Cassandra Bresnahan

The Manitou Springs Cross Country team hosted a team camp during the summer. The camp was used to get team chemistry up and get a preseason race in.

The 2024-2025 Manitou Springs High School cross country season has just begun. The first official day of practice was held on Aug. 12, and the first race was held Aug. 30 at Widefield High School. The team, coached by Andy Sherwood, has been training throughout the summer to better prepare for the upcoming season.

This year’s captains are Evan Fugate (12) and Kara Donegan (12). 

Fugate has his own personal goals for the boys team. “We definitely want to get back to state, which shouldn’t be too hard, and then do well at state, top 10,” Fugate said. The boys team placed 6 out of the 20 teams at last year’s state championships.

This year’s team is looking bigger for both boys and girls, and the increased numbers are already having a positive impact. “There are 30 people on the team this year, which is a lot more than there has been any other year, which is really surprising,” Fugate said. “We’ve got a lot of freshmen, which makes me happy, because the team is going to have a future.” 

Sherwood believes that this may be one of the biggest cross country teams in school history. There is a lot of excitement for the future of the team. The girls side of the team saw the biggest increase of runners from past years. “We have a really good girls team, so I know that we’re probably going to make it to state,” Donegan said. 

Sherwood has goals for the team’s success this season. He hopes that both the boys and the girls team will finish in the top ten at state.

The team’s first race was held last Friday, and both the boys’ and girls’ teams placed second with multiple top fifteen finishes on both sides. “I’m really excited for all the amazing things that we’re gonna do, especially on the girls side,” Donegan said. ”But to also watch the boys do well.”