PRESQUE ISLE — First-year coach Justin Fereshetian steps into a desirable situation as the coach of the Presque Isle boys cross country team.
The Wildcat runners just missed out on qualifying for the States a year ago, and are hungry to get there. This desire has turned into some outstanding off-season work which may well translate into a trip to the States this fall.
Saul Nunez
The senior class is led by Saul Nunez. A natural leader and a talented runner, Nunez has put in the time to get to the next level. Frank Nunez is another quality runner. He is currently injured but hopes to be back later in the season to help the squad. Trevor Leveque is another excellent runner who had been motivated to get the team to the next level. His off-season work should pay early dividends, and his leadership will help guide the team.
Josh Jones is expected to be a contributing member of the team and is expected to be a scorer at the meets all season. Dustin Drabek is another of the Wildcat dalers who has logged the time all summer to propel himself to the next level. Connor Seward is a first-year runner who will improve every time out thanks to his solid work ethic. Senior Matt Tilley may help the squad as well with a firm commitment to improve.
The junior class includes Austin Albert, a first-year runner who has been a nice addition to the squad. Fereshetian describes him as “very steady.” James Churchill is a hard worker who gives his all every time out. A good “character guy” and great team member, Churchill is another improving runner. Christian Nunez will improve through the year and could be a point-scoring member with more consistency. Junior Noah Rossignol rounds out the class. He is described as “self-motivated.” He ran and biked all summer and should see immediate results. He is expected to be a meet scorer as well.
Sophomore Jason Bartley is a good athlete, and could also be a scorer for the Wildcats. Bartley is consistent and will only get better over time. Reece McDougall is the other sophomore who Fereshetian described as a “fun member of the team.” He is refining his technique and has solid goals for the year.
The lone freshman is Jacob O’Berry. Fereshetian described him as an athlete with talent who has to learn to harness it. He is seen as a member who will be a solid athlete for years to come.
Overall, the coach is pleased with how things are going.
“On the whole it is going well,” he explained. “We have our down days, but we are developing a system and with it the confidence of the athletes is rising. They have set a goal of making it to the States after the disappointment of a year ago, and I see no reason why they can’t make it.”
The Wildcat girls have an extremely young squad, and 12th-year coach Lori Googins knows that they will experience growing pains along the way.
“These young athletes have ability,” Googins explained. “It will just be a matter of gaining experience and developing more confidence in their abilities.” The Wildcats lost three seniors off last year’s squad – experienced runners Samantha Simonds and Amanda Bennett along with Kayla Girardin, and that team barely missed out on qualifying for the state championship. If this year’s team is going to make it to the next level, each and every runner will have to step up their efforts.
With only two seniors on this year’s team, the Wildcats will continue to learn as they go. Seniors Shannon Sweeney and Bonnie Corey will be counted on to provide leadership to the young squad, and both have the potential to impact meet results.
The junior class is represented by Hillary Boucher and Amanda Palmer. Boucher is new to the sport, having come over from soccer, and she is just now learning the strategy of cross country. Palmer ran as a freshman, didn’t run last year, and has now returned to the team for her junior year. They will also be given the opportunity to be scoring members of the squad and should show improvement as the season progresses.
Emily Colligan
A strong sophomore class may well be the key to the Wildcat success. Returnees Emily Colligan and Mandy Graham are coming off solid freshman campaigns and will battle each other for the top two positions. Googins likes the competition between the two. “They run together in practice and push each other. It will definitely make them better,” said the coach.
Rachel Maxwell was a track athlete in the spring and has now made the transition to cross country this fall. Erica Corey is working hard in practice and is looking to improve all the time, while Matteah Michaud has shown improvement from last year to this. All three will push their upperclass counterparts to get into the lineup as meet scorers. The Wildcats have no freshmen on this year’s squad.
“We have to get runners three through seven closer to where our number one and two are. I think this will come from them learning strategy and also by pushing themselves to get into better condition,” Googins said.
She noted that the Wildcats are at a little disadvantage when compared to the other teams in their league.
“Most of our opponents have indoor track in the winter, and they have a core of athletes who are running year-round,” she said. “If we are going to be competitive, we have to be sure that the athletes come back from the summer in running condition.”
As for this season? “We will continue to work hard and develop,” she added.
