Following a terrific season last year, Vincent Zona ’17 and the boys cross-country team are ready to build off their success using their gained confidence . 

“After finishing well in recent years at state, we know that we belong in the highest level of competition,” Zona said. 

The team is coming off not only a second place finish at the state race, but also a ninth place finish at the Nike Cross National tournament in Portland, Ore. Despite these accomplishments, there seems to be no added pressure to this year’s group. 

“We are used to having high expectations,” Zona said. “We have a lot of experienced runners that know how to handle high pressure situations.”  

The depth of the squad is a major strength this year. The team had nine runners break a 10 minute two-mile in a pre-season time trial, Zona said. The depth comes from a combination of returning stars and a new wave of talented boys, including Andrew Tarasuk ’18, that are ready to round out the group. 

“It is always good to have strong returning runners,” Tarasuk said. “Not only do we have two runners shooting for top spots, but we have a tight pack of guys close behind them.” 

Along with the incredible depth, the team has great experience with three returning state runners- Zona, Danny Kilrea ’18 and Alex Pall ’17.  

“Experience is key to success at high level meets,” Assistant Varsity Coach Jake Discipio said. “To have some guys who went downstate last year and also ran some major invites is a huge advantage to us.” 

The depth and experience were on display on Saturday, Sept. 3 at the annual LT Invite at South Campus. As a team, LT captured first place in a strong field that included the defending state champions, Carl Sandburg.

“I think that the LT Invite was a confidence booster for us, which is always a good thing,” Tarasuk said. 

With the first meet under their belts, the team aims to continue their success all the way to state, where they have not won since 1956.

“Everyone on the team is extremely motivated,” Zona said. “We have set big goals and we hope that this will be a special year for LT cross-country.”