Nicole Recoy is entering her eighth season at the helm of the South Loup cross country program, and she, along with assistant coach Kim Sallach, will be looking to carry the momentum from a successful 2025 season into this fall.

Largely contributing to last year’s success were Jaden Baker, Walter Bierman, and Josiah Coleman, who all placed in the top 15 at districts and helped lead the boys’ team to both a conference and district championship. “Jaden, Walter, and Josiah consistently placed in the top 15 or 20 at each meet,” added Coach Recoy.

For the girls, Lyla Bierman highlighted her 2025 season with a 5th place finish at the conference meet. Coach Recoy and Coach Sallach will look to Lyla, Walter, Jaden, and Josiah to step into the leadership roles for this year’s team.

“We have several newcomers to our team, and several of them could greatly impact the girls’ and boys’ teams,” said Coach Recoy.

Though they may be new to cross country, not all of them are novices when it comes to running. Delanie Weinman and Chloe Coleman were part of the 3200 relay team that qualified for state track last year and are joining the cross country team this year. Tasia Trotter is also joining the team.

“We have two freshmen, Dagen Fletcher and Lia Russell, and I am excited to see what they can do,” Recoy added.

Coach said that despite having several members new to cross country, the team has set some specific goals. “One goal, since we have a lot of newcomers, is improving each week and building confidence,” she stated. “Our big goal for this year is to qualify both teams for state. The boys qualified last year and would like to repeat that, and even though our girls are all new to the sport, they are also working hard and want to qualify as a team.”

Experience is one strength Coach Recoy said the team will be building upon this season. “Walter Bierman and Jaden Baker are our leaders for this team this year. They come with a lot of experience and knowledge, and I look for them to help build and encourage both teams.”

Coach Recoy said the team has been putting in hours this summer, staying in shape and preparing for the fall. “The off-season is building a foundation for the upcoming season; this way they are in shape and are ready for workouts, especially since it’s such a short time before our first competition.”

The Bobcats cross country teams open their season today, Aug. 27, as they travel to Burwell. They will be back in action Thursday, Sept. 3 at Cozad. That meet has a start time of 9 a.m.