ABOVE: Front row from left: Coach Holly Neusch, Evan Reyelts, Agustín Atlaí Arellano Landero, Holden Junkermeier, Anthony Napier, Kyson Hanna, Seth Siebring, Back row from left: Coach Jen Kahler, Ethan Siebring, Jonas Krist, Michael Hamlet, Coach Andrew Moeller, Leon Yang, Isaac Laidig, Carmyne Hecht Not pictured: Cooper Gudahl, Devin Hanson, Cole Hanson, Matthew Senneff.

FAIRMONT – Headlined by a pair of key returning runners, first-year Fairmont High School boys cross country coach Andrew Moeller is optimistic heading into the 2025 season.

Last year was solid for the Cardinals overall. The team finished fourth in the Big South Conference Championships with a score of 117, placing several runners in the top 30 individually.

Graduating from that team were key runners such as Jaydon Putney and Andrew Haugen, two senior leaders who found themselves at the top of nearly all Fairmont team finishes.

Fortunately for Moeller and his coaching staff, the Cardinals bring back a mix of top talent from last season, along with some new faces.

Senior Cooper Gudahl and Sophomore Devon Hanson headline this year’s unit. The pair placed 20th and 23rd in last season’s conference championship and aim to take bigger strides in the 2025 fall campaign.

“We have a couple of key front-runners with Devon Hanson and Cooper Gudahl. I think we will be seeing them go back-and-forth throughout the season at times,” Moeller said. “We did lose some guys from last year, but I think we have just as good, if not better, replacements.”

Moeller not only wants to see improvements from these two on the course, but also in leadership. The pair has a handful of years at the varsity level to make this possible.

“You always need people to come back and be the leaders of the group,” Moeller said. “The ones we do have back are doing as good a job as I could expect. I have full confidence they are going to be able to lead the team to accomplish what we want to.”

The other replacements include a group of experienced runners at the varsity level poised to take the next jump.

Senior Carmyne Hecht, sophomore Evan Reyelts, and freshman Holden Junkermeier are just a couple of names that have started the season off strong at the Early Bird Invite last Friday, placing 10th, 11th, and 17th, respectively.

A new face Moeller is excited to see compete this season for his first varsity experience is eighth-grader Cole Hanson. After proving himself last season in numerous junior-varsity events, Moeller thinks the young runner is ready for the next level of competition.

“Our young guy that’s going to move up at some point to really help us out is Cole Hanson,” Moeller said. “He proved himself very well last track season that he can make some big jumps this year.”

Fairmont continues its season on Friday with a trip to Mountain Lake, competing in the Paul Metcalf Invitational. This 15-team meet will have both varsity teams running their usual 5K distance.