AT THE STARTING LINE — Members of the Fairmont Cardinal boys cross country team opening the season by playing host to the Early Bird Invitational at 9:30 a.m. Friday on the Fairmont High School campus include, front row (left to right): Co-head coach Stew Murfield, co-head coach Holly Neusch, Jaydon Putney, Gavin Artner, Brier Lenort, Devin Hanson, Andrew Haugen, Isaac Stone and assistant coach Jen Kahler. Back row: Will Niestrath, Landon Weber, Cooper Gudahl, Ben Moeller, Landen Pederson, Eli Winter, Sebastian Castro and Braydon Lindsay. Not pictured: Michael Hamlet and Matthew Senneff. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — There is plenty of cautious optimism within the Fairmont Cardinals boys cross country team this fall.

A plethora of returning runners have Fairmont co-head coaches Stew Murfield and Holly Neusch feeling optimistic.

“The boys look pretty good this season and we’re anxious to see what they can do,” Murfield said. “We have a lot of seniors to lead the team.”

One of those seniors leading the pack is Gavin Artner, who finished 16th in the 2022 Section 2AA Meet with a time of 17:15.61 to lead the Cardinals.

“Gavin has put in a lot of time this summer and is looking to improve from last season,” Murfield said. “Gavin is a favorite to make the state meet if he continues on his improvement. However, we hope others push him at the top.”

Other returning runners are Andrew Haugen, Ben Moeller, Braydon Lindsay, Isaac Stone, Brier Lenort, Cooper Gudahl, Devin Hanson, Will Niestrath, Jaydon Putney, Landen Pederson, Landon Weber and Sebastian Castro.

“Several of our kids did the summer run series, so they put in a lot of time in preparation for the season,” Neusch said. “The guys showed a lot of dedication to improving.”

Weber ran the most miles, totaling 425 since June 1.

Fairmont’s other 2022 sectional runners were Lenort, who finished 41st with a time of 18:21.3; Guhahl, who was 42nd in 18:31.63; Haugen, 44th with a time of 18:31.87; Stone, 53rd in 18:56.78; Niestrath, 61st in 19:29.79; and Putney, 68th in 19:54.77.

Fairmont earned 196 points to finish eighth behind section champion Mankato East (50); Belle Plaine, second with 66; Worthington, third with 71; Marshall, fourth with 116; Mankato West, fifth with 150; New Prague, sixth with 160; and Jordan, seventh with 180.

“New Prague moved up to (Class) AAA this year and will not be in our section this season,” Murfield said. “Marshall is the team to beat in the section meet and the conference. Our section is loaded with Mankato East, Belle Plaine, Mankato West and Worthington.”

Look for the seasoned group of Haugen, Moeller, Gudahl, Lenort, Artner, Stone, Putney, Pederson and Weber to be the team’s top runners, using their experience to push them in the team’s pack running early.

Newcomers to the team are Eli Winter, Matthew Senneff and Michael Hamlet.

In last fall’s Big South Conference Meet at Cedar Creek Park, Artner was the team leader with all-conference honors after placing seventh with a time of 17:19.1.

Putney just missed making honorable mention with his 17th-place finish, running a time of 18:19.7, while Gudahl placed 18th with a time of 18:24.7.

Lenort finished 22nd with a time of 18:43.9, and Stone was 23rd with a time of 18:49.0. Fairmont’s final two finishers were Haugen, 24th with a time of 18:49.20; and Niestrath, 30th with a time of 19:50.60.

Fairmont took third in the BSC Meet with 85 points, finishing behind Marshall with 33 points and Worthington with 36.

The Fairmont boys open their season Friday, Aug. 25, with the Early Bird Meet, running against Mountain Lake, Blue Earth Area, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda, Jackson County Central, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, St. Peter and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Fairmont High School.

“We were second to Marshall last year and Marshall isn’t going to be at this year’s meet,” Murfield said. “We’ll see how it goes and how we do.”

Fairmont runs in the Paul Metcalf Invitational on Friday, Sept. 1, at the Mountain Lake Golf Course, and the Tri-County United’s Gerry Smith Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Fairmont’s schedule continues with the Turkey Trot in Worthington on Thursday, Sept. 14; and another on Friday, Sept. 22, in the Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.

Fairmont’s schedule includes the St. James Invitational Tuesday, Sept. 26, and one Thursday, Oct. 5, in the I-90 Invitational at Cedar Creek Park in Fairmont.

The Big South Conference Meet is set for Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Marshall Country Club, and the Section 2AA Meet is the following week, Tuesday, Oct. 24, in Mankato.

“Marshall is the team to beat in the conference,” Murfield said. “We’ll see if we can push them.”

The Class AA state meet has moved from St. Olaf College in Northfield and is heading to the University of Minnesota’s Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights on Saturday, Nov. 4.