ABOVE: Front row from left: Qwynn Healey, Delaney Klug, Annabelle Watson, Natalie Griffey, Audrey Haugen. Middle row left to right, Coach Jen Kahler, Avery Stueber, Ellie Drever, Hannah Kate Larson, Brooklyn Stone, Kendra Blomster, Julia Reyelts. Back row from left: Coach Holly Neusch, Allexia Long, Addison Lintelman, Coach Andrew Moeller, Reese Fenske, Feven Hoyer, Raelynn Meyerdirk not pictured: Elizabeth Hart, Amiyah Dunn.

FAIRMONT – 2025 seems to be a new leaf for the Fairmont High School girls cross country team. After losing a pair of key senior leaders from last fall, Moeller and his coaching staff will rely on a handful of up-and-coming underclassmen to carry the load.

The elephant in the room going into the fall is the departure of Macy Hanson, a senior on last season’s roster who was one of the more prolific runners in the class, finishing second in the Big South Conference Championships with a time of 18:38.05.

“It’s obviously going to be tough losing Macy Hanson,” Moeller said. “Our top runner from last year, who we could pretty much count on just about any meet getting a first place out of her, which would really help lower our team score.”

Outside of Hanson, the Cardinals will be without another key piece from last year’s roster: Carys Gudahl. Gudahl earned a 30th-place result at the Big South Conference Championships last season with her time of 21:37.10, finishing right behind Hanson in the team rankings.

The Cardinals only return a pair of seniors on their 2025 team. Despite this, Moeller thinks his team as a whole can be deeper with the additions coming from the underclass.

Much of the Cardinals team is made up of younger runners who haven’t tracked as many miles at the varsity level. Moeller thinks that after his team gains more experience through additional races and practices, their times will ultimately drop as the season progresses.

Sophomore Brooklyn Stone, eighth-grader Delaney Klug, and sophomore Avery Steuber have shown to be some of the leading runners for this youthful team.

Stone and Klug recently secured the team’s top two finishes at the Early Bird Invite last Friday, placing 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Steuber wasn’t too far behind after her 31st-place finish.

While these are just a couple of names, Moeller believes the entirety of his roster has more depth from top to bottom than last year.

“We are a young team on the girls side,” Moeller said. “But I do think the quality is there. As we keep on getting older and getting more fitness in us, the time is just going to drop, and as a team, I think we are going to be better this year.”

As many of the Cardinals are learning the ropes of competing at the varsity level, many outsiders would call this a building year. And while Moeller agrees, he thinks the 2025 season can be pivotal for the future of the program.

The girls team has seen more and more participants as the years have gone by. These additions are laying the foundation for future seasons of success.

After putting new runners through the developmental stages of the program, Moeller is thrilled to see how all of his young talent grows each race.

“We are kind of developing the younger kids right now,” Moeller said. “It’ll be an improvement from last year, and the future is yet to come with that group.”