MSMS cross-country runners, under the guidance of new coach Troy King, started their season with a meet at Tupelo High School. The event concluded with the team earning 9th place in the 1A-4A Boys 5K, accumulating 210 points.

This year’s team is led by senior captains Lucas Griffith, Lucas Sloan and Jonathan Stancill, with Troy King stepping in as the new coach following a season without one. The team has embraced this fresh start with a blend of experienced runners and newcomers.

Junior Nina Weinstein said she is excited about the new season and has already been practicing for the upcoming meets.

“I’m hoping that I’ll be able to run faster [this year],” she said.

Stancill said the team is focusing on a balanced approach to preparation by incorporating a variety of workouts into their practices.

“We have practices three times a week that are not mandatory. Both Lucases [and I] … try to run five or six times a week, and most of us go to the gym, so that helps us get ready physically,” Stancill said. “Mentally, it’s not letting classes overwhelm you.”

Stancill also said the team tries to vary the distance they run at their practices. 

“We’ll do a couple distance runs, like 5 or 6 miles, but then we usually try to … have a 3-mile run [once a week to] relax to get [the runners] ready for [their] race,” Stancill said.

Junior Nolan Clark said he prepares for cross-country by staying active in the gym.

“Physically, I just go out and practice, giving it my all. Listening to my body — a lot of new people don’t do that — but some days your legs are going to feel better than others,” Clark said.

Stancill said the team’s main goal is to build off what it accomplished last year.

“Our season is going to be a little interesting this year because most of our team is really young,” he said. “We had a few runners who got really good [last year], so we want them to keep pushing themselves. We have a lot of people who are newer to cross country, so we want to show them how to build themselves up for success next year.”

Sloan said cross-country is about having fun and building relationships with the other athletes.

“It’s definitely crazy being involved with something strenuous like cross-country at a school like MSMS, but we kind of just take it by day,” Sloan said. 

This year, the cross-country team will travel to six meets:

Sept. 7 MSMS @ Tupelo 10 a.m.

Sept. 14 MSMS @ Mooreville 8 a.m.

Oct. 5 MSMS @ Pontotoc 10 a.m.

Oct. 11 MSMS @ New Albany TBA

Oct. 24 Regionals @ Eupora 8 a.m.