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Wildcats Mix New Faces With 14 Returning Harriers
With 14 returning runners and several promising newcomers leading the way, the Rockbridge County High School girls and boys cross country teams are excited for the upcoming season.
Under the direction of ninth-year head coach Julie Tisone, many of the Wildcats have been running during the offseason to build a strong base for this fall, as the team captains helped the other runners try to reach their goal of running 200 miles in training.
The Wildcats have 21 runners this season – eight girls and 13 boys. All eight of the girls are returning from last year’s team, while six of the boys return.
From last year’s team, the RC girls graduated two runners, Deena Ludtke and Nicole Black, from a team that placed fourth in the Valley District meet and sixth in the Region 3C meet. Ludtke, the RC girls’ lone state qualifier last year, placed 26th in the Class 3 state meet and is getting ready to start her freshman cross country season with Division I school East Tennessee State University. Black, the second runner for the Wildcats last fall, will continue her running career at Mary Baldwin University.
The RC boys, who placed fifth in the Valley District meet last year, coming up short of qualifying for the Region 3C meet, graduated three harriers: Jordan Imler, Chase Lowney and Konner Orebaugh. They also lost their lone state qualifier, Preston Spangler, who placed 21st in the Class 3 state meet as a freshman last fall, following a runner-up finish in the Valley District meet and a fifth-place finish in the Region 3C meet. After successful winter and spring seasons with the East Coast Elite Track Club, Spangler transferred to Patriot High School in Nokesville.
Returning to guide the RC girls are co-captains Brooke Eichelberger and Alice Gresham. Eichelberger, the Wildcats’ lone senior, was their third runner at the end of last season. Gresham is one of four junior girls. Tisone said Eichelberger “brings experience and her no-nonsense attitude to the team,” while Gresham “leads strongly wherever she is needed.”
Another leader for the RC girls is junior Dorothy Lewis, their fourth runner at the end of last year, while junior Kate Holston returns after finishing last fall as RC’s sixth harrier. Completing the junior class is Evelyn McClung, who adds experience to the team.
The RC girls have three sophomores: Gemma Batis, Hannah Ivins and Cate Skaggs. Ivins ran in the seventh and final varsity spot some of last fall, and Batis and Skaggs got experience as freshmen.
Serving as captain for the RC boys is junior Trent Cash. Tisone said Cash, the Wildcats’ third runner at the district meet last fall, is a “very inclusive, encouraging and organized captain.”
The RC boys have four juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen.
Expected to lead the RC boys are sophomore Sammy Eastwood and freshman Leif Guse. Eastwood was RC’s fourth runner at the end of last fall and “will continue to run fast,” said Tisone. Both Eastwood and Guse, who moves up from Maury River Middle School, ran with the East Coast Elite Track Club in the winter and spring, competing in the Adidas Track Nationals during the winter indoor season.
Joining Cash in the junior class are Ethan Erskine, Fisher Howald and Graham Niebur. Howald was RC’s sixth runner at the district meet last fall, Niebur brings experience, and Erskine is new to the team.
In addition to Eastwood, the Wildcats’ returning sophomore boys are Finn Miller and Chase Potter, while sophomores Luke Eichholz and Phillip Brooke are new to the team.
Joining Guse in the freshman class are Ben Gresham, Hudson Saunders and Grant Swenty.
With practice officially starting last week, Tisone was getting to know her new runners. A time trial this week will allow her to see how the runners compare to one another.
Tisone said the athletes are setting their goals, and at this point, they’re aiming to run personalrecord times, “have fun, and be part of a team.”
The Wildcats welcome a new assistant coach, Sebastiano Blandino, a 2017 RC graduate who ran cross country and track for the Wildcats. Blandino was senior and the RC boys cross country team’s captain during Tisone’s first year of coaching the Wildcats, and he led RC that year, narrowly missing qualifying individually for the state meet. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in graphic design. He is also in the Air Force Guard of the U.S. Air Force and was recently deployed in Africa.
Tisone said Blandino “brings energy and a freshness to the program.” Blandino is in charge of the RC runners’ strength program. “We are lucky to have him this season until he is deployed to the Middle East in January,” added Tisone.
In the Valley District, Tisone said Broadway and Spotswood generally have strong teams, but both schools had a lot of seniors graduate in the spring. The Spotswood girls won the district title last fall, while the Broadway boys placed second to Harrisonburg, but Harrisonburg has since been divided into two schools, Harrisonburg and Rocktown.
The Wildcats are scheduled to start the season on Tuesday at 5 p.m. when they compete in Wilson Memorial’s Valley Cup Relays in Fishersville. RC’s lone home meet is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 11 at Natural Bridge State Park, starting at 5 p.m., with the Wildcats facing district rivals.
