By Craig Marx, Editor

One of the best ways to start off a season is when numbers are up significantly. For Red Robins cross country, the team has more than doubled its number of runners since last year.

With 18 kids out for the squad this 2016 season, the cross country team is up from just eight runners last year. The influx of new talent has even allowed Coach April Sadogierski to field Antigo’s first ever full, separate girls’ team in program history.

The team will be without the services of departed runner Colin Koss, one of the more successful members of the program in recent history. As a distance runner in both track and cross country, Koss qualified for state in both sports and was named to the GNC’s all-conference first team in the latter.

In the WIAA Division II state championship race, Koss posted a time of 17:14.11 and a 40th place finish out of field of 150 runners (Daniel Pederson of Spooner took first place at 16:07.23).

The 2016 team will consist of just two seniors with the majority of the squad’s runners being underclassmen. Returning runners from last season include Nick Marshall, Grant Meeks, Jared McFarlane, Cody Urban, Thomas Nelson, and Dorothy Mifflin.

The girls’ team this season far surpasses last year’s numbers, where the Robins fielded just two female participants in most races – the returning Mifflin and the now-graduated Olivia Barske. Newcomers to the girls’ squad include Emily Gravitter, Gabby Held, Jena Nonnemacher, Jami Nonnemacher, Bobbi Novak, Maddie Spencer, and Dani Wild.

For the boys’ team, Brett Farmer, Spencer Fittante, Dane Aros, Deiontae Barner, and Zach Morris join the Robins’ squad for the ’16 season.

“I am excited to work with such a young group,” Sadogierski said.

The cross country season begins with a varsity invitational at Rhinelander on Aug. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. The Robins will have eight races before the Great Northern Conference meet in Mosinee on Oct. 25, with sectionals set to begin the following Saturday.

2016 AHS Cross Country Schedule

• Thur. Aug. 25 – at Rhinelander – 10 a.m.
• Tue. Sep. 6 – at Wittenberg-Birnamwood – 4:45 p.m.
• Sat. Sep. 10 – at Shawano – 9 a.m.
• Sat. Sep. 17 – at Wausau East (Tribute Golf Course) – 8:30 a.m.
• Sat. Sep. 24 – Invitational at University of Minnesota – 9 a.m.
• Thur. Sep. 29 – at Medford – 5 p.m.
• Sat. Oct. 8 – at Tomahawk (Edgewater Country Club) – 10 a.m.
• Sat. Oct. 15 – GNC Meet at Mosinee – 10 a.m.
• Sat. Oct. 22 – Sectionals at Waupaca – TBD