By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

One year after sending Heidi Grimmett to the state meet, Marion cross-country is looking to make a greater impact in races this year.

Alfwenna Meyer joins fellow senior Bethany Grimmett and sophomore Heidi, raising the team to three members.

Meyer is a sprinter by trade, but sees good training in cross-country.

“If I do long distances, then when it comes to track and I run short distances I won’t get as winded,” she said. “It will be better in the long run.”

“It’s kind of scary,” she said. “It’s my first and last, and it’s her last.”

A three year veteran of cross-country, Bethany Grimmett was excited to see the team grow.

“The first two years I was running by myself, but once my sister came up I actually had someone to run and prepare with,” she said. “Now I have this one. She hasn’t run a meet yet, but there’s no one I’d rather die with.”

One change Grimmett isn’t as enthusiastic about is the prospect of a new home course.

“I’ve run here on the golf course every year, and then they changed it,” she said.

Instead, the home course will be near US-56, along a course marked by a large “M” made of rocks.

It’s helpful coach Grant Thierolf already has a course mapped out, Grimmett said.

The boys team grew as well. After having two runners last year, four freshmen join returning junior Colton Boudreaux, giving the Warriors a full team.

Boudreaux and Heidi Grimmett will lead the way on the course, with each recording several finishes close to breaking 20 minutes.