Credit: Abernathy, Steve. Untitled Photograph. 5 Oct. 2024, Flickr, https://flickr.com/photos/49415263@N00/54058724425/.

The 2024 cross country season has brought a fresh start for Stuart Hall High School’s team. Following the graduation of their two fastest runners, seniors Malcolm Oakes and Gavin Zeitz, the team is entering a transitional phase.

“Both Oakes and Zeitz played pivotal roles in leading Stuart Hall to competitive finishes over the past few seasons, making their absence on the course a noticeable one,” says Junior Luca Avila.

“It’s pretty rough on the team, they were contributors and difference makers in point scoring. Although their absence is hard hit in terms of our points, our spirits are still high,” says Captain Julian Anderson, a Junior.

Despite the loss, this year’s team is filled with young, promising talent. Julian Anderson, is currently the fastest runner on the team. His role as a captain is vital with the graduation of Malcolm and Gavin. Even though Julian has big shoes to fill in terms of leadership and running ability he has been rising to occasion as of recently. Along with the guidance of Coach Buckley, the team is looking to continue their years of success. 

Among the young and new prospects are sophomores Reese Terrell, Sabry Bowden, and Griffin Arnot, who have shown remarkable growth during preseason training.

“Reese, Sabry and Griffin are really talented runners. Reese has always been a great runner. Sabry is a crazy dude, his legs are so long and he’s actually gotten so much faster. He’s turned into a really talented runner this year and has really improved. I’m not surprised that Griffin is a good runner because he really has the build for the sport,” says Junior Lachlan Riley, a varsity runner on the team. 

With time, these runners could fill the shoes left behind by the graduated seniors. 

As the season progresses, all eyes will be on the young runners stepping into the spotlight and the journey of a team finding its new rhythm.