, two seniors who look to lead the Braves as top runners.
Likely the biggest jump of the group will come from the junior boys, as their work in the summer is paying off greatly, shaving times early in practices that are close to state qualifying times from the previous season.
Juniors Kohen Holland, Bryson Stockman, and Jusiah Wetering look to continue to cut time to help the team score. Freshmen Linkyn Bru and Cael Cheney Cheney are expected to provide a lift within the varsity program as well this season as they look to make a freshman jump.
As the boys have been steadily climbing the conference rankings each season, they look to improve off a third-place finish at the SICL meet last year in a competitive boys field.
COMING UP – Montezuma opens its season Tuesday, Aug. 29, at the Williamsburg Invitational On Thursday, Aug. 31 they run in the Pekin meet hosted at Wildwood Park in Ottumwa. They also run on September 7 at Kelly Fields in Colfax.