IMA SPORTS

With only three runners on last year’s girls cross country roster, Maumee coach Jenni Dugan had her work cut out to grow the program.

Thanks to a combination of positive word-of-mouth from athletes and a large freshman class, the Panthers will start the season with nine runners.

“I’m very passionate about our program and I think that always shows as well,” Dugan said. “I love what I do and am constantly talking to people about it, and that can’t hurt either.”

Dugan has made sure girls cross country stays visible through social media posts and school announcements. She also coaches middle school track and makes a point to recruit from there, while staying involved with middle school and youth cross country programs.

For returning runners Penny Farley, Kylie Brown and Arriana Dugan, having more teammates will be a welcome change.

“The girls from last year are very excited to have a larger group to run with this year,” Jenni Dugan said. “There are quite a few of them that really push themselves individually, and when you put them in a group, they feed off that energy and push even more.

“It’s pretty awesome to see that hard work being put in by newcomers. The support they all show for each other has created a great starting ground for this team to advance together as the season goes on.”

Arriana Dugan is looking to build on a strong freshman season, where she placed fourth at districts and 28th at regionals, running a personal-best 19 minutes, 36 seconds.

She’ll be joined by freshman Cienna Fraley, who won the Northern Buckeye Conference individual middle school title last year with a 12 minutes, 27 second finish. Bentley Stewart also comes to the high school after a top-15 league finish in 14:13, helping the Panthers win back-to-back middle school championships.

Rounding out the roster are Hala Jabri, Teagan Kennedy, Chloe Perez and Lydia Liwo.

The biggest challenge, Dugan said, will be learning how to work together in practices and races.

“I’m already seeing a huge shift in practices,” she said. “It took a little bit of time, but they’re finding their groove when it comes to how to help each other and push each other. They haven’t experienced this in meets yet, so it’s going to be another learning curve.

“But once they get it down, they’ll see just how much of an advantage it is to have your teammates with you in a race. They’ll be able to pair up, group up and use that to their advantage, whether it’s encouraging and pushing each other or attacking other teams as a group.”

The boys’ team will be led by veterans David Ybarra, Carlos Ballez, Aaron Powell and Noah Wagner, with Luke Reeves and Eithan Curson also in the mix.

The Panthers open the season Saturday at the Eastwood Invitational, which begins at 8 p.m. They’ll also run at Columbus Grove, Liberty Center, Ottawa Park in Toledo, and the Tiffin Carnival. Maumee will host a Jamboree at Whiteford Valley Golf Course on Sept. 30, and the Northern Buckeye Conference championships will be held at the same venue on Oct. 11.

“My goal is to build each of these girls up and see what we can pull off in year one with this group,” Dugan said. “I have some ideas in my head of just how successful this team can be, but we are young and inexperienced, so only time will tell if we can have the maturity needed to reach full potential.

“If we can train properly and peak at the right time, I truly believe we have a chance to advance in the postseason as a team. We don’t have much depth, so it’s going to take the right things falling into place. But with the talent we have, it’s definitely a possibility. And regardless, my main goal will always be working with each individual so they can see personal success.”

Photo courtesy of Pride of the Panthers
Reach IMA at insidemaumeeathletics@gmail.com