Written by Isa Pierry

Lace up your shoes and time your miles because cross country season has begun! Led by captains Lauren Slovin ‘25, Taeko Fueno ‘25, Selena Zhang ‘24, Esaias Gonzalez ‘25, Luke Stronski ‘25, and Miles Dinger ‘26, and coaches Song, Anderson, Sells, and Carlin, the team is ready to run the trails.

The massive 50 person team began their training on August 19th at the start of pre-season. They spent their days distance running on East Campus and taking trips to the Rye High School track to do workouts. Their main goal, according to Slovin, was to “build a positive team culture.”

And they’ve definitely succeeded. The team’s energy is immaculate: “very supportive and inclusive,” according to one anonymous Cross Country runner. The source explains how “everyone is there to achieve their personal goals, to show up for the team, and cheer each other on.” 

When asked how her pre-season runs on the East Campus have been, Slovin replied with how “it’s a good track to connect with nature, but watch out for your ankles because the wood chips hurt!” Details about when a track is to be built are still unclear. 

The Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational, the largest Cross Country meet in the East Coast, is coming up on October 13th. Gonzalez is very excited about the team attending, stating how he is “looking forward to seeing how the team performs.”

It looks to be a great season for the Cross Country team.