By Jim Rueda
Free Press Sports Editor
MANKATO —
Stability may be the by word for the six Mankato cross country teams in 2010. All six head coaches return for another season, all of whom have been in charge for at least five years.
In 2009, the Mankato East boys placed 14th in the Class AA state meet. With nine runners graduated off that team, head coach Todd Coyour knows it will be difficult to reach state again.
Here's a thumbnail sketch of East and the rest of the local cross country programs entering the 2010 season:
East boys
Junior Ryan Erdman returns to lead the team after earning All-Big Nine Conference honors in 2009. Fellow junior Adam Lorentz is also back after garnering honorable mention All-Big Nine status a year ago.
Those two plus Ethan Evenson will be tri-captains. Seniors Kent Esslinger, Dylan Harms and Ryan Stark, juniors Ryan Coopman and Brody Ziegler, sophomores Brad Kunz and Steven Iversen and freshman Logan Harms will all challenge for varsity spots this year.
“We want to place in the top half of the conference and the section meet,” head coach Todd Coyour said. “We also want multiple all-conference athletes and to qualify multiple athletes to state.”
Loyola girls
The Crusaders have won the Gopher Valley Conference championship for the last three seasons and will try to make it four in 2010.
Leading the way will be junior Meghan Henriksen who was Loyola's top runner last season.
“With the leadership of our upperclassmen and the development of our young runners, we hope to be competitive in the conference,” head coach Dale Compton said. “We expect Madelia-Truman and United South Central/Alden-Conger to be right there contending for the conference title.”
West boys
Head coach Jim Bassett said the two main goals are to finish in the top three in both the Big Nine Conference and the Section 2AA meet.
The Scarlets' top returning runners are Alex Umhoefer, Alec Miller, Dan Kroenke, Colin Abrahamson and Trace Johnson.
“Rochester Mayo and Owatonna are the favorites in the Big Nine,” Bassett said. “In the section the favorite is Willmar.”
East girls
Five-time letterwinner Emily Ludwig is back and will co-captain the Cougars along with Mollie Juberien.
“This year's team continues to rebuild,” head coach Neil Paarmann said. “Our goals are to finish in the top half of the conference and section.”
Ludwig, Maggie Burneske, Kjersten Parsons and Judy Kamara should be among the team's top runners.
“Our numbers are not large, however, we have a good nucleus of runners to create a strong varsity,” Paarmann said. The coach picks Rochester Mayo, Owatonna and Winona as the favorites in the Big Nine.
Loyola boys
The Crusaders are in a definite rebuilding mode after graduating their top four runners off last year's fourth-place Gopher Valley Conference team. Senior Tayder Gach is the most experienced returnee.
“We are short on experience,” head coach Dale Compton said. “I am excited to watch the development of our newcomers as well as our returning team members. We hope to continue to improve as the season progresses.
Compton tabs Martin County West as the heavy favorite to repeat in the conference.
He believes Blooming Prairie will also be strong.
West girls
Former state champion Laura Hughes has graduated but the Scarlets still return four of their top five runners from 2009.
Courtney Klemme, Holly Hankins, Lydia Scallorn and Sarah Van Natta bring back the most experience. Hankins and Clemme are tied for 11th on West's all-time list with a time of 15:40 over 4,000 meters.
Freshman Allison Campbell trained hard in the offseason and could crack the team's top five. Sophomore Kelly Falgren and eighth-grader Melissa Wilmes-Jones will also contend for varsity spots.
“This is a tough, hard-working team,” head coach Scot Carlson said. “We will continue to work hard, hopefully stay healthy and everything else will fall into place.”
Carlson said realistic goals for West are a top four finish in the Big Nine and a top eight finish in the section.
