For many years, the Bellarmine girls’ cross country team has been one of the most successful programs at the school. Every year, the girls have gained incredible new talent and have remained powerful enough as a team to make it, and be successful, at state for the past 16 years. The boys’ team in turn has not gained the same recognition over the years, as the girls’ team has. This year, however, the boys are better than ever and fully prepared to break the trend.

This year, the boys can credit their newfound success to change. From their coach, to their training regimen, everything has changed for the better. This year, they were assigned a new coach, formerly the assistant coach, to coach the boys’ team alone. Previously, Coach Matt Ellis coached both girls’ and boys’ teams. This year, however, they have been given their own coach that can give them more attention and is more suited to their needs. Coach KeithWren whipped the crew right into shape, a leading cause to their determination to succeed this year. The team collectively call themselves, “Team Wren.”

Due to both their coaching change and their collective determination towards victory, they trained harder and had higher mileage than ever before. Many of the boys ran 80 miles a week over the summer and, on a few occasions, even chose to run up mountains in order to get their miles in. In addition, the boys have been running, before many people are even awake, before school three times a week. Their rigorous training is sure to produce a payoff.

Another key to their success has been becoming closer as a team. If people cannot work together as a team, they will not triumph, and the boys have become more of a unit than they have in the past. Under the fantastic leadership of the seniors, Quentin Purtzer, Brian Ward, Chris Mooney and Chase Raquer, the team has been able to race better and train better as a team. Junior, Jack Metcalfe admits, “We are not so much a team as we are a family.”

So far, the boys have raced in the Bellarmine Invite, the Stanford Invite, the Curtis Invite, the Hole in The Wall Invite and the Twilight Invite. The boys have done well in all of these races, placing high in addition to having some individual top finishers. Recently, Max Hilger won the freshman race at the Bellarmine Invite, Jack Yearian and Will Sherman placing fourth and fifth respectively at the Curtis Invite.

The boys are not so much focused on these past meets, however. They are far more set on their goals for the future. Last year, the boys placed 15th at the state meet. This year, they are hoping to be on the podium. In addition, they hope to be able to compete in the Northwest regional meet after state which includes runners from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Nevada. Some of them also hope to place top 20 at state to qualify for Borderclash, a meet for the top runners in Oregon and Washington at the Nike headquarters.

These boys have very ambitious plans but with the work they have put in, they seem likely to achieve these goals. If they continue to do as well as they have been, the Bellarmine boys cross country team will be a force to be reckoned with.