Masuk High Girls Cross Country Aims to Stay Healthy, Score High

High expectations were trumped by injury for the Masuk High girls cross country team last fall. Despite a stock of solid skill and several runners posting career-best times, the Panthers couldn't compete with the top teams in the SouthWest Conference (SWC) because its runners were frequently nursing injuries.

"Our record last season was not where we wanted it to be," said Coach Peter Lopuch. "This was due to an unusually high number of injuries compared to past years."

The Panthers lost the strong running of Maura Murphy and Colleen Holforty to graduation, but can rely on their senior captains Michelle Fedor and Rachael McCollum, who were the team's top two runner last fall.

Fedor looks to build on her impressive 22-minute showing at the Class L Championships. McCollum is a reliable number two, coming off a 21-minute showing at last season's SWC final.

Supporting the captains are juniors Alix Masuk and Ashley Russo, who posted solid times at the state open and SWC finals.

"I expect Alix and Ashley to be near the front of our pack," Lopuch said.

Provided his team can avoid the injury bug this fall, Lopuch believes Masuk is poised for a big improvement on last fall.

"Avoiding injury is a major goal for the season," he said.