The 2018 Triad cross-country team is, row one: Tabitha Gaier; second row coach Marha Lehman, Joe Ferguson, Jacob Warner, Andrew O’Neal, Ellie O’Brien, Zane Robison and coach Amanda Robison.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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The Triad cross-country team is looking to keep the program alive for the future. The Cardinals have struggled to put together a team this season and as a result have had to convert to a coed team do to a lack of numbers in the girls program.
Triad has only one girl running – freshmen Tabitha Gaier – for a program that totals only six runners.
“It is a small team,” said coach Martha Lehman. “We are glad to have a team this year. We haven’t had a full team in a while, so this is good. We need to see how they work as a team.”
Making up the remainer of the team will be Eli O’Brien, Andrew O’Neal, Jacob Warner, Zane Robison and Joe Ferguson.
O’Brien is returning to the team with All-Ohio Heritage Conference honors and will be the most experienced runner on the team.
O’Neal is making the jump from running track last season to cross-country.
“Eli has run in the past and received OHC honors and I anticipate that his personal running will do really well,” said Lehmen. “Andrew has run track for me before and he is a strong mid-distance runner. I want to see how he does with the distance, but I’m anticipating good things for him as well.”
The remaining members of the team are fairly new to running with Ferguson seeing some time on the middle school cross-country team. Lehman said the athletes “are just growing as runners.”
The real growth of the program will come out of the middle school program according to Lehmen.
“This is the first time we have had both a full girls and boys team at the middle school,” she said. “I’m surprised. When I went down in the spring to have sign-ups, I was expecting five or six and there was like 20. So I anticipate continued growth as they move up to high school.”
For now, the Cardinals on the high school team will continue to run for themselves, but also for a program that is looking to grow in the near future.