The men’s and women’s cross country teams started the school year off as some of the highest-ranked teams in the state.

“[The men’s team is] ranked number one based on a poll of coaches’ votes,” junior Adam Waldum said. “It won’t mean anything until competition starts, and we start to earn it.”

Although several senior runners graduated last year, the women’s team still anticipates success at high levels of competition.

“At first, I was pretty disappointed, but when I really started thinking about it, I got excited,” senior team captain Emily Phillips said. “We are finally the underdogs. We have a chance to come out strong and show everyone that we’re still a force to be reckoned with.”

The team responded to the challenge by stepping up both their in-school and personal training.

“The program is [stricter] this year than it’s been in the past because we want to better ourselves as a team,” Phillips said. “The training has changed some, too; I’m running a lot more mileage than I have in the past.”

The men’s team focuses on having a good year of competition as well.

“I think this year, we’re more team-oriented and more focused on what we need to do,” Waldum said. “The big goal is state. Every race, and all the training, is based on getting there and doing our best in that race.”

Despite the individual effort, Waldum and Phillips agree the team owes part of its success to the coaches.

“There really aren’t that many cross country coaches out there who put as much effort, thought and time into their program as Coach Hilsenteger does with ours,” Phillips said. “He’s always trying to find new ways to make us better, and he makes us give him our best, but at the end of the day, as much as he loves winning, we know that we are more important to him than any old title.”