The 2012 Lehman girls cross-country team will try to live up to the legacy of the 2011 squad which qualified for regionals. Members of the 2011 team (l-r) were Bianca Meza, Sabrina Lawlor, Ofelia Negrete, Ashley Morgan, Pressley Bailey, Amara Smith, and Ashley Martinez. Morgan, Martinez, Negrete and Bailey all return to run for Lehman this season. (Photo by Deb Ross)
by WES FERGUSON
Boasting four returners from last year’s trip to the regional meet, the Lehman girls cross country team has begun endurance training with hopes for an even stronger finish in 2012.
A return to regionals would be nice, said coach Monica Tovar, but she said she’s pushing her runners to take their times to the next level.
“I think our girls will fight back and go for regionals again and push our team to go toward state,” Tovar said. “We’re looking for a really strong, successful year, and these girls are working hard and I can’t ask for anything more. They put in the hard work, put in their mileage, put in their dedication and I’m really proud.”
Senior Ashley Morgan, junior Ashley Martinez and sophomores Ofelia Negrete and Pressley Bailey are all coming back, and more than 20 other girls are vying for the remaining three varsity spots. Tovar expected them to run 12 miles this week.
“We’re trucking along, and the girls are getting lots of new faces to come out. They have really promoted the program,” she said. “I truly believe the girls are out here because they have a passion to run.”
There are some unknowns entering the 2012 season. The Lady Lobos are competing against some new teams in the realigned District 27-4A. And in the past, girls’ cross country courses were two miles long in Texas. But they have been increased to 3.1 miles (or 5,000 meters) in Class 4A and 5A this season - making endurance training all the more important.
Morgan said she and her teammates were ready to go the extra mile this fall.
“I think it’s going to be much more of a true cross country sport,” she said.
Morgan was Lehman’s top individual finisher at district last year, coming in 14th place, but her teammates were not far behind her. The team finished third overall.
“We’re all very, very close together,” she said. “At some meets, we would have different people coming in first for our team. I feel like we have a really good base coming into the season. I hope to qualify individually, but I’d really, really love it if the team qualified again this year.”
If the Lady Lobos can return to the regional meet, she said, they will know what to expect and can avoid some of the pre-meet jitters.
“The regional meet was really nerve-racking,” she said. “Now that we have four returning varsity runners who have experience, we’re going to be a lot more mentally prepared. We have a really dedicated coach who puts a lot of time and effort into the team, and I feel like now that we have our returning varsity team she knows how to work with us and tweak things to help get our times down. We’ve seen a lot of success, even when we go to big meets we see dramatic changes in our times.
“We see a lot of success, and we’re putting Lehman’s name out there: Hey, we’re good at cross country too.”
During the regular season, Lehman will compete in Lockhart (Sept. 1), Pflugerville (Sept. 14), at Hays High (Sept. 22), and in Manor (Oct. 5). The Lobos may also pick up an extra meet in October before the District 27-4A meet Oct. 27 in Lockhart. The regional meet will be held at a site to be determined on Nov. 3. The UIL State Cross Country Meet will be held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock on Nov. 10.
