Waukon boys cross country will feature seven returning letterwinners for 2014

The 2014 Waukon boys cross country campaign is not likely to have a much different look to it at the beginning of this season than it did at the very end of last season. That prospect stems from the fact that all seven of the Indians’ competitors in last fall’s season-ending Class 2A State Qualifying Meet return with varsity letterwinning experience for the Indians this season.
Shining even brighter beyond this season, however, is the fact that none of this season’s returning letterwinners will even be seniors yet this season. Two-time letterwinners Brock Berns, Isaac Fink and Tanner Manning, along with first-year letterwinner T.J. Treptau, are all juniors for the Indians this season, while Austin Day, Hunter Jensen and Tyler O’Neill are all sophomores who earned their first varsity letters last season, a majority of those veteran returnees helping the Tribe to a fifth-place Northeast Iowa Conference Meet finish and seventh place at its Class 2A State Qualifying Meet last fall.
“I look for these guys to be our leaders helping us to pick up where we left off last fall,” said fourth-year Waukon boys cross country coach Tara Stein. “They all have had the opportunity to gain valuable experience running at the varsity level over the last year or two.”
This season’s roster of 13 boys contains just one senior in first-year competitor Gunnar Grangaard. “We will look to newcomer, senior Gunnar Grangaard, to provide us with some senior leadership,” Coach Stein shared.
Coach Stein lists the return of a full scoring team with varsity experience as one of this season’s definite strengths. The idea of that varsity experience coming so early in their high school careers (as freshmen for six of this year’s seven returning veterans) solidifies that strength even more.
That returning nucleus, however, will need to continue to work together and improve not only as individuals but also an entire group, much like it did as last season progressed. “We will be as strong as our pack is, we need to continue to work as a team to move our pack up,” Coach Stein said, noting that pack running and staying healthy will be keys to this season’s success.
Improvement seems to be the underlying foundation to all of this season’s goals, as noted by Coach Stein. She lists improvements in times and being more competitive as a team as primary goals that will, in turn, help achieve the more specific goals of improving the teams final placings at both the Northeast Iowa Conference and State Qualifying meets. All of those goals combined will also go a long way toward achieving the ultimate goal of this year’s team, and of most all teams - qualifying for the State Meet in Fort Dodge.
Coach Stein sees both Decorah and Charles City as “frontrunners in the conference” again this year. Those two teams have slugged it out over the past couple years for Northeast Iowa Conference supremacy.
The Indians were scheduled to get a taste of what the Northeast Iowa Conference and its 2014 season will hold in store for them when they open their season at the Oelwein Invitational slated for Tuesday, September 2. The Waverly-Shell Rock Invitational is next scheduled for Tuesday, September 9.
“I have been pleased with how hard the boys have been working to start the season,” Coach Stein summarized. “I am looking forward to our first meet in Oelwein, so we can see how we match up against other area runners.”