Local high school runners will test mind and body this Friday, Sept. 8 as they open the fall cross country season in the annual Rancho Cotate Invitational Meet in Rohnert Park. The first race is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Veteran coach Pete Stefanisko is back for another campaign, leading a relatively young squad that has put in dedicated off-season work in preparation for the 2017 season.
Although much of the Jaguars’ roster is made up of underclassmen, the varsity boys team boasts one of the Redwood Emipre’s best in junior Lucas Chung.
“It is a young team – I think I only have one senior between boys and girls,” Stefanisko reported. “My top two runners (Chung and Hunter Larson) should have strong seasons and Lucas will be one of the top runners in the league.”
The pair will be joined by several athletes moving up from last year’s JV squad, with the line-up expected to take shape after this week.
“A few others have worked hard and will move up to varsity, but I have a few freshmen that I will know more about after the Rancho meet on Sept. 8,” Stefanisko noted. “I’m hopeful we’ll win a few more meets this year and finish in the upper half of the teams in NBL.”
Sophomore standout Erin O’Mara is back to lead the girls team, with the Windsor brain trust hoping to see a bump in overall participation this year.
”We really had no numbers last year and after a few injuries, we didn’t even have a complete team by the end of the season,” Stefanisko recalled. “Erin O’Mara was our top runner last year, but we have a couple of girls who ran track in Jayda Pignataro and Kaliana Brown, who are trying cross-country this year and should make the team stronger.”
Although there are plenty of question marks at this early stage, the signs are all positive in the intangible department.
”Overall, it is a very enthusiastic group and fun to coach,” Stefanisko said. “I look forward to seeing what they will do this year.”
