Returners and newcomers bring mix of talent to MFL MarMac cross country
Members of the MFL MarMac cross country team are (front, left to right) Evelyn Ruff, Brooke Donlon, Emma Driscoll, Clare Grau, Jacob Schellhorn, Lauryn Sandstrom; (back) assistant coach Megan Schellhorn, Kaylee Nuehring, Samantha Ruff, head coach Eric Koenig, Malachi Ames, Tucker Ruff, Skylar Fisk, Logan Ross and Mariah Moser. Not pictured are Cora Keehner, Emma Koether and Jaxon Millage. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
A mix of returning runners and talented newcomers makes for a strong MFL MarMac cross country program this season, said head coach Eric Koenig.
The Bulldog girls will be especially tough, bringing back previous state qualifiers in senior Clare Grau and sophomore Cora Keehner. Junior Evelyn Ruff, noted Koenig, “has been in the weight room. She’s been getting better.”
Add in freshmen like Skylar Fisk, Brooke Donlon and Samantha Ruff, last year’s middle school conference champion, and the team is even more formidable.
“Conference-wise, South Winn is going to be good. But, the girls, if we keep practicing like we have, should have a pretty good shot at conference. From a team perspective, we’ve not gotten that in a long time,” Koenig said.
The MFL MarMac boys will be led by two-time state qualifier and ninth-place finisher in Class 1A a year ago, Jacob Schellhorn. The junior is looking equally strong now, said Koenig. Fellow juniors Tucker Ruff, Malachi Ames, Jaxon Millage and Logan Ross will round out the squad.
“We have a full team if we can keep everybody healthy. We had Malachi Ames come from Prairie, and he ran right around 20 [minutes] at our meet last year. He could be a solid third behind Tucker and Jacob. Jaxon will be a solid fourth, and Logan fills in our top five. We should be respectable,” Koenig said.
The biggest challenge this year, according to the coach, is MFL MarMac moved up from Class 1A to 2A. Competition will be especially tough on the girls side, where Koenig said eight of the top 10 runners in the state are from the area. He still anticipates Keehner, and even others, to qualify, though.
On the boys side, Koenig anticipates another top-10 finish for Schellhorn too.
“He should be conference champion, district possibly. But getting into that top five [at state] is going to be more difficult, moving up a class,” Koenig remarked. “And it would be nice to get another guy to state.”
Based on the runners’ summer training and early-season practices, the coach is confident they can meet the challenge.
Without a consistent number of athletes running during the summer, “it’s hard to improve throughout the year,” Koenig said. “That’s helped with increasing our mileage the first couple weeks.”
Last year, for example, the athletes started at 15 minutes of running per day. This time, they reached 3.1 miles, or even 4, per day more quickly.
“This week, we did 4.5 Monday, 6 on Tuesday. They are doing pretty good times,” Koenig added. “So far this year, to start the season, we’re running more, practicing harder, and the kids are responding well. I don’t have to hold back for any of them.”
MFL MarMac’s first meet was scheduled for Aug. 22, at Edgewood-Colesburg, but it was cancelled due to heat. The Bulldogs will next host their home meet at Tri City Golf Course on Thursday, Aug. 31, starting at 5 p.m.
